Steve McClure, Illinois State Senator 54th District (R) | www.ilga.gov
Steve McClure, Illinois State Senator 54th District (R) | www.ilga.gov
According to the Illinois General Assembly site, the legislature summarized the bill's official text as follows: "Amends the Secretary of State Act. Provides that, by January 1, 2026, the Secretary of State shall establish and maintain a secure database that is accessible to local election officials and that indicates whether the particular person to whom a driver's license or State identification card has been issued is a United States citizen. Amends the Election Code. Provides that, on and after January 1, 2026, before an applicant is registered to vote, the registration officer shall verify the applicant's citizenship status using the secure database maintained by the Secretary of State. Provides that, if the information in the database indicates that the applicant is not a United States citizen, then the applicant's card shall be marked with the word "incomplete", and the registration officer shall notify the applicant in writing that (i) the application is incomplete and (ii) the applicant may not vote unless the applicant appears before the county clerk to present evidence that the applicant is a United States citizen. Effective immediately."
The following is our breakdown, based on the actual bill text, and may include interpretation to clarify its provisions.
In essence, this bill mandates the Illinois Secretary of State to establish and maintain a secure database by Jan. 1, 2026, which allows local election officials to verify whether individuals holding Illinois driver's licenses or state IDs are U.S. citizens. The bill amends various sections of the Election Code, requiring registration officers to use this database for citizenship verification before registering someone to vote. If the database shows that an individual is not a U.S. citizen, the application will be marked "incomplete," and the applicant will be notified that they cannot vote until they provide evidence of citizenship to the county clerk. The legislation takes effect immediately upon becoming law.
McClure graduated from Arizona State University in 2006 with a BA and again in 2011 from Valparaiso University School of Law with a JD.
Steve McClure is currently serving in the Illinois State Senate, representing the state's 54th Senate District. He replaced previous state senator Sam McCann in 2023.
Bills in Illinois follow a multi-step legislative process, beginning with introduction in either the House or Senate, followed by committee review, floor debates, and votes in both chambers before reaching the governor for approval or veto. The General Assembly operates on a biennial schedule, and while typically thousands of bills are introduced each session, only a fraction successfully pass through the process to become law.
You can read more about bills and other measures here.
| Bill Number | Date Introduced | Short Description |
|---|---|---|
| SB0059 | 01/13/2025 | Amends the Secretary of State Act. Provides that, by January 1, 2026, the Secretary of State shall establish and maintain a secure database that is accessible to local election officials and that indicates whether the particular person to whom a driver's license or State identification card has been issued is a United States citizen. Amends the Election Code. Provides that, on and after January 1, 2026, before an applicant is registered to vote, the registration officer shall verify the applicant's citizenship status using the secure database maintained by the Secretary of State. Provides that, if the information in the database indicates that the applicant is not a United States citizen, then the applicant's card shall be marked with the word "incomplete", and the registration officer shall notify the applicant in writing that (i) the application is incomplete and (ii) the applicant may not vote unless the applicant appears before the county clerk to present evidence that the applicant is a United States citizen. Effective immediately. |
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