What could possibly go wrong!

Securing Democracy? If the legislation is adopted, then Illinois would become the 24th state to allow for all mail-in voting for elections. This does not come without ballot integrity problems.

By Natalia Mittelstadt

Illinois is the latest state to consider moving to all mail-in voting for elections, as 23 other states have some form of it, despite concerns raised regarding lost and undeliverable mail-in ballots.

An Illinois state legislature committee discussed a bill last week that would allow counties to choose all mail-in voting for elections, focusing on expanding voter access. However, an election integrity watchdog has warned of issues with the system, such as missing ballots.

All mail-in voting elections are where all registered voters are sent ballots in the mail, without requesting them. This is different from absentee voting, where voters request a mail-in ballot to vote.

During a meeting of the House Ethics and Elections Committee on Wednesday, a bill was discussed that would allow counties to conduct elections through mail-in voting. The legislation, House Bill 4198, was proposed by Illinois State Rep. Carol Ammons (D), who sits on the committee.

Ammons’ husband, Champaign County Clerk Aaron Ammons, testified during the meeting, endorsing his wife’s bill.

“Hopefully, the adoption of HB4198 will put Illinois in the top tier of states that provide the best voter access,” Aaron Ammons said, after listing several examples of how Illinois has expanded voter access.

“My experience as a voter and as a county clerk tells me there is no greater voter access than voting from the comforts of your home,” he added. If the legislation is adopted, then Illinois would become the 24th state to allow for all mail-in voting for elections.

The states that have all mail-in voting for all elections are California, Colorado, Hawaii, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Vermont, and Washington, according to an analysis by the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL).

Nebraska and North Dakota allow counties to opt into conducting elections by mail. Alaska, Arizona, Florida, Kansas, Maryland, Missouri, Montana, New Mexico, and Wyoming permit certain small elections to be conducted via mail.