Illinois state senator slams campus voting expansion proposal

(The Center Square) – An Illinois state senator is calling a measure that seeks to expand voting and registration on public universities’ campuses “nonsense.”

State Sen. Chapin Rose, R-Mahomet, said in Illinois, there’s polling places inside dormitories.

“How much easier do you have to make it to be for someone to vote? They can literally roll out of bed and vote on their way to breakfast,” said Rose.

The proposed change to the Election Code gives public university students more time to vote on campus, extending early voting from four to six days before the election with set hours from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. on election day.

“You’re a United States citizen, a citizen of Illinois, you pay taxes, God love you, go vote. But you should vote once, not twice, and we shouldn’t open the door for fraudulent activity,” said Rose. “We’ve already got like four weeks before and then 10 days after for mail-in votes to come back. I mean, literally, you have almost two months to vote. Like, why don’t we just make it year-round at this point? It’s insane.”

A former GOP House candidate is speaking out about college students voting in Illinois elections, as Senate Bill 1650, sponsored by state Sen. Michael Halpin, D-Rock Halpin, sits in the elections committee.

Desi Anderson, who lost to state Rep. Sharon Chung, D-Bloomington, in 2022, said it is a problem that the state boards of elections and education have different definitions of “residency.”

“I had a couple of athletes doorknock for me at [Illinois State University]. They were mind-blown. They were residents of Michigan and Pennsylvania, and they came up to me and said, ‘it is absolutely crazy that I’m paying out-of-state tuition and don’t qualify for in-state rates, but I was still able to vote for you in Bloomington-Normal and weigh in on every local policy issue,’” said Anderson. “We’ve got permanent residents, business owners, farmers and families living here in McLean County who now feel like they’ve been disenfranchised.”

SB 1650 aims to make voting easier for college students at public universities in Illinois. Under the updated Election Code, local election authorities must offer early voting and registration on campus for a longer period of time.

“When students apply for classes, they don’t list their dorm, like Watterson Tower, as their permanent address. Their mail goes to whatever address they used when applying to ISU. Plus, they can’t even stay in the dorm after the first week of May. The state owns that property and kicks them out, so they go back home,” said Anderson.

Also recently introduced is House Bill 1442, which would require curbside voting be available during early voting and on Election Day. Currently election authorities may provide curbside services.