November 20, 2017

Duckworth & Durbin React to Illinois State Board of Elections’ Decision to Continue Use of Inaccurate Crosscheck Program

 

[WASHINGTON D.C.] - In response to the Illinois State Board of Elections' decision to continue to participate in the discriminatory, deeply flawed Interstate Voter Registration Data Crosscheck Program (Crosscheck), U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) released the following statement:

"No American voter should ever be improperly disenfranchised because of inaccurate information, which makes the decision by the Illinois State Board of Elections to continue its use of Kris Kobach's secretive Crosscheck system so disheartening," said Senators Duckworth and Durbin. "This system could purge as many as 300 legitimate voter registrations for each registration it eliminates-it has no place in our state or our nation's electoral system. Illinois can and must withdraw from Crosscheck to restore the integrity of our state's elections and ensure all eligible voters are able to exercise their fundamental Constitutional rights at the ballot box."

Duckworth and Durbin wrote to IL SBE last month asking the board to stop using the program to help maintain the accuracy of its voter registration system and to instead participate in a far more precise alternative, the Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC) multistate partnership, which has resulted in higher voter registration rates and increased voter turnout.