Tracy Calls for Investigation Into IDHS Allegations
SPRINGFIELD — Republican U.S. Senate candidate Don Tracy is calling for greater oversight and accountability after State Senator Steve McClure raised concerns that the Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS) was sending voter registration applications to noncitizens applying for public benefits.
According to Senator McClure, immigrant applicants receiving state aid were allegedly sent packets that included voter registration applications already addressed to county clerk offices during the application or benefits redetermination process.
McClure further noted that recent changes to Illinois driver’s license policies have made it more difficult to distinguish between citizens and noncitizens in the voter registration process. Sangamon County Clerk Don Gray warned that if an applicant provides a driver’s license number and checks the citizenship box on a registration form, county clerks may have no reliable way to independently verify citizenship status.
“Illinoisans deserve confidence that our elections are secure, transparent, and administered according to the law,” said Republican U.S. Senate candidate Don Tracy. “Government agencies should never create situations where noncitizens could mistakenly believe they are eligible or expected to register to vote in order to receive taxpayer-funded benefits.”
“This is exactly the kind of breakdown in common sense oversight that frustrates working families across Illinois. When politicians push massive government programs without proper safeguards, accountability suffers and public trust erodes.
In his press release, McClure said that paper voter registration forms may be bypassing safeguards originally intended under Illinois law. While existing law allows state agencies to assist eligible citizens with voter registration during benefits applications, the law also requires citizenship verification before voter registrations are transmitted to election officials.
“Working families are already struggling under one of the highest tax burdens in America while Illinois Democrats continue spending billions of taxpayer dollars on programs for noncitizens,” Tracy added. “The least Illinoisans should expect is a system with clear safeguards, strong verification standards, and leadership willing to take election integrity seriously.”
Don Tracy is available for phone, video, and in-studio interviews on this issue.
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About Don Tracy:
Don is Senior Counsel at Brown, Hay & Stephens, the oldest law firm in Illinois, where Abraham Lincoln famously practiced law for four years. Public service is important to Don, with a lifetime spent in community service, most often in volunteer positions. He has served as Chairman of the Illinois Republican Party, Chairman of the Illinois Gaming Board, Secretary of the Illinois Bar Foundation, President of the Sangamon County Bar Association, Chairman of the Illinois Corporate Acts Advisory Committee, and President of the Abraham Lincoln Association, President of the Oak Ridge Cemetery Board, among other community leadership positions. Born in Urbana, raised in Mt. Sterling in Western Illinois, and having raised his own family in Springfield in Central Illinois, Don has deep ties to "downstate Illinois." As the oldest of 12 children, family has always been important to Don.