State Sen. Dale Righter (R-Mattoon) says legislation that would establish an automatic voter registration system in Illinois opens the door to illegal residents casting votes. Righter voted against Senate Bill 250, which the Illinois Senate passed Nov. 16, overriding Gov. Rauner’s veto.
“This legislation would register to vote those who are in this state illegally,” Righter said. “This goes to the heart of voter integrity, and that is, whether people in the country in violation of federal law will be registered to vote, also in violation of the law.”
Righter says Senate Bill 250 is also flawed in that when an individual applies for or renews a state driver’s license or state ID, they are automatically registered to vote without their consent or knowledge. An “opt out” opportunity doesn’t come until weeks later by mail, as opposed to up front during the registration process.
“The fact this legislation also doesn’t require an individual to prove they meet voter registration requirements, or in other words, they live in this country legally, is an obvious red flag,” Righter said. “Voter apathy is the issue here, not the ability to register to vote. Voting in this country should be safeguarded to the maximum. This only opens to the door to voter fraud and abuse, which puts the very nature of democracy in jeopardy.”