Sec. 1A-16.8. Automatic transfer of registration based upon information from the National Change of Address database and designated automatic voter registration agencies.

636 words·~3 min read·/il/chapter-10/act-5/1a-16-8

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(a)The State Board of Elections shall cross-reference the statewide voter registration database against the United States Postal Service's National Change of Address database twice each calendar year, April 15 and October 1 in odd-numbered years and April 15 and December 1 in even-numbered years or with the same frequency as in subsection

(b)of this Section, and shall share the findings with the election authorities.

(b)In addition, beginning no later than September 1, 2017, the State Board of Elections shall utilize data provided as part of its membership in the Electronic Registration Information Center in order to cross-reference the statewide voter registration database against databases of relevant personal information kept by designated automatic voter registration agencies, including, but not limited to, driver's license information kept by the Secretary of State, at least 6 times each calendar year and shall share the findings with election authorities.

This subsection

(b)shall no longer apply once Sections 1A-16.1 and 1A-16.2 of this Code are fully implemented as determined by the State Board of Elections. Upon a determination by the State Board of Elections of full implementation of Sections 1A-16.1 and 1A-16.2 of this Code, the State Board of Elections shall file notice of full implementation and the inapplicability of this subsection

(b)with the Index Department of the Office of the Secretary of State, the Governor, the General Assembly, and the Legislative Reference Bureau.

(b-5) The State Board of Elections shall not be required to share any data on any voter attained using the National Change of Address database under subsection

(a)of this Section if that voter has a more recent government transaction indicated using the cross-reference under subsection

(b)of this Section. If there is contradictory or unclear data between data obtained under subsections

(a)and

(b)of this Section, then data obtained under subsection

(b)of this Section shall take priority.

(c)An election authority shall automatically register any voter who has moved into its jurisdiction from another jurisdiction in Illinois or has moved within its jurisdiction provided that:

(1)the election authority whose jurisdiction includes the new registration address

provides the voter an opportunity to reject the change in registration address through a mailing, sent by non-forwardable mail, to the new registration address, and

(2)when the election authority whose jurisdiction includes the previous registration

address is a different election authority, then that election authority provides the same opportunity through a mailing, sent by forwardable mail, to the previous registration address.

This change in registration shall trigger the same inter-jurisdictional or intra-jurisdictional workflows as if the voter completed a new registration card, including the cancellation of the voter's previous registration. Should the registration of a voter be changed from one address to another within the State and should the voter appear at the polls and offer to vote from the prior registration address, attesting that the prior registration address is the true current address, the voter, if confirmed by the election authority as having been registered at the prior registration address and canceled only by the process authorized by this Section, shall be issued a regular ballot, and the change of registration address shall be canceled.

If the election authority is unable to immediately confirm the registration, the voter shall be permitted to register and vote a regular ballot, provided that he or she meets the documentary requirements for same-day registration. If the election authority is unable to confirm the registration and the voter does not meet the requirements for same-day registration, the voter shall be issued a provisional ballot.

(d)No voter shall be disqualified from voting due to an error relating to an update of registration under this Section.