Reminding Voters to Vote While at the Polls

A computerized alert system is reminding voters this election year to choose a candidate for each of Illinois' constitutional offices, which include governor, lieutenant governor, and attorney general.

The technology aimed at catching ballot errors stems from a 2007 law that took effect during the February 2 primary election. If a voter forgets or chooses not to vote for a candidate, they are notified to make that vote if they choose.

The alerts are only used during election years when constitutional office holders are on the ballot. Sixty seven counties in the state use the ballot alerts at polling places, but not every county uses them in the same way.

For example, in Champaign County, voters get an on-screen notification when they do not fill out a response for one of the state's six constitutional offices. However, in Macon County, voters are alerted when they skip any ballot measure. Macon County Clerk Steve Bean said election laws should apply to every item on the ballot.

"The most concern of most clerks is this is a law that affects six offices selected in the state of Illinois," Bean said. "It doesn't care about any of the others."

County Champaign Clerk Mark Shelden, whose county restricts the alerts to constitutional offices only, filed a lawsuit in November 2009 against the Illinois State Board of Elections. He claimed that the alerts violated voters' rights to privacy. However, Shelden later dropped the lawsuit because of budgetary reasons.

"If the legislature doesn't act in the spring," Shelden explained. "I definitely think the lawsuit needs to be brought back."

While the technology alerts people of a missed vote, it does not discard ballots.\

(Photo by Tom Rogers/WILL)