Chicago City Wire

Rep. Lamont J. Robinson (D-Chicago) is hoping that more young people will register to vote given the state’s streamlined voting laws.

Robinson took to Twitter to state how important it was for young people to get involved in their civic duty.

“Our next generation is our future, and they must understand how important it is to vote and get involved in the electoral process.  I was proud to have a good discussion on voting rights with 20 young people who visited my District office, from the Jack and Jill Chicago Chapter,” he wrote.

According to the Illinois State Board of Elections, the state has utilized the Automatic Voter Registration (AVR) program since 2017 where people applying for a driver’s license can also opt to register to vote.

Northern Illinois University conducted a study in 2020 that found the state had some of the laxest voting laws in the nation, along with Oregon, Washington, Utah and Maryland among the top five easiest states to register to vote, according to NIU Newsroom.

“Voting and elections are at the heart of our democracy, and voting should be easy,” Scot Schraufnagel, the study’s lead author, said. “One characteristic that helps define the competency of an electoral system and the legitimacy of governing institutions is the ease in which you can cast a ballot.”

When Lori Lightfoot became mayor in the 2019 election, only about a third of Chicago voters were involved in casting a ballot, according to Block Club Chicago.

“Because voter registration and balloting administration in a presidential election is so decentralized, it would be very difficult to sway a national election in our country by stuffing ballot boxes or casting fake votes,” Schraufnagel told NIU Newsroom. “A bigger issue is laws that disenfranchise people, which cause democracy to be compromised. Research shows that politicians pay less attention to those who don’t participate in elections.”