Proposed bill would require Illinois high schools to offer voter registration

A proposed bill bearing the name of the late Rev. Jesse Jackson would require Illinois high schools to offer a voter registration opportunity for all eligible students.

House Bill 4339, also known as the Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr. Young Voter Empowerment Act, had 28 co-sponsors, all Democrats, when it cleared the House Ethics and Elections Committee unanimously on March 18.

“This bill is nonpartisan, meaning it’s not about picking a party or picking a candidate. It’s just about getting people involved,” said state Rep. Kimberly Du Buclet, a Democrat from Chicago and the lead sponsor. “It’s not about Democrats, it’s not about Republicans. It’s just giving our students the information and helping them get registered to vote early.”

Du Buclet said she plans to speak to Republicans to see if she can gain bipartisan support.

But some in the GOP said the party is reluctant to add more unfunded mandates to school districts. State Rep. Jeff Keicher said the measure is “somewhat duplicative,” since Illinois provides an opportunity for everyone to register to vote when they visit driver’s service facilities.

“All I hear from schools on a bipartisan basis is ‘stop with the mandates,’” the Republican from Sycamore said. “‘We need to teach kids and you keep throwing additional things on our plate.’”

The measure does not provide funding or any guidelines for its implementation, leaving some to worry that school districts could make registration drives partisan.

Keicher added he’s not sure the bill would affect turnout.

“I’m a firm believer in voting and registering to vote,” he said. “I think everybody who is legally registered should vote, but our problem is turnout, not registration.”

According to a Tufts study released in April 2025, 41% of Illinoisans aged 18-29 voted in the 2024 presidential election. Nationally, Illinois ranks on the lower end for voters participating from that age group, with Minnesota at the highest at 62% and Oklahoma at the lowest with 33%.

A companion bill in the Senate, Senate Bill 1786, is awaiting a committee vote.

Franklin Hughes, a freshman at Dominican University and a student leader at advocacy group Chicago Votes, said he supports the act and emphasized the importance of high schools offering students a chance to register to vote on school grounds.

“Voting is a gateway to having a voice in decisions that impact young people’s lives, and yet, many of us want to engage and don’t always know how or when, and that’s why it’s so important that schools and youth spaces become trusted places,” Hughes said. “This bill meets young people where we already are and gives us a real pathway to participate in our democracy.”

Andrea Durbin, chief executive officer at Illinois Collaboration on Youth, said that if the youth do not vote, those in power may not prioritize their needs.

“We need to make sure, especially if young people are exercising that right and that power, (that) if they flex that muscle, people will pay attention,” she said.