093_HB0030enr HB0030 Enrolled LRB093 02371 JAM 02379 b 1 AN ACT relating to simulated voting by minors. 2 Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, 3 represented in the General Assembly: 4 Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the 5 Voting by Minors Act. 6 Section 5. Development of program. 7 (a) The State Board of Elections and the State Board of 8 Education shall develop a pilot program under which 9 elementary and secondary school students in kindergarten 10 through grade 12 in participating school districts and 11 counties may participate in a simulated election held on the 12 date of the general election in 2004. 13 (b) The program shall be designed for implementation 14 only in those counties in which the election authority elects 15 to participate in the program. Each school district located 16 in those counties may elect to participate in the program. 17 (c) In each county and school district electing to 18 participate in the program, the program shall be implemented 19 in accordance with standards jointly developed for that 20 purpose by the State Board of Elections and State Board of 21 Education. 22 Section 10. Funding. 23 (a) Implementation of the program is contingent upon 24 receipt of the necessary funding from private sources. 25 (b) The program as developed by the State Board of 26 Elections and State Board of Education: (i) shall require the 27 formation of a nonprofit, volunteer administrative board in 28 each participating county and a coordinating statewide board 29 that is also nonprofit and volunteer; (ii) shall prescribe 30 the manner in which those boards shall be formed; (iii) shall HB0030 Enrolled -2- LRB093 02371 JAM 02379 b 1 prescribe the responsibilities of those boards, including 2 securing the necessary private funding and volunteer 3 assistance required to implement the program; and (iv) shall 4 prescribe measures designed to assure fiscal integrity in the 5 use of donated funds and equitable distribution of those 6 funds for program purposes in the participating counties and 7 school districts. 8 Section 15. Volunteer assistance. State funds shall not 9 be used for implementation of the program. The program shall 10 be conducted and operated with volunteer assistance and 11 private funds. The State Board of Elections and State Board 12 of Education, however, shall develop the program as required 13 by this Act and may make their personnel available on a 14 reasonable basis for consulting purposes. 15 Section 20. Educational curriculum. A component of the 16 program as developed by the State Board of Education and 17 State Board of Elections shall include a reasonable amount of 18 classroom instruction, as part of existing courses offered by 19 a participating school district, concerning voting history 20 and laws, voting procedures, election campaigns, media 21 influence, and the importance of voter participation. The 22 suggested curriculum shall be developed by the State Board of 23 Education and State Board of Elections by January 1, 2004 and 24 shall be made available to school districts that may later 25 elect to participate in the program. The suggested 26 curriculum shall be based upon 6 to 12 hours of classroom 27 instruction and shall include homework assignments that 28 necessitate dialogue between children and their parents or 29 guardians concerning the voting process and specifically the 30 candidates and propositions to be voted upon at the general 31 election. HB0030 Enrolled -3- LRB093 02371 JAM 02379 b 1 Section 25. Basic program requirements. The program 2 standards jointly developed under subsection (c) of Section 5 3 shall require: (i) that children register to vote in the 4 simulated election; (ii) that on the day of the 2004 general 5 election the children accompany their parents to the polls 6 and vote on separate ballots in voting booths adjacent to the 7 adult booths; (iii) that the children vote on the same races 8 and propositions as the adult voters, except that the number 9 of races or propositions on which the younger children vote 10 may be reduced as necessary based on their grade level; (iv) 11 that the ballots be designed, using pictures and symbols as 12 necessary, so that all children may vote their choice even 13 though they are unable to read; (v) that simulated election 14 judges participate at the polls as part of the simulated 15 election; (vi) that the results of the simulated election be 16 tabulated beginning after the closing of the polls and the 17 results announced on the following day; and (vii) other 18 standards that the State Board of Elections and State Board 19 of Education determine will contribute to the voting 20 experience of the children. 21 Section 30. Report. The State Board of Elections and 22 State Board of Education shall develop the voting by minors 23 pilot program and distribute it to all county election 24 authorities and school districts in January of 2004. In 25 addition, before January 1, 2004, the State Board of 26 Elections and State Board of Education shall jointly file 27 with the Governor and the General Assembly a copy of the 28 program together with a written report recommending any 29 additional legislation necessary before actual implementation 30 of the program at the 2004 general election. 31 Section 35. Timetable. The State Board of Elections and 32 State Board of Education shall adopt rules under which (i) HB0030 Enrolled -4- LRB093 02371 JAM 02379 b 1 counties and school districts that chose to participate in 2 the voting by minors program are determined beginning no 3 later than March 1, 2004, (ii) the county and statewide 4 boards described in subsection (b) of Section 10 are 5 established no later than July 1, 2004, and (iii) the 6 availability of sufficient private funding is determined by 7 August 1, 2004, along with those counties and school 8 districts that will be actual program participants. 9 Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon 10 becoming law.