Another local election in Illinois has come and gone and, unsurprisingly, turnout remains abysmally low. For a few examples, only 18% of registered voters turned out in suburban Cook County and 22% in DuPage County. We can do so much better, and that is why at CHANGE Illinois Action Fund, we continue to advocate for legislation that will empower voters.

This past Wednesday, CHANGE Illinois Action Fund submitted written testimony on HB 1442 and HB 1444. These two pieces of crucial voting access legislation were introduced by Illinois state Representative Nabeela Syed and led by Citizen Action/Illinois. Let’s dive into the details of what these two pieces of legislation do, and why they are so important for increasing voting access.

HB 1442, if passed, would require mandatory curbside voting both on Election Day and during early voting. Currently, curbside voting only needs to be available for one of the two. This bill also establishes procedures for posting signage to let people with disabilities know that they can vote at the curbside voting location, and other provisions related to this process.

We have an opportunity to ensure equal opportunity for people with disabilities to exercise their right to vote. It is not enough for them to offer curbside voting sometimes. This inconsistency can lead to confusion and run the risk of disenfranchising voters who need access to curbside voting. Opportunities for curbside voting should be equal in number and frequency to opportunities for people who can physically walk into a polling place.

HB 1444, if passed, would require applications for a vote-by-mail ballot for a single election to include an option to apply for the permanent vote-by-mail list. Currently, it is not required that they have this option provided on applications, though they do in some counties.

This bill presents an opportunity to increase voter participation and turnout in our elections, particularly local elections. The permanent vote-by-mail list was intended to empower voters by allowing them to avoid requesting a vote-by-mail ballot for every election. But, if it is unnecessarily difficult for voters to find information or apply for the permanent vote-by-mail list, the law is essentially undermined.

Requiring vote-by-mail applications to include an option to opt-in to the permanent vote-by-mail list is a low cost solution. It will ensure voters are aware that the option is available to them and mitigate confusion that the current vote-by-mail application only applies to the upcoming election. Through our voter education work, it is not uncommon for us to hear from voters that they assume applying for a vote-by-mail ballot for a previous election means that they would receive one automatically for an upcoming election. We have an easy solution with HB 1444.

Expanding curbside voting access and raising awareness of the permanent vote-by-mail list are two of many elections-related bills that we are supporting in this year’s legislative session! Stay tuned for updates in the coming weeks on other legislation we are supporting as we continue to advocate in Springfield for legislation to empower and protect voters.