What does the Secretary of State do in Illinois
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The office also is an important resource for educating citizens about issues that affect their everyday lives, including anti-drunk driving, traffic safety, school bus safety, securities fraud, literacy, and organ/tissue donation. Still, to many Illinois citizens, the Secretary of State’s office is the place to go for a new driver’s license or license plates. As such, Secretary White has worked diligently to enhance customer service, promote safety on Illinois roads, and strengthen the integrity of the office. Show
This is a list of some of the online services offered in Cyber Drive Illinois. From issuing driver’s licenses and registering vehicles, to promoting organ/tissue donation awareness, overseeing the Illinois State Library and administering the state’s literacy efforts, the Secretary of State’s office directly touches the lives of nearly everyone in Illinois. Driver’s License/State ID Card ServicesLinks to topics related to Driver’s License/State ID Card. Such as acceptable identification, application information, fees, renewals, reinstatement fees, etc. Secretary of State Facility FinderFind the nearest facility to you by entering your City or Zip Code. Secretary of State facilities for CDL, disability placards, driver license, license plates, reinstatement fees, State ID, etc. Safe Driver Renewal Driver ServicesSecretary White offers this program to qualifying license drivers by keeping a clean driving record for the past four years. Your application for a Safe Driver Renewal is an affirmation that you have read the renewal application letter and no situation exists that would make you ineligible to lawfully apply for a driver’s license and that all information submitted by you is true and correct. Driver’s License StatusIn May 2016, The Illinois Secretary of State’s office began centrally issuing drivers licenses, ID cards and Commercial Learners Permits. The new card is being sent to you through the mail. If you have not received your permanent card after 15 business days, you can check the status by entering your information on this page. Driver’s License ReinstatementA direct guide to all of the fees and dues on the different types of suspension. Adult Driver EducationFor Adult Driver Applicants Ages 18-20. Effective July 1, 2014 Public Act 98-167 requires Illinois driver’s license applicants ages 18, 19, or 20, who have never previously been licensed or completed an approved driver education course, to complete a six hour Adult Driver Education Course by certified providers. You will find us there! Commercial Driver’s License (CDL)Links to topics related to Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) and Commercial Learner’s Permit (CLP). Such as Requirements, Facility Finder, Testing, School Bus Permit, Vehicles Requiring a CDL, etc. Teen Driver SafetyFor Parents/Legal Guardians of teens ready to get their drivers license. You will find a message from Jesse White here. MADD-Mothers Against Drunk DrivingMothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) is a nonprofit organization in the United States and Canada that seeks to stop drunk driving, support those affected by drunk driving, prevent underage drinking, and strive for stricter impaired driving policy, whether that impairment is caused by alcohol or any other drug. Other Online ServicesCyber Drive Illinois has a more complete list of available online services on their webpage. Need to contact the Secretary of State Office? Longtime legislator Dan Brady of Bloomington says he bided his time until Jesse White retired to run for the office. Brady faces Alexi Giannoulias, a well-financed opponent who is seeking his second statewide office. Brady, a Republican, has served 22 years in the Illinois House. There are currently no Republicans in statewide office. Brady wants to change that by pledging to improve the customer experience at driver's license facilities. He said it will take technology and possibly a staff reorganization to reduce wait times and frustration. “Making the work environment a less confrontational and a more efficient area is going to help both sides of the counter,” Brady said. Brady has proposed making vehicle title and lien filing electronic to speed up that process, too. He has another idea to reduce wait times at the DMV — lease space at nearby community colleges. He said the technology and accessibility are already there. “Those are all built-in supported taxpayer assets that are there right now that we could tap into and that would be another area that I think would be an acute way to bring some relief to the problems that occur in the facilities across the state,” Brady said. Each Secretary of State candidates is hesitant to criticize Democrat Jesse White for the 24 years he has held the office, but they all suggest technology upgrades and other reforms are overdue. Democrat Alexi Giannoulias is a former U.S. Senate candidate from Chicago. He served one term as state treasurer from 2007 to 2011. Giannoulias said his plans to modernize the office go further than Brady's, and include an option to schedule a DMV appointment online. “The differences in our policy proposals could not be more stark,” Giannoulias said. “We are the only ones who talk about skip the line. We are the only ones that have talked about digital drivers’ licenses and IDs. We are the only ones who have talked about the creation of a Secretary of State app. We are the only ones talking about kiosks inside the DMVs.” Giannoulias projects these technology upgrades would save the state money. “When you cut foot traffic by 50-to-75% and there’s less paperwork as people are doing things virtually and online, you save an exorbitant amount of money," said Giannoulias, adding the savings would come from shrinking the size and number of driver’s license facilities and trimming staff. He did not say how much staff he might cut. Libertarian candidateCar dealers have their own trouble with DMV delays, according to a longtime auto dealer who is running for Secretary of State