"One of our most sacred rights as American citizens is the right to cast our votes in private so that each voter is able to make a genuine choice without fear of intimidation or other outside influences," Senator Haine said. "If there is concern that legislation we passed will put this right in jeopardy then we must do our best to address these concerns to ensure that our rights as voters remain secure."

"I presume that the notification language was intended as a method for correcting voter mistakes. While some mistakes may occur, it is ultimately up to the voter to avoid these mistakes when presented with a clear and understandable ballot," Haine said. "We cannot sacrifice the privacy of the ballot in an attempt to correct speculative mistakes."

Senate Bill 2503, proposed by Senator Haine, removes the requirement that a voter be informed that his or her ballot was undervoted so that, thereby protecting the voters’ right to a secret ballot.

"It is my hope that we can act on this legislation as soon as possible when the General Assembly reconvenes next month," Haine said. "With a series of important elections coming up next year, we need to make sure that voters in Illinois are able to vote their conscience without being concerned that their right to secrecy is at risk."