17-Year Olds Given More Citizenship Rights

A press release from Dan McConchie:

New law sponsored by Sen. McConchie expands voter rights to 17-year-olds

State Senator Dan McConchie  at Algonquin's parade.

State Senator Dan McConchie at Algonquin’s parade.

Springfield, IL… Individuals who will be 18 years old at the next election are now able to fully participate in the election process under legislation sponsored by Senator Dan McConchie and signed into law by Governor Rauner on August 5.

“There’s no reason to say that 17-year-olds have the right to vote and prevent them from otherwise participating in the election process,” said Senator McConchie.

“Now, qualified 17-year-olds can sign and circulate petitions, pre-register to vote and act as deputy registrars. This new law makes the voting rights that 17-year-olds already have more complete.”

The new law also acts as an expansion of a 2013 law that allowed 17-year-olds who would be 18 by the general election to vote in the primary election.

House Bill 6167 went a bit further to allow 17-year-olds the ability to vote in a caucus or a consolidated primary as long as they would be 18 when the corresponding election takes place.

“As the state has already decided that 17-year-olds should be allowed to vote in general primary elections for federal, state and county office, they then too should be allowed to have a say at the local level,” said Sen. McConchie.

The law is effective immediately.


Comments

17-Year Olds Given More Citizenship Rights — 25 Comments

  1. This is a horrible idea.

    Now we are going to have teacher unions and thus teachers campaigning to 17 year old high school students.

    How is a 17 year old supposed to understand school board issues when most adults do not.

    So now 17 year olds can vote on school bond referendums or tax hike referendums.

    They have enough to deal with, without getting into all the issues of tax hike referendums.

    A 17 year old is a minor.

    And yes there is only 1 year difference between a 17 year old and an 18 year old, but we could use that logic over time and eventually a newborn would have voting rights.

  2. Good point Mark and this is not a good idea.

    Sounds like just a piece of legislation to get his name out there and claim he did something.

  3. Does the legislation say anything about these adolescents being elected to office?

  4. Now that the percentage of teenagers applying for driver licenses is dropping, how will the Democrats automatically register these ‘mush’ heads to vote?

    They register people to vote when they apply for food stamps or public housing or any other form of government ‘assistance’ but the Motor Voter law was intended to capture EVERYBODY!..

    They even capture illegal aliens who apply for and receive driver licenses with false documentation.

    How?

    Even the guy in the White House is using a social security number which belongs to a guy in Connecticut.

    Until voters in this county reach the age of 36 the majority vote Democrat.

    After age 36, the majority vote Republican and continue to do so until their demise.

    Why?

    Most people do not have any ‘assets’ to protect from government confiscation via taxation until that age.

  5. I read the bill and amendments. It talks about a child who can vote, register voters, and circulate nominating petitions at 17 as long as they will be 18 by the next general election but says nothing about filing their own nominating petitions for primary or municipal elections for which they are otherwise entitled to vote or carry out other duties.

  6. “Questioning” after their demise, they can resume voting Democrat.

  7. How are people registering to vote when they apply for public assistance?

  8. Apparently, the House sponsors
    From our area are . . .

    Jack Franks
    Barb Wheeler
    Mike Tryon

    ? ? ? ?

  9. Nice waste of legislative time and resources, in a bankrupt State.

    Let 17 year olds run the State.

    They couldn’t possibly do worse than the current Springfield rabble.

  10. Martin: Go to this link:

    http://www.dhs.state.il.us/page.aspx?Item=18782

    In case you are not aware, the FEC does not permit verification of citizenship.

    If you say are a citizen, you are.

    The following statement copied from the link is interesting: “Do not hold it until the case is processed.

    The Office Liaison must forward the application to the correct local election official within 5 days of the date the SBE R-19 is received in the local office.”

  11. Gotta love the hypocrisy.

    The same government that deems them not mature enough to decide for themselves, whether or not to consume alcohol or use tobacco, deems them mature enough to elect those who run the world?

    and so goes the continued decline of a once great nation…

  12. Paul is correct.

    It is also very sad that Republicans actually succumb to this crap initiated by the Progressives.

