News Local/State

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.

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.