Prairie State Wire

David E. Smith, executive director of the Illinois Family Institute, is raising alarms about the state’s multi-language voter registration system, arguing that it could lead to non-citizens being mistakenly registered to vote.

Ahead of the November 2024 elections, signs posted at Illinois DMV offices indicated that voter registration information would be available in several languages, including Chinese, Hindi, Polish, Spanish, and Urdu. Additionally, the Illinois Department of Employment Security offers online voter registration in Spanish. Smith believes these measures could unintentionally encourage non-citizens to register and vote.

“There are thousands of different languages spoken by immigrants who are coming to the U.S., and the Illinois Secretary of State has no obligation to use taxpayer funds to provide voter registration instructions in multiple languages,” Smith told Prairie State Wire.

Smith’s concerns also highlight ongoing issues with Illinois' Automatic Voter Registration (AVR) system, which automatically registers individuals at the DMV unless they opt out. Critics argue that the opt-out process is unclear, especially for non-English speakers, raising the risk that undocumented immigrants—who are ineligible to vote—could unintentionally be registered.

Smith pointed out that while Illinois law prohibits non-citizens from voting, the AVR system’s lack of safeguards could result in violations of federal law.

“Since only citizens are eligible to vote, and English proficiency is required for most immigrants seeking to become citizens, providing translated help for voter registration seems unnecessary,” Smith said. 

Smith also pointed to a 2024 Gallup poll showing that 84% of Americans support photo ID requirements for voting. He believes such measures would help prevent voter fraud and ensure election integrity.

“Recent polls suggest a significant portion of the American public supports voter ID requirements,” Smith said. “In fact, Gallup’s findings show overwhelming public support for requiring a photo ID to vote. It’s clear that most Americans want to see stronger safeguards against voter fraud.”

He also referenced a 2024 U.S. House bill that would require proof of citizenship to vote in general elections. The bill passed the House with little Democratic support, and Smith criticized Illinois Democrats for opposing stronger safeguards to protect the integrity of elections.

“It’s no surprise that Illinois Democrats support a voting system that could undermine election integrity and the rights of American citizens to fair elections. We can only ask: Do Democrats want non-citizens voting in our elections? The answer seems to be yes,” Smith said.

Smith continued to suggest that Democratic policies might be driven by political motivations.

“Do Democrats believe they need the support of non-citizens to win elections?” Smith asked. “The answer seems to be yes.” He also pointed to recent policies that extend social benefits to immigrants, suggesting that these could influence voting behavior.

“When you provide basic necessities, and even beyond—like free housing, food, and healthcare—and then allow those individuals to vote, who do you think they’ll cast their votes for?” Smith said. “The ones who freely spend tax dollars and have no problem expanding the Nanny State.”

Smith went on to address concerns over the increasing number of undocumented immigrants in Illinois, criticizing what he views as a systematic erosion of election safeguards.

“Mail-in voting, same-day registration, weeks of early voting—all of this invites fraud and cheating,” Smith said. “How can it not? How can enough oversight be provided for such chaos?” He argued that measures like photo ID requirements and proof of U.S. citizenship are necessary to ensure election integrity, especially as the number of immigrants entering the state grows.

“The addition of thousands of unvetted illegal immigrants being bussed or flown into Illinois only heightens these concerns,” Smith said.

The Illinois Family Institute leader also pointed to Illinois' status as a "sanctuary state," which he believes contributes to a push for looser election laws motivated by political interests.

“Under Governor Bruce Rauner, we officially adopted the ‘sanctuary state’ moniker in 2017 with SB 31 to attract more illegal immigrants," Smith said. "Under Governor J.B. Pritzker, additional measures were taken to expand protections for immigrants, including bills that ban private, for-profit immigrant detention centers and limit immigration enforcement in sensitive locations like schools and libraries. Perhaps the most egregious was the law that prohibits law enforcement from working with federal immigration agencies like I.C.E."

Smith expressed concern that these policies are undermining the rights of U.S. citizens.

“Many center-right Illinoisans question the fairness and validity of Illinois elections as our rights as citizens are watered down, and the rights of non-citizens are elevated,” he said. Smith added that many Illinois residents feel their concerns about election integrity are being ignored by state leadership. 

“The supermajority of Democrats in the Illinois General Assembly have no interest in voter integrity or protecting the election process for citizens,” Smith said. “Governor Pritzker’s focus has been on making voting more accessible, rather than adding additional security measures like voter ID. This invites cheating, fraud, and unfair elections.”

Illinois has a history of voter fraud involving deceased individuals. A 2016 CBS Chicago investigation found that at least 119 deceased people were listed as having voted 229 times in Chicago, raising concerns about the integrity of the state's voter registration system.

“There’s the issue of the voter rolls not being purged of deceased voters and those who have moved out of state,” Smith said. “Are you aware that a group in Illinois had to sue the state just to obtain the voter rolls because they refused to release them? Why would they refuse, when it’s the law that they should be made available? Could it be they have something to hide?”

His comments extended to broader concerns about election security.

“In the absence of robust election integrity laws and without voter ID requirements, there are legitimate concerns about how easy it is to claim someone else’s identity,” Smith said. “Without regular purging of voter rolls, how do we know that only current, lawful residents are voting and voting in their proper jurisdictions? This is a crisis of confidence in our electoral system, and Illinois voters are right to be concerned.”

In the Nov. 5 election, concerns about illegal voting were heightened after a Chinese national studying at the University of Michigan was charged with voter fraud and perjury for allegedly casting a ballot despite not being a U.S. citizen.

The 19-year-old student reportedly used his university ID and other documents to register to vote at a polling station in Ann Arbor and later attempted to retrieve his ballot. Michigan authorities are investigating whether the incident was an isolated mistake or part of a larger scheme, including possible foreign interference.

If convicted, the student faces potential deportation, though experts note that once a ballot is cast, it cannot be retrieved or nullified.

In recent years, several states have taken action to purge non-citizens from voter rolls, with Virginia removing over 6,300 non-citizens, Texas reporting the removal of more than 6,500 non-citizens since 2021 (including 1,930 who voted), and Alabama deactivating 3,251 non-citizen registrations.

In contrast, California's compliance with federal law has been questioned, as 21 of its 58 counties have removed few non-citizens from voter rolls. Some have raised concerns that the state's lack of consistent voter roll maintenance could result in inaccuracies, despite assertions from Democrats that voter fraud is rare.

Even a small number of fraudulent votes, as noted by the Washington Examiner, could significantly impact close elections.