Politics & Government

Gov. Quinn Visits Stevenson to Sign Voting Bill Into Law

"This is the law of the land," declared Gov. Pat Quinn, immediately after signing legislation that will allow some 17-year-olds to vote in Illinois primary elections.

This post was reported and written by Cristel Mohrman.

Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn was greeted by students, teachers, staff and local politicians Wednesday morning when he visited Stevenson High School to sign legislation that will directly affect teens.

The law will allow 17-year-olds to vote in primary elections if they will turn 18 by the date of the general election. The bill was proposed by Andy Conneen, a civics teacher at Stevenson, along with some of his students. It was sponsored by State Rep. Carol Sente (D-Vernon Hills) and State Sen. Terry Link (D-Waukegan), who both attended the July 3 ceremony.

The new law will go into effect Jan. 1, 2014.


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