EXCLUSIVE — Republicans from Illinois are pushing their home state to comply with a House voter roll inquiry, arguing the state is not putting in “reasonable effort” to ensure election integrity in a new letter sent Monday.
Rep. Mary Miller (R-IL) led the letter to the state Board of Elections, with Reps. Darin LaHood (R-IL) and Mike Bost (R-IL) joining. The lawmakers wrote they are concerned the state counts mail-in ballots after Election Day, calling it a “controversial practice.” They also took issue with the state’s approach to maintaining voter lists, accusing many Illinois counties of not reporting removal data and of refusing to set statewide guidelines.
“This lack of action suggests that Illinois is not putting forth a reasonable effort with a
general program to remove ineligible voters from their voter rolls, a failure that would make Illinois noncompliant with the [National Voter Registration Act],” the lawmakers wrote.
The letter, shared first with the Washington Examiner, is part of a larger GOP effort to crack down on elections in blue states, a priority of the second Trump administration since the GOP trifecta took effect last January. Illinois is one of 23 states and Washington, D.C., that are being sued by the administration to have access to unredacted voter rolls.
The Illinois lawmakers asked the Board of Elections to provide information on how it conducts voter list maintenance and whether the state has removed illegal immigrants and deceased persons from its voter rolls by Friday.
“For years, Illinois Democrats have refused to take even the most basic steps to secure our elections,” Miller said in a statement to the Washington Examiner. “The state will not require voter ID, continues counting mail-in ballots long after Election Day, and has failed to implement a serious statewide program to clean up voter rolls. These failures undermine public confidence and raise legitimate questions about whether Illinois is complying with federal law.”
Bost said in a statement that both parties agree that trust in elections is “at a dangerous low point.”
“If we’re going to restore the public’s trust, it needs to happen long before Election Day,” Bost said. “That process begins with ensuring voter rolls are fully maintained and that every responsible effort is being made to remove ineligible voters.”
LaHood added that the state has an obligation to provide a “transparent and complete response” to their inquiry to “strengthen Illinoisans faith in our state’s electoral process.”
Requiring voter ID and blocking illegal immigrants from voting in U.S. elections has been a top priority for Republicans, but those efforts have amped up as conservatives seek to get the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act, which requires proof of citizenship to vote, signed into law.
Some Republicans are threatening to hold up appropriations bills on the House floor this week if the SAVE Act is not attached to the funding deal. Lawmakers are expected to start voting on a five-bill minibus and a homeland security continuing resolution as early as Tuesday.
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The House Administration Committee sent a letter to the Illinois State Board of Elections on Jan. 22, with early voting for the Senate and governor primaries beginning on Friday. Democrats are vying in a competitive Senate primary to replace outgoing Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL). Given that the seat is marked as a safe Democratic stronghold, the winner of the Democratic primary is likely to become the Land of Lincoln’s next senator.
Gov. JB Pritzker (D-IL) is running for reelection to a third term this November, but eyes are on him to see whether he makes a bid for president for the 2028 cycle.