as a Libertarian. Jon Stewart of Deerfield is a former pro wrestler who ran for the Illinois House and U.S. Senate more than 20 years ago. Stewart said he would look to add satellite DMV offices in Chicago to reduce congestion at existing sites. “Taking the pressure off of (the) Elston Avenue (Secretary of State facility) in Chicago. Folks, if you have not been there, especially during COVID, it was like a third-world country food line. It was awful,” Stewart said. Stewart said he would recoup the money by banning new Secretary of State hires from the state pension system. That would require legislative approval, a concept that would likely find little support from lawmakers. Stewart also wants to reduce license and title fees and increase the title fee for dealers. Political backdropThe Secretary of State's office is largely administrative, but that doesn't keep politics out of the race. Giannoulias said at a recent campaign event Republicans are “bananas" and has linked Brady to Donald Trump. Brady took exception to any link to the former president. “Dan Brady is his own man,” Brady said. “For anyone to say I’m a Trumper or a this or a that, that’s the kind of thing that people like to put out to divide people, to mislead people.” Giannoulias said he sees fundamental differences between the two parties. “On issues that are important to me, like integrity, choice, kids getting murdered in schools. I think there is a difference in the way the parties do it. Most importantly, when it comes to this office is the fight for voting rights,” Giannoulias said. Giannoulias said he wants to pre-register 16- and 17-year-olds to vote when they get their drivers licenses, something that’s done in more than a dozen other states. Brady said local election authorities could take over motor voter registration, a move Giannoulias called “dangerous and ineffective.” The Republican Party has done its own flame-throwing in this race. State GOP chair Don Tracy said putting Giannoulias in charge of the Secretary of State's office would be like “putting an arsonist in charge of the fire department.” Tracy was referring to the Giannoulias family bank that federal regulators seized in 2010 over loans the bank gave to convicted felons. The Secretary of State's office regulates loan brokers and investment advisors in Illinois. Brady said Giannoulias' banking history is a red flag. “I think somebody with the past my opponent has and has been well documented, I’m not sure that’s the person you want to hire for this job,” he said. Giannoulias brushed aside the criticism as a sign of Brady's desperation. “When you are down double digits in the polls, you try and say whatever you can,” Giannoulias retorted. Fundraising edgeGiannoulias has a major financial advantage in this campaign. Based on the latest filings at the end of September, Giannoulias has over $2.5 million in his campaign war chest, 10 times that of Brady. The Giannoulias campaign recently got $1 million from billionaire Gov. JB Pritzker. Brady has not found a deep-pocketed donor on the GOP side. Brady noted he was outspent in the Republican primary, too, when he handily defeated the party's chosen candidate, former U.S. attorney John Milhiser. “It was a grassroots effort in the primary. It’s a grassroots effort in the general (election),” Brady said. It's an entirely grassroots campaign for the libertarian Stewart, who also wasn't his party's first pick. Someone named Jesse White — not the Secretary of State — tried to run on the Libertarian ticket. Stewart claims the Giannoulias camp threatened to bankrupt the party with petition challenges, so the party found another candidate. When asked about Stewart's allegation, Giannoulias said he'd never heard of him, and he suggested putting another Jesse White on the ballot was a political stunt. “I don’t think there should be an attempt to confuse people as to (whether) Secretary of State White is on the ballot or not,” Giannoulias said. The Libertarian party hopes to get at least 5% of the votes in at least one statewide race. That would make it an established political party and significantly reduce the number of signatures candidates would need to get on the ballot. If elected, Brady would be the first McLean County resident to win a statewide race since Robert Underwood was elected to the Illinois Supreme Court. Underwood was first elected in 1962 and remains Illinois’ longest serving chief justice (1969 to 1976). Election day is Nov. 8. Early voting is underway.  WGLT – Made Possible By You We depend on your support to keep telling stories like this one. You – together with NPR donors across the country – create a more informed public. Fact by fact, story by story. Please take a moment to donate now and fund the local news our community needs. Your support truly makes a difference. What powers do the Secretary of State have?These include the custody of the Great Seal of the United States, the preparation of certain presidential proclamations, the publication of treaties and international acts as well as the official record of the foreign relations of the United States, and the custody of certain original treaties and international ...
Who is the current Secretary of State for Illinois?Jesse White is Illinois' 37th Secretary of State. White was first elected to the office in 1998 and won landslide victories in 2002, in which he won all 102 counties, and again in 2006, 2010 and 2014.
Is the Secretary of State elected or appointed in Illinois?Term of office
The office of Secretary of State is an elected office within the executive branch of the state government. The election is held every four years in November, and the secretary assumes office the following January.
Which office is responsible for driver licensing in Illinois?To obtain an Illinois Driver's License you must: Visit a Secretary of State facility, show required identification documents and have your photo taken. Surrender all valid out-of-state licenses, state ID cards, instruction permits and commercial driver's licenses. Pay the appropriate fee.
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