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SENATE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, Illinois residents may register to vote online,
3in person at the office of the election authority, at driver's
4license facilities, with deputy registers who are appointed in
5each jurisdiction, or through mail using the Illinois Voter
6Registration Application; and
 
7    WHEREAS, The Election Code provides that school principals
8or another qualified person designated by the principal may be
9appointed as a deputy registrar through their county clerk;
10and
 
11    WHEREAS, Public Act 103-0467 provided that a 16-year old
12may preregister to vote, with the registration held in
13abeyance by the Illinois State Board of Elections until that
14individual turns 18; and
 
15    WHEREAS, The Election Code provides that a county clerk
16may appoint an individual who is at least 17 years old and
17registered to vote in the State of Illinois to serve as a
18deputy registrar; and
 
19    WHEREAS, The Election Code specifically prevents a public
20high school from prohibiting nonpartisan voter registration
21activities on its premise; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, A 2020 survey from the Center for Information and
2Research on Civic Learning and Engagement at Tufts University
3revealed that only 50% of young people, ages 18 - 29, were
4taught how to register to vote in high school; and
 
5    WHEREAS, A 2022 post-election survey conducted by the
6Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and
7Engagement at Tufts University found that 16% of Latinx youth
8reported that they did not register to vote because they did
9not know how to register, compared to 6% of non-Latinx youth;
10and
 
11    WHEREAS, Research found that, during the 2008 elections,
12African Americans who preregistered to vote in Florida at 16
13were 5.2% more likely to vote than those who registered after
14turning 18; and
 
15    WHEREAS, In its 2014 report to the General Assembly, the
16Illinois Task Force on Civic Engagement recommended that
17Illinois public schools should provide access for eligible
18students to register to vote and encourage students to vote on
19Election Day as one of the ways to substantially increase
20civic literacy and civically informed members of the public;
21and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, The Center for Information and Research on Civic
2Learning and Engagement at Tufts University found that
3teaching students about voting increased the likelihood of
4student voting when they turned 18 by 40%; and
 
5    WHEREAS, Research published by the Sandra Day O'Connor
6Institute for American Democracy indicated that there is a
7positive correlation between a child voting in their first
8age-eligible election and the probability that their mother
9votes in the next presidential election, and the correlation
10is stronger for nonwhite children and children who qualified
11for free or reduced lunch, which suggests that registering
12young people to vote may improve civic outcomes not only for
13students but for their families as well; and
 
14    WHEREAS, Developmental psychologists found that early
15civic engagement, through voting, volunteering, and activism,
16is associated with positive health outcomes later in life,
17including improved mental health, greater educational
18attainment, and higher personal and household incomes; and
 
19    WHEREAS, When the State of Illinois expanded who may serve
20as an election judge in 2003 to include students, the American
21Political Science Association surveyed alumni of Loyola
22Academy in Wilmette after they served as election judges while
23in high school, and the findings confirmed that practical

 

 

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1political experience in high school, if presented in tandem
2with classroom learning, can increase later political
3involvement; and
 
4    WHEREAS, Numerous nonpartisan organizations are eager to
5help facilitate voter registration drives on high school
6campuses; therefore, be it
 
7    RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL
8ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we recognize that
9public high schools in the State are uniquely positioned to
10reach all young people, that public schools have a civic
11purpose to prepare youth, regardless of college or career
12aspirations, to participate in our democracy, and that public
13schools fulfill that civic purpose when the school provides
14education on the registration process and the infrastructure
15to register qualified students to vote; and be it further
 
16    RESOLVED, That we urge election authorities in the State
17of Illinois to conduct outreach and trainings for high school
18principals to encourage principals to become deputy
19registrars; and be it further
 
20    RESOLVED, That we urge election authorities in the State
21of Illinois to conduct outreach and trainings for qualified
22students to serve as deputy registrars so that students

 

 

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1appointed as deputy registrars may register qualified peers to
2vote on their school campuses; and be it further
 
3    RESOLVED, That we encourage every public high school in
4the State of Illinois to conduct voter registration drives on
5its campus for all qualified students.