You Can Help Clean Illinois Voter Rolls

This is the first of several articles we will be posting
on citizen involvement to clean the Illinois voter rolls.

Written by Suzanne Rickman

Ever wonder if you’re still registered to vote at a former address? Ever wonder if your name is possibly being used illegally by another to “vote?” Ever wonder how to find out, and remove yourself from the voter rolls at that former address?

Many of us here in Illinois have certainly pondered this possibility, but don’t know what to do, where to go, or who to call. On top of that, we anticipate the process to be so time-consuming, that we put it off, and never get around to it.

Welcome IllinoisVoteSmart.com!  IllinoisVoteSmart.com is a website developed by Carol Davis and Jan Shaw of the Illinois Election Integrity Program, the purpose of which is to educate voters in a simple and easy-to-access format. Many of our fellow conservatives want to vote wisely, but don’t always know the issues and the process.

On the website, you will find an easy way to verify whether your voter registration is current, or if your name is still registered at a former address. If you find that you are still registered at a former address, there is a link to a form that you can fill out and submit to the former election authority that will notify said election authority to remove you from the voter rolls at the former address. It’s easy and straightforward.

On the homepage of the website, you will see Am I Registered to Vote at My Current Address? Underneath, you will find a link to the Illinois State Board of Elections Registration Lookup. Type in your first and last names, DOB, and zip code. The next page will ask for your house number, then street name. The subsequent page will show if you are registered or not at the address you checked.

If you are not registered at a former address, a message will appear that says “Registration Status Could Not Be Resolved.” If you are registered at a former address, click on the link for the contact information for the election authority. Record the contact information. Go back to the illinoisvotesmart.com page, and click on the link to download the form that you may send in or bring in person to this election authority, asking them to remove you from the voter rolls at this former address.

Be sure to check back later to see if you were removed. You should probably give the election authority a few weeks before you check again. In Illinois election authorities are required to remove individuals who request themselves to be removed, even during the 90 days prior to an election, when voter list maintenance gets put on hold.

Hopefully, the next question on your mind is “Is my deceased neighbor, grandparent, or friend still registered to vote? Is my adult son who moved out of state 15 years ago still registered? How can I check their registration, and how can I get them removed?” There is a process and we are working to streamline that, too. So check the website soon for info on this form that will be added to the IllinoisVoteSmart.com site forthcoming!

Suzanne Rickman is on the Leadership Team of the Illinois Election Integrity Program. IEIP is a statewide coalition, a project of Illinois Conservative Union, that has been actively working on election issues. IEIP is part of the National Election Integrity Network. To find out more and get involved, see www.IEIP.org