Guess I won't be voting in the upcoming election.
This is not by choice. I haven't missed an election in the almost 30 years I've been voting.
Due to the archaic and short-sighted rules of the State of Illinois, I can't register to vote.
One big problem is that I pay my bills online and have opted to save trees by using eBilling. I get an email when a bill is due instead of getting a paper bill in the mail. That decision to be a good citizen will mean that I lose my right to vote this year.
How is that possible? Read on.
I recently moved back to Illinois after being gone for a few years.
To register to vote, I need an Illinois driver's license or state ID.
To get a driver's license or state ID, I need a lease or copies of utility bills to prove my residency in the state.
I rent someone's condo. It's not a big rental company. It's just one woman renting an unused apartment. The lease she had me sign was not one of those old-school leases with multiple carbon copies. I signed the lease, and she sent me a photocopy. That seemed good enough, and I didn't give it another thought at the time.
When I tried to get my driver's license, I was rudely informed that photocopies of a lease are not acceptable as proof of residency. The fact that there were no carbon copies, and that a tenant doesn't hold the original lease, made no difference.
My only other option is to produce paper bills from the utility companies to prove my residency. However, I get eBills in my email and don't receive paper bills in postal mail. Isn't that the environmentally responsible choice?
Well, you guessed it: print-outs of bills received in email don't count as proof of residency.
Since it can take months to switch back to regular paper bills, there is no way I can get what the state requires for proof of residency in time to vote this year.
I have called the office of Jan Schakowsky, my congresswoman, as well as the office of Senator Durbin. They were no help and had no suggestions. The board of elections doesn't care either. I've written to the Chicago Tribune and Sun Times, but don't expect to hear from them.
Is there no other option to prove my residency? The manager of my apartment building would gladly sign a document as proof that I live in Chicago, but I have my doubts that would work since it's not a "lease" and the state is very strict about their outdated rules.
I'm not the only one who pays bills online and doesn't get paper bills. I'm sure I'm not the only guy in Chicago with a non-standard lease. Is there really no solution to this problem?
Most disturbing of all was the lack of interest among the staffers with whom I spoke at the various offices. You'd think Democrats would be very concerned about losing a reliable voter, especially this election cycle.
All ideas are welcome at this point. I have a valid driver's license from another state, so I'm driving legally, but having to skip an election is really killing me. I do believe my vote counts, and I want to cast it as planned.