Ill. Democrats To Push Automatic Voter Registration
The Brookens Administrative Center in Urbana, Ill. on the day of the Primary Election on March 18, 2014. (Sean Powers/Illinois Public Media)
Some Illinois Democrats want to automatically register residents to vote as they get their driver’s licenses.
State Sen. Don Harmon (D-Oak Park) says the effort is an attempt to expand the number of eligible voters to potentially increase turnout.
"If you create the baseline that you’re going to be a participant in the program, people do it," he said. "If you have to even just say ‘yes’ to opt in, a surprising number of people say ‘no.’"
Harmon says he expects the issue to come before state lawmakers next year - before the 2016 presidential election.