Federal judge won't reverse ruling on Illinois voter registration

[TexasTowelie]

CHICAGO -- A federal judge has denied an Illinois attorney general's office request for him to reverse his own decision halting same-day voter registration at polling stations.

A Thursday hearing in Chicago federal court lasted just minutes as Judge Samuel Der-Yeghiayan told lawyers the request is denied.

He ruled earlier this week that the same-day registration option as written benefited Democratic strongholds, like Chicago, and disadvantaged rural regions

Lisa Madigan's office argued that yanking the option so close to the Nov. 8 election would unfairly deny some citizens voting rights. But in a two-page written explanation Thursday, Der-Yeghiayan says, "This court did not restrict the rights of any voters. The legislation did."

Read more: http://www.sj-r.com/news/20160929/federal-judge-wont-reverse-ruling-on-illinois-voter-registration

[frazzled]

1. I hate to say it

But after much thinking about it, I think the courts are right. The law should be rewritten to require same day registration statewide, not just in cities with populations over 100,000. No other state does it that way.

I do have reservations, however, about this ruling coming so close to the election.