[§286-303.5]  Voter registration.  (a)  A qualified applicant for a new, renewal, or duplicate identification card shall automatically be registered to vote with the clerk of the appropriate county upon completion of an application for identification card and the application for voter registration as required by section 11-15.7 if the qualified applicant makes a choice to be registered to vote.  If already registered to vote, the qualified applicant shall be offered the opportunity to decline any changes being made to their name and address for voter registration purposes.

     (b)  The submission of the application for voter registration together with the application for the identification card shall be deemed to authorize the examiner of drivers to collect and transmit the information necessary to register the qualified applicant as a voter if the applicant made such a choice or to make changes to the qualified applicant's voter registration information unless the applicant declined such changes.  The examiner of drivers shall electronically transmit the necessary information to the clerk of the county in which the qualified applicant resides, election officials, and the online voter registration system pursuant to section 11-15.7(c).

     The examiner of drivers shall not transmit any information necessary to register a qualified applicant as a voter if the applicant made a choice not to be registered to vote nor transmit any information necessary to make changes to the qualified applicant's voter registration information if the applicant declined such changes.  The examiner of drivers shall not transmit any information related to a voter application or changes to the applicant's voter registration information if the applicant presents a document demonstrating a lack of United States citizenship.

     (c)  For the purposes of this section, "qualified applicant" means a person who qualifies to register as a voter by law. [L 2021, c 126, §3]