A glitch in the state’s automatic voter registration program that resulted in more than 500 people who said they weren’t U.S. citizens being added to the voter rolls should have alarm bells ringing for voters and politicians throughout Illinois.
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A glitch in the state’s automatic voter registration program that resulted in more than 500 people who said they weren’t U.S. citizens being added to the voter rolls should have alarm bells ringing for voters and politicians throughout Illinois.
For about 18 months, a programming error in the Illinois Secretary of State’s automatic voter registration program sent data to the Illinois State Board of Elections from people who indicated they weren’t U.S. citizens.
Of the 545 who were improperly registered to vote, 16 people cast 19 ballots. That’s a huge problem that raises a host of new questions about the state’s ability to hold secure elections. It could also put the people who voted at risk for deportation. That’s unacceptable.
Former Gov. Bruce Rauner signed the state’s automatic voter registration program into law in 2017. However, implementation of the program has been problematic, despite delays. And one of the results was exactly what critics had feared.
Yes, implementing a statewide “motor voter” program was a big task and involved a number of state agencies. But checks should have been put in place long before the Secretary of State’s office began sending information over to the Illinois State Board of Elections.