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1
SENATE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, Voting is one of the central tenets of our
3democracy and a fundamental right of American citizens; and
 
4    WHEREAS, Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act
5requires state and local governments to ensure that people
6with disabilities have a full and equal opportunity to vote;
7and
 
8    WHEREAS, Section 504 of the federal Rehabilitation Act of
91973 prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability in
10any program or activity that receives federal financial
11assistance, including federal elections; and
 
12    WHEREAS, The Help America Vote Act of 2002 requires
13jurisdictions to make voting systems accessible in a manner
14that provides the same opportunity to voters with disabilities
15for access and participation as is provided to non-disabled
16voters; and
 
17    WHEREAS, The U.S. Election Assistance Commission's 2021
18report on Disability and Voting Accessibility in the 2020
19Elections revealed that 11% of voters with disabilities had
20trouble voting in 2020; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, Public Act 102-819 requires the State Board of
2Elections to provide a certified remote accessible vote by
3mail system through which a vote by mail ballot can be
4delivered by electronic transmission to voters with print
5disabilities and through which voters with print disabilities
6are able to mark and verify their ballots using assistive
7technology; and
 
8    WHEREAS, Public Act 102-819 requires election authorities
9to permit voters with a print disability to receive and mark
10their vote by mail ballots through the certified remote
11accessible vote by mail system provided by the State Board of
12Elections or through a certified remote accessible vote by
13mail system provided by the election authority itself; and
 
14    WHEREAS, Illinois voters with a print disability may apply
15for a single accessible vote by mail ballot or may apply to
16permanently receive accessible vote by mail ballots so a voter
17with a print disability may receive and mark their vote by mail
18ballots electronically; therefore, be it
 
19    RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL
20ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we express support for
21ensuring that voters with a print disability may exercise
22their right to vote in a manner that is full and equal; and be
23it further
 

 

 

SR0971- 3 -LRB103 40524 ECR 73021 r

1    RESOLVED, That we urge election authorities in the State
2to conduct outreach to voters with a print disability to
3inform these voters of the options available to them to
4exercise their right to vote privately and independently.