Illinois will not require proof of citizenship for voting, despite Trump’s executive order

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WTVO) — Despite an executive order issued by President Donald Trump, Illinois says it will not require proof of citizenship to be shown when voting.

Trump issued the order on Tuesday, March 25th, requiring federal agencies to enforce a nationwide requirement that voters show documentary proof of citizenship when registering to vote.

However, according to Matt Dietrich, spokesman for the Illinois State Board of Elections, under the current federal National Voter Registration Act, voters need only provide a sworn statement that they are a U.S. citizen.

Illinois does not require voters to show a photo ID at the polls.

“We will not blindly follow illegal orders because Donald Trump wrote them down on a piece of paper. Illinois follows the laws of the land – not the decrees of an aspiring king hell bent on disenfranchising millions of voters who deserve to have their voice heard,” said Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker.

“In the face of these attacks on voting rights, Illinois will continue to administer free and fair elections while standing up for strong, secure, and accessible democracy,” he said.

“When Illinoisans go to the polls, they must have confidence that their vote will be counted quickly and accurately. Instead of engaging Congress or working with the states, Donald Trump is attempting to hand down illegal orders to interfere with our electoral process and potentially disenfranchise millions of people,” Rep. Maurice West (D-Rockford) said. “This new effort comes after years of promoting bizarre, false election conspiracy theories, eroding trust in our democracy and its civic institutions.”

Trump’s order also requires the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to review each state’s voter registration list and compare it to federal immigration databases to determine if states are in compliance.

Republicans have defended that measure as necessary to restore public confidence in elections. Voting in federal elections by noncitizens is already illegal and can result in felony charges and deportation.

Voting rights groups have expressed concerns that the requirement could disenfranchise people. An estimated 9% of U.S. citizens of voting age, or 21.3 million people, do not have proof of citizenship readily available, according to a 2023 report by the Brennan Center for Justice and other groups.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.