SR0971 103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR0971 LRB103 40524 ECR 73021 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, Voting is one of the central tenets of our democracy and a fundamental right of American citizens; and

WHEREAS, Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act requires state and local governments to ensure that people with disabilities have a full and equal opportunity to vote; and

WHEREAS, Section 504 of the federal Rehabilitation Act of 1973 prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability in any program or activity that receives federal financial assistance, including federal elections; and

WHEREAS, The Help America Vote Act of 2002 requires jurisdictions to make voting systems accessible in a manner that provides the same opportunity to voters with disabilities for access and participation as is provided to non-disabled voters; and

WHEREAS, The U.S. Election Assistance Commission's 2021 report on Disability and Voting Accessibility in the 2020 Elections revealed that 11% of voters with disabilities had trouble voting in 2020; and

WHEREAS, Public Act 102-819 requires the State Board of Elections to provide a certified remote accessible vote by mail system through which a vote by mail ballot can be delivered by electronic transmission to voters with print disabilities and through which voters with print disabilities are able to mark and verify their ballots using assistive technology; and

WHEREAS, Public Act 102-819 requires election authorities to permit voters with a print disability to receive and mark their vote by mail ballots through the certified remote accessible vote by mail system provided by the State Board of Elections or through a certified remote accessible vote by mail system provided by the election authority itself; and

WHEREAS, Illinois voters with a print disability may apply for a single accessible vote by mail ballot or may apply to permanently receive accessible vote by mail ballots so a voter with a print disability may receive and mark their vote by mail ballots electronically; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we express support for ensuring that voters with a print disability may exercise their right to vote in a manner that is full and equal; and be it further

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