By KEVIN BESSLER
Illinois Radio Network
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (IRN) — Despite some pushback from county clerks in the state, some Illinois lawmakers want to control how some aspects of voting are done during elections.
State Rep. Nabeela Syed, D-Palatine, has introduced House Bill 1442 that establishes curbside voting during early voting and on election day. During a House Ethics and Election Committee hearing Wednesday, she said during the November election, some voting lines were too long for some people.
“A number of seniors with a disability arrived to vote and they were met with an hour to three line in the suburbs with no place to sit outdoors,” said Syed.
Brian Pollock from the Illinois Association of County Clerks and Recorders called the bill unnecessary because he said it is already available around the state and rarely requested.
“Basically, why do we want to mandate something that we already offer to the voters if you or any voters actually use it,” said Pollock. “Changing something without bringing awareness to the issue seems to defeat the purpose.”
Another measure, House Bill 1444, would provide that the application for a vote by mail ballot for a single election shall include an option to apply for permanent vote by mail status.
“Currently the voters may have to navigate multiple forms to access current vote by mail status and sometimes it leads to frustration and missed opportunities to participate in these elections,” said Syed.
Pollock said the legislation makes the process even more complicated.
“We’re concerned that adding that permanent language to the one-time form will lead to more voter confusion, and we already have a lot of voter confusion with these forms,” said Pollock.
President Donald Trump has signed an executive order seeking to change how elections are administered across the country, including rules related to mail-in voting.
Trump’s order asserts that federal law requires all states to reject ballots not received by Election Day. In Illinois, a ballot must be postmarked by Election Day and received within 14 days of that date to be counted in the election.
