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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2     WHEREAS, In 1979, the General Assembly adopted legislation
3 setting forth a procedure commonly known as "nursing home
4 voting"; and
 
5     WHEREAS, Nursing home voting involves the use of official
6 judges of election going onto the premises of residential
7 facilities licensed or certified pursuant to the Nursing Home
8 Care Act; and
 
9     WHEREAS, Nursing home residents who are registered voters
10 have an opportunity to cast their ballots under the supervision
11 of election judges; and
 
12     WHEREAS, This procedure was embraced in an effort to
13 increase the ability of nursing home residents who chose to
14 vote in elections to have their votes cast lawfully; and
 
15     WHEREAS, The law requires nursing home on-premises voting,
16 regardless of the size of the home or the number of residents
17 of the homes seeking to participate in the upcoming election;
18 and
 
19     WHEREAS, There are, in addition to residential facilities
20 licensed under the Nursing Home Care Act, numerous residential

 

 

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1 facilities licensed under the Assisted Living and Shared
2 Housing Act and the Supportive Living Facilities Program
3 provisions of the Illinois Public Aid Code; and
 
4     WHEREAS, Registered voters also live in those facilities;
5 and
 
6     WHEREAS, Voters residing in these various licensed
7 facilities may have issues both regarding ease of access in
8 voting and the casting of ballots lawfully; and
 
9     WHEREAS, The cost/benefit impact of nursing home voting and
10 the administrative responsibilities resulting from any
11 proposal to expand or reduce that procedure to licensed nursing
12 homes or to additional venues would benefit election
13 authorities and legislators seeking to strike the appropriate
14 balance in offering on-site voting procedures to Illinois
15 voters; and
 
16     WHEREAS, The State Board of Elections currently
17 coordinates meetings of The State Board of Elections Clerk
18 Advisory Committee, which meets periodically for the purpose of
19 sharing discussion on a wide variety of election administration
20 issues; therefore, be it
 
21     RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE

 

 

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1 NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we
2 urge the State Board of Elections Clerk Advisory Committee to
3 place on an upcoming agenda of that Committee a public
4 discussion of the status of nursing home voting and the utility
5 of any reductions or expansions in the use of on-site voting
6 procedures for Illinois voters, permitting interested parties
7 to offer input on any legislative or administrative changes
8 that would benefit Illinois elections; and be it further
 
9     RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be
10 delivered to the Governor, the Attorney General, and the State
11 Board of Elections.