Three Southeastern lllinois counties, along with 21 others throughout the state, have violated the National Voter Registration Act, according to a letter sent to the state by the conservative watchdog group Judicial Watch recently.
Judicial Watch threatened Illinois and 10 other states with federal lawsuits for noncompliance with Section 8 of the act. Illinois' alleged violators include Monroe, Union and Washington counties.
The notice-of-violation letters were based on Illinois' November 2014 total voter registration records, 2014 Election Assistance Commission (EAC) data and the 2011-2015 U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey.
A comparison of the three sources showed that 24 counties in Illinois had more registered voters than voting-age residents. The discrepancy might be due to voter deaths, voters moving out of state, or incarcerations for felony convictions. The state has been told to rectify its rolls or face the lawsuit.
Judicial Watch gave Illinois 90 days to comply. The state was told to provide proof of its efforts to ensure that the voter registration lists are accurate.
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