Public commenter raises concerns about noncitizen registrations; clerk’s office says it follows Illinois law

David Young used the committee’s public comment period to raise concerns about the potential for noncitizen drivers' licenses to create entries on voter rolls. Young said he filed a FOIA request with the Illinois Secretary of State seeking records of certain driver's licenses but was denied on privacy grounds.

“I did a FOIA for the secretary of state for all TVDLs from 2018 to 2024… I got denied because that is private information,” Young told the committee. He said his concern is that individuals on certain noncitizen visas receive driver’s licenses that could be used to register to vote if state procedures are not checked.

A Kane County Clerk's Office staff member responded in the meeting that the county follows Illinois state law regarding voter registration and that the clerk’s office will cancel registrations if someone presents evidence they were incorrectly registered after initially receiving a DMV-based registration.

Why it matters: Young framed the issue as a potential vulnerability in the registration process; the clerk's staff reiterated the office’s adherence to state statute and described cancellation practices when a person reports a mistaken registration. Young acknowledged he had no proof that such improper voting had occurred but said the scenario was “easily possible” and that county officials should consider how to verify the rolls.

Committee members and the clerk’s staff noted that changing state law would be required to alter how registrations are handled at the DMV.