Dupage Policy Journal

Illinois State Representative Amy Grant has introduced a new bill aimed at removing deceased voters from the electoral rolls. In a Facebook post dated February 11, Grant said, "Requiring county clerks to promptly remove deceased individuals from voter rolls is a common-sense step."

"Maintaining accurate voter rolls is critical to protecting the integrity of our elections," said Grant, according to Facebook. "Requiring county clerks to promptly remove deceased individuals from voter rolls is a common-sense step to prevent bad actors from exploiting outdated registration information. Every Illinois voter deserves to know that our elections are fair, secure, and trustworthy. This bill helps protect democracy while striving to ensure voter integrity for generations to come."

According to the details of House Bill 1454, the proposed legislation seeks to amend the elections code by mandating county clerks to certify death records in an electronic reporting system. This system would be used to cancel the registration of deceased voters or any individual who has died in the preceding month. The bill stipulates that certified death records must be provided to county clerks within seven days of an individual's death by coroners, medical examiners, physicians, or other responsible parties.

Screenshot of State Representative Amy Grant's Feb 11 post on Facebook | State Representative Amy Grant's Facebook page

Grant filed the bill on January 21, with Representative Tony McCombie joining as a co-sponsor two days later. As of January 28, the bill has been referred to the House Rules Committee for further consideration.

In October 2022, the Associated Press reported on various measures taken by states to prevent ballots from deceased voters being counted. Election clerks routinely check death records and receive lists of deceased individuals to update voter registration systems accordingly. They may also track canceled driver's licenses and process letters from estates of deceased individuals.

The Brennan Center for Justice noted in a 2007 report that while there are rare cases where ballots have been submitted by individuals who died before elections or instances of multiple entries under similar names, these are often due to flawed matches between death records and voter rolls.

Grant represents Illinois' 47th House District and has previously served six years on the DuPage County Board. Her educational background includes a Bachelor of Science in Education from the University of Pittsburgh. She resides in Wheaton with her husband and is actively involved in community organizations such as the DuPage County Historical Museum Board and Glen Oaks Hospital Community Partnership Committee.