Rauner should sign automatic voter bill

Nearly 100 years ago Friday, our country took a huge step in the fight for equality and voting rights. On Aug. 18, 1920, millions of American women were finally given the right to vote with the ratification of the 19th Amendment.

It's hard to believe it wasn't that long ago when half the population wasn't able to voice their opinion at the ballot box. Now, Election Day data routinely shows that women vote more often and more regularly than men.

Over the years, Illinois has continued to help more citizens access the ballot by enacting time- and cost-saving measures like same-day and online registration to make it easier for Illinoisans to vote.

Now, we need Gov. Rauner to take the final step and sign the bipartisan Automatic Voter Registration bill that passed unanimously. AVR will help more than one million citizens register to vote and will update your voter registration next time you update your address or license at the DMV. AVR will strengthen our elections system to make it safe from potential fraud.

Voting is the best way to keep our elected officials accountable and keep the public's interests a priority.

Our democracy is best served when we encourage citizens to vote and have diverse voices heard on Election Day. Automatic voter registration will bring us one step closer to fuller participation in the democracy we all want and deserve.

Kathy Ryg

Vernon Hills