Gov. J.B. Pritzker said he supports legislative hearings into a computer glitch that registered some non-U.S. citizens to vote, but Pritzker said there's no need to suspend the automatic voter registration program.
The Illinois Secretary of State's Office had also cued up several thousand 16-year-olds for voter registration before the Illinois State Board of Elections caught the error.
“I am confident that they have overcome the glitch and that they have worked out with the Board of Elections this issue of keeping the names of people who were going to be eligible to vote in the future, at which they have decided not to collect anymore,” Pritzker said.
A few of the non-U.S. citizens were able to cast ballots, though the actual number is unclear. Pritzker put the number at fewer than 10.
Still, Pritzker said he hopes the hearings the Illinois House is holding will help put the matter to rest.
“I think the hearings will be important to have, but we need to continue on in this process and we need to ask those questions at the hearings, that’s the purpose,” Pritzker said. “I think that’s why the General Assembly wants to have them.”
Several Republican leaders have said the state should suspend the AVR program until it can ensure all problems are fixed.
Illinois State Board of Elections officials also contend the problems have been alleviated and AVR has largely been successful.
Pritzker spoke at Illinois State University on Thursday when he announced the state was delivering $53 million for its College of Fine Arts renovations.
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