Associated Press: Illinois discloses fresh problems with voter registration

CHICAGO (AP) — Illinois elections officials disclosed fresh problems Wednesday with the state’s automatic voter registration program, including at least one eligible voter who said she registered to vote but ended up on an opt-out list.

The program is already under fire for mistakenly registering over 500 people who indicated they weren’t U.S. citizens, of which 15 people voted in 2018 and 2019 elections. Election officials said at least eight of the people have long voting histories and were likely U.S. citizens, leaving seven voters in question. The individuals involved were applying for standard drivers’ licenses at secretary of state’s offices. …

Six good government groups — who were concerned about the early delays in the program — sent a legal letter to Secretary of State Jesse White this week demanding answers about the changes.

“Our coalition’s attempts to engage the Secretary of State’s office in a process of accountability and transparency have been stonewalled time and again,” Jay Young, Executive Director for Common Cause Illinois, said in a statement. ”’They’ve given us no way to verify the few claims they’ve made about fixing AVR.”

Secretary of State legal adviser Nathan Maddox said a programming error involving coding led to the mistaken registrations.

“I have no excuse,” he said at the meeting “It is a serious mistake and we deeply regret it.″