The Secretary of State’s office this week began the “opt-in” voter registration at driver service facilities as part of the state’s new Automatic Voter Registration (AVR) law that was signed in August 2017. The AVR was advanced as a way to both modernize and simplify the state’s voter registration process.
Though implementation of automatic voter registration won’t be complete in Illinois for another year, employees at the Secretary of State’s office’s driver service facilities are now checking the voter registration status of those seeking a new driver’s license or state IDs. If an individual’s voter registration information is out of date, they will be given the option to electronically update their information. The updated information will then be automatically sent to election authorities.
Illinois isn’t expected to fully implement the automatic voter registration processes until 2019. In early 2019, the “opt-out” phase of the AVR implementation is anticipated to begin. Residents will then be able to select one box on the application if they choose not to register.
It’s expected that by July 2019, the automatic voter registration law will ensure Illinois citizens can register to vote at other state agencies, such as Human Services or Natural Resources.