The amendment was designed to provide that no person shall be denied the right to register to vote or cast a ballot in an election based on race, color, ethnicity, language, national origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation or income.
[1] Before it could be to be referred to the voters, the amendment needed to be approved by a joint resolution of the Illinois Legislature, receiving the affirmative vote of 60% of the members of each chamber.
[1] It was additionally sponsored by State Representatives Barbara Flynn Currie, Fred Crespo, Jim Durkin, William Davis, Marcus C. Evans Jr., Mary E. Flowers, La Shawn Ford, Jack D. Franks, Mattie Hunter, Lou Lang, Linda Chapa LaVia, Kimberly Lightford, Camille Lilly, Christian Mitchell, Anna Moeller, Emanuel Chris Welch, Kwame Raoul, Carol Sente, Elgie Sims, Derrick Smith, Andre Thapedi, Arthur Turner, Patricia Van Pelt and State Senators Jacqueline Y. Collins, Napoleon Harris, Toi Hutchinson, Emil Jones III, Donne Trotter.
The measure added a Section 8 to Article III of the Constitution of Illinois which reads, No person shall be denied the right to register to vote or to cast a ballot in an election based on race, color, ethnicity, status as a member of a language minority, national origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, or income.
The proposed amendment would prohibit any law that disproportionately affects the rights of eligible Illinois citizens to register to vote or cast a ballot based on the voter’s race, color, ethnicity, status as a member of a language minority, national origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, or income.