Chapter 5. Voter Registration, this link opens in a new browser tab.

5.E.4. Motor Voter

Motor Voter is the ability of a US citizen residing in Illinois to:

• Register to vote,
• Change their voter registration address,

when applying for or updating their Illinois driver's license or State Identification Card at an Illinois Secretary of State facility.

The Secretary of State must complete their paperwork and verify the information. The voter registration information is then forwarded to the State Board of Elections. Afterward, the voter registration information is then sent to the Election Authority to update their records.

This process can take up to 30 (thirty) days. If there is a problem, it may take longer.

The person applying for a Illinois driver's license, Illinois State Identification Card or updating their information may choose not to register to vote or to change their registration.

Poll watchers have no oversight in Motor Voter. Motor Voter registration takes place at the Secretary of State's office under the procedures of the Secretary of State.

A poll watcher may see the outcome of Motor Voter at the Polling Place.

What the Poll Watcher Sees.

What the poll watcher will see is a voter arrive at the Polling Place, believing they are registered to vote, only to find the Motor Voter registration has not been updated.

This should be rare. The Secretary of State facilities have end dates which should prevent this gap in registration.

Completed registration by Election Day is the deciding factor on whether a person can vote.

A person wishing to vote with an uncompleted Motor Voter registration will have to complete Grace Period Registration, including providing the appropriate ID.

The voter should be assured that they are not registering twice, and that the duplicate registration will be dismissed.