  13. Just another way for Democrats to gain votes …. thanks blockhead McConchie!

    I’m waiting for the Donkey Party bill to allow the developmentally/mentally disabled to vote w/ the assistance of a Democratic Party hack who can devine what or who the retarded ‘would vote for’ if they could reason, or better yet, what the Demo hack feels would be in the retarded person’s ‘best interest’ which would always be for the democrat or libtard public policy position.

    McConchie … another big fat RINO! When’s his bill for convicted felons to vote goin’ to be introduced?

  14. Voters had their chance to put Martin McLaughlin on the ballot, but instead you chose the least qualified in McConchie to put forward this bad Legislation.

    Dan Duffy, Dan Proft, Joe Walsh – you guys screwed up!

    Oh, and on the local level, Andrew Gasser and a few of their cronies.

  15. To me, this is a question about freedom.

    We used to have higher regard for the decision-making ability of those who are under 18.

    When I was growing up, you could buy cigarettes at 16.

    In fact, I joined the military on my 17th birthday (back when it was still legal to do that before the US succumbed to international pressure to change it).

    This bill doesn’t return such freedoms that no longer exist.

    It simply allows those who will be 18 in time for a general election to be fully-involved in the process during that election cycle.

    For those who may be confused, 17 year olds can already vote in regular general election primaries when they will be 18 by the time of the general election.

    The purpose of a primary is to select a party’s standard-bearer for the general election.

    It is logical to me to allow someone who will be 18 in time for a general election the opportunity to fully participate in that general election by allowing them to vote in the primary that will select the general election candidate they will be legally allowed to vote for and participate in all of the various aspects of the campaign. And that is why I sponsored it.

    The bill doesn’t change the fact that no one can vote in a general election, whether regular or consolidated, until they are 18 years old.

  16. 17 year olds shouldn’t be allowed to vote, and the other law was wrong too.

    These Republicans backing this are morons.

    omw, convicted felons are already allowed to vote in most states, including Illinois, and that’s a good thing.

  17. Focusing on anything other than Pension Reform at the IL State level is a waste of everyone’s time.

    Illinois does not have much time for feel good fuzzy legislation like that espoused here by McChonchie.

    This soft ball legislation by McConchie is tantamount to stringing together the next day’s dinner menu on the Edmund Fitzgerald during that Witch of October.

    Voters fell for the insiders choice, the lobbyist, rather than highly qualified pension expert Martin McLaughlin.

    Way to go Cal, Duffy, Proft, Walsh and Gasser on getting another impotent Republican elected to Springfield!

    That is assuming McChonchie can beat the radical leftist running against him.

    My advice to McChonchie is keep your mouth closed and ideas to yourself until have the general election is over in order to avoid losing your race.

    It is time for a Proft-Walsh intervention.

  18. **but we could use that logic over time and eventually a newborn would have voting rights.**

    Sure, Mark, because newborns will be 18 in the corresponding general election, right?

    So much insanity on this thread.

    We get it.

    Y’all don’t want people to vote.

    You don’t want young people engaged in the political process.

  19. Re: “You don’t want young people engaged in the political process.”

    Parents cover their children with health insurance until what age?

    Let’s make that the age citizens are allowed to vote.

    Paul Serwatka nailed it.

    Do Democrats only want ‘mush heads’ and illegal aliens to vote?

  20. **Parents cover their children with health insurance until what age? Let’s make that the age citizens are allowed to vote.**

    Really?

    So you don’t things folks should be able to vote until they are 26?

    And I wasn’t aware that Dan McConchie, one of the most conservative people in the General Assembly, was a Democrat.

    Ya’ll are unbelievable.

  21. Just wait…one of the Socialist parties in Spain is urging the age to be 16… look where Spain (and the EU) is headed.

  22. Have to agree with Mr Stieper that
    Pension reform & overall budget
    Issues need to be the priorities.

    Alot of other legislation seems to
    Be superfluous.

    I do think alot of & respect other
    Things Mr McConchie has done.

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