Current through Register Vol. 48, No. 12, March 22, 2024
In accordance with the National Voter Registration Act of 1993
( P.L.
103-31 ), all women applicants and participants of
the WIC Local Agencies shall be informed of their rights concerning the
application for voter registration and shall be given an opportunity to apply
to register to vote when applying for services.
a) Procedures for Explanation of Rights and
Presentation of Application
1) When an
applicant/participant applies for WIC services or changes address at a Local
Agency contracted with by the Department, the Local Agency staff shall:
A) Inform the applicant/participant of her
rights to execute or decline to execute a voter registration application, as
outlined in the State Board of Election's rule at 26 Ill. Adm. Code
215.
B) Provide the
applicant/participant with a form that asks if she would like to register to
vote and contains boxes which can be checked to indicate whether the applicant
would like to register to vote.
C)
Provide the applicant/participant with a voter registration application form
supplied by the State Board of Elections unless the applicant/participant
declines to apply to register to vote.
2) Staff shall not:
A) Seek to influence an
applicant's/participant's political preference or party registration;
B) Display any such political preference or
party allegiance;
C) Make any
statement to an applicant/participant or take any action the purpose or effect
of which is to discourage the applicant/participant from registering to
vote;
D) Make any statement to an
applicant/participant or take any action the purpose or effect of which is to
lead the applicant/participant to believe that a decision to register or not to
register has any bearing on the availability of services.
3) If the applicant/participant indicates
either by checking the appropriate box or verbally (if she cannot write) that
she wants to apply to register to vote, staff shall assist the
applicant/participant in filling out the voter registration form. Each
applicant/participant must be provided the same degree of assistance in
completing the Voter Registration Application as is provided in the completion
of WIC certification forms. The form shall then be mailed or hand delivered, in
accordance with subsection (b), of this Section.
4) If the applicant/participant indicates by
checking the appropriate box or verbally that she declines to apply to
register, the staff shall ask her to sign the form and shall retain the form in
accordance with subsection (c) of this Section.
5) If the applicant/participant does not
check either box and does not communicate any choice, the staff shall treat the
lack of choice as a declination, note that the applicant/participant did not
indicate preference on the form and retain the form in accordance with
subsection (c) of this Section.
6)
Staff shall offer the applicant/participant an opportunity to apply to register
to vote, as set out in subsection (a)(1) above, upon each certification, at
each recertification and if a change of address occurs.
b) Procedures for registration. If an
applicant/participant executes an application for voter registration, staff
shall send it to the election authority of the location where the applicant
resides within 10 days after the form is executed, pursuant to the State Board
of Elections rule at 26 Ill. Adm. Code 215.
c) Declination Forms
1) The Local Agency shall retain the
declination forms for two years after the execution of the form. The forms will
be used for statistical reporting purposes only and the forms or the names of
those persons who executed them shall not be released.
2) The declination forms shall be stored
separately from the recipient's clinical records.
d) WIC Local Agency Certification. WIC Local
Agencies shall certify to the Department annually that they were in compliance
with the requirements of this Section and the applicable federal and State
laws.