Posted on 05/22/2020 2:57:01 PM PDT by stars & stripes forever
The Illinois Senate voted 37-19 to pass a voting expansion plan for the November 3 election. The bill heading to Gov. JB Pritzker's desk for approval will greatly expand Illinois' vote-by-mail system following the COVID-19 pandemic.
Senate Bill 1863 will give voters the opportunity to cast their ballots without going out in public, as there could potentially be a second round of COVID-19 spread this fall.
"The right to vote is the foundational pillar of our democracy -- and, now, as our elected leaders are making some of the most consequential decisions of our lifetimes, it's more important than ever that people have every ability to make their voices heard," said Gov. JB Pritzker. "I applaud Leader Kelly Burke, Senator Julie Morrison, the Women’s Caucus and leaders in the General Assembly for working to ensure Illinoisans can continue to exercise their right to vote during these unprecedented times."
(Excerpt) Read more at wgem.com ...
“It’s unfortunate it took a global pandemic to convince people of its value, but expanding vote by mail is a needed election reform that I hope voters will utilize.” However, traditional voting at polling places will still be allowed. The bill makes election day a holiday for schools this year. Lawmakers say more schools can be used as polling places.
Senate Sponsor Julie Morrison (D-Deerfield) is also asking younger Illinoisans, 16 years old and up, to become elections judges. "So many of our older, retired friends who have traditionally been election judges now have a lot of hesitation to be in these kinds of settings."
Republicans feel this will open the door for election fraud and "ballot stuffing."
Sen. Dale Fowler (R-Harrisburg) says this is a careless proposal. "I have significant concerns about the threat this legislation poses to the integrity of Illinois' election system," Fowler said. "We should be upholding and promoting a system that is secure and ensuring we're safeguarding our voter's rights, not passing legislation that allows for increased election fraud."
The Senate passed a separate plan, also sponsored by Morrison, to address security for ballots. House Bill 2238 would require all ballot collection boxes to be locked by and observed by local election authorities. It also calls for security guidance from the Illinois State Board of Elections.
Armed with a voter registration list, they visit all the Democratic households and “help them” fill in their ballots, and visit the Republican households and collect their ballots and somehow manage to “lose” them.
I think the majority of people should be willing to get off their backsides and go to a poll to vote in person, Voting by mail has too many opportunities for fraud. Obviously, there are exceptions for people who are physically unable to go or who will be on vacation, etc.
One hopeful thing is an article which Rush Limbaugh brought up where everyone received a vote-by-mail ballot and a stamped envelope in one congressional district, yet the Democrats who outnumbered the Republicans, weren’t motivated to mail in their votes. The Republican won.
https://spectator.org/mail-in-ballots-no-magic-bullet-for-dems/
Illinois is already corrupt beyond redemption.
Illinois is destined to be a sh$t hole forever. Still this would be a dangerous precedent.
Democrats think some people are too stupid or lazy to get an ID. As a member of one of the groups they refer to, seniors, I am highly offended by this.
Did they put in the part about 16 year olds being election judges? If so, I doubt that a reading comprehension test will be a requirement.
This keeps going,we are toast. We are way to placid.
The right to vote has a integrated right to have your vote accurately counted.
How many House seats will the Rats be able to steal now? Of course Trump won’t carry the state and no Republican will be elected to the Senate...
Michigan is lost to the Republicans. The Democrat Party will determine the winner and produce the votes to make it so. They don’t have to put up with any contrary choice by the actual voting citizens any more with mail-in voting. I suspect all the Democrat run states that might possibly aactually vote for DJT will institute general mail-in voting before November.
I heard about that.
Talk about incompetence, there it is.
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This is their only hope for “victory” this November...massive voter fraud.
We need constitutional challenges to the vote by mail fraud scheme NOW not in November.
In certain areas of the country mail is not delivered to a residence but to a post office box holder. Any ballot so addressed should not be allowed because the recipient’s resident citizenship cannot be proven.Any such ballot not containing the voters residential address should be challenged .Because anybody can have a PO Box in locations where they do not reside.
It's Illinois, so "local election authorities" means almost all boxes will be in the hands of Democrats.
Because of our ages, I guess...maybe our ‘PRIVATE medical records’, we have gotten mail-in cards last couple years. Just like return post cards. No privacy there either.
Yes, we have always voted in person, always early voting.
I hope we can still do that.
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