Kathy Cortez of the League of Women Voters of Illinois addressed state lawmakers on the prospect of aligning local elections with the November cycle and the proposed ‘Facilitating Voting by All Eligible Citizens Act.’ Cortez commended efforts to boost voter turnout but stressed there is no single reason—and no simple fix—for why turnout is low. While she described universal voting as potentially fostering a civic culture, she cautioned against hasty adoption, warning of perceptions of government overreach. She advocated for universal voter registration with an opt-out and highlighted the need for further study before syncing election cycles, citing concerns over ballot fatigue.
“Compulsory voting could be perceived as government overreach rather than an effort to instill a sense of patriotism or civic duty,” she said, even with opt-outs and no consequences for not voting.
The League of Women Voters recognized that syncing up elections “has the potential to make running elections more cost-effective, and reduce the burden on election authorities to staff multiple elections with election judges,” she said.
