SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — Illinois lawmakers approved election changes before adjournment last month, but many continue or expand existing practices or those put in place last year to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic.
They stand in sharp contrast to the restrictions on voting adopted or under consideration in Republican-controlled legislatures such as those in Texas and Georgia.
The bill must go to Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker for approval. It expands mail-in voting and voting by jail inmates and makes it easier for students to register.
A separate bill still under consideration would restore voting rights to convicts while still in prison.
