Republican Secretary of State candidate Dan Brady says he'll eliminate the paperwork for filing titles and liens if elected in November.
The Bloomington state representative said during a Thursday news conference that 24 other states have gone to an electronic lien and title system.
“We need to make the process much quicker and much more efficient, and we can do that by e-titling services,” Brady said. “What takes Illinois weeks if not months, takes (other) states hours.”
Brady said it's taking too long for car buyers, car dealers and banks to get the documents. He noted it took 2 1/2 months to get the title to the lien holder following a recent vehicle purchase in his own family.
Brady said those processing delays are slowing business, complicating traffic stops for law enforcement and holding up electric vehicle rebates.
“There’s no e-titling program in place. It means we can’t even move forward with what is new now in electronic vehicles,” said Brady, adding the Illinois General Assembly approved the Secretary of State’s move to paperless two decades ago, but the office never made the changes. The latest authorization lapsed on July 1.
The office has been run by Democrat Jesse White since 1998. He is not seeking re-election after six terms in office.
Brady said the e-titling system could be implemented in much the same way the state created electronic filing for death certificates, a measure he sponsored in the legislature.
Brady also projected the move to paperless would save the state money, though he didn’t have specifics because he said the state hasn’t developed a system to see what vendors would charge.
“When you think long term about the process, filing, storage, staffing, implementation, all those kinds could actually be a cost saving to the state of Illinois and to the Secretary of State’s office,” said Brady, adding he thinks the electronic system would be more secure.
Brady's opponent, Democrat Alexi Giannoulias, has said he also plans to make technology upgrades in the Secretary of State's office if elected.
"As with many of our proposals aimed at digitizing driver's licenses, digitizing paper-based documents and offering more online services to reduce lines, wait times and red tape. Over the last two years, we’ve met with consumers and the auto industry to discuss e-titles and e-liens, this issue represents a crucial component of our modernization efforts, that will streamline the vehicle title and registration process for Illinois consumers," said Giannoulias campaign spokesperson Hanah Jubeh.
