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Gov. Rauner Signs Automatic Voter Registration Measure

Northern Public Radio | By Tony Arnold
Published August 28, 2017 at 3:09 PM CDT
Katie Finlon
/
WNIJ

Illinoisians eligible to vote will now automatically be registered when they get their driver’s license or another state I.D.

Credit Katie Finlon / WNIJ
/
WNIJ

Republican Governor Bruce Rauner signed the bill into law Monday. The measure received unanimous support from both Democrats and Republicans in Springfield.

Democratic State Senator Andy Manar sponsored the legislation.

“The bipartisan vote that was taken on this legislation was, when you think about it, quite stunning especially given the dynamic of what’s happening in Springfield today,” Manar said.

If people don’t want to be registered to vote, they can opt out. The legislation goes into effect in July 2018, before the November midterm elections.

Copyright 2021 WNIJ Northern Public Radio. To see more, visit WNIJ Northern Public Radio.

Tony Arnold
Tony Arnold covers Illinois state politics for WBEZ. His investigations have ranged from the multiple Legionnaires’ disease outbreaks at the Quincy veterans’ home that resulted in the deaths of more than a dozen residents, to documenting an increase in the deaths of children who had contact with Illinois’ child welfare system. He’s also covered the unprecedented two-year state budget impasse, Chicago mayoral elections, national political conventions, and he’s edited the daily news desk. He’s won numerous Illinois AP and Peter Lisagor awards for his reporting. Tony has a B.A. in American Studies from Miami University. He’s previously worked at WNIJ in DeKalb, IL and WMUB in Oxford, OH. His first job in journalism was as a stringer, recording stats for local high school sports.
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