Associated Press: Illinois’ automatic voter registration delays worry experts

CHICAGO (AP) — Illinois’ top leaders trumpeted the benefits of automatic voter registration when signing a bipartisan plan in 2017 to change how the state finds and signs up eligible but unregistered voters: more civic participation, fewer barriers to the ballot box and modernized systems. But Illinois hasn’t lived up to its promise, rolling out automatic voter registration far behind schedule and struggling with other changes the law made.

Interest in automatic voter registration has surged since Oregon became the first state to approve it in 2015. Nearly 20 states have approved some form. But the delays in Illinois, and elsewhere, have elections experts and advocates worried, saying it’s meant missed opportunities for voters and less time to work out potential problems ahead of 2020. The challenges could offer a glimpse of what’s in store for other states trying out the increasingly popular voter reform.

“There are a lot of advocates and community members who thought the bill was signed, a switch was flipped. That we won. In fact, that’s not the case,” said Jay Young of Common Cause Illinois, which backed automatic voter registration. “This is exceptionally frustrating.”