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MODERNIZATION PLAN
- Following the recent successful rollout of Chicago City Council modernization, Anna Valencia released her plan to modernize the Illinois Secretary of State’s office. As Secretary of State, Anna will use the experience and skills she has developed as City Clerk to update technology infrastructure and make everyday services more accessible.
- DMV Online Payment Portal
- Anna will create an online portal and payment systems for DMV services, streamlining and simplifying online services, including:
- Vehicle title and registration transactions
- Driver's license and state ID applications
- Driver’s license updates, replacements, corrections and renewals
- Disability parking placard applications
- Illinoisans will be able to conduct each of these transactions online and receive new and updated documents through the mail.
- Launching the Illinois DMV App
- Anna will work to develop a phone app that allows access to the DMV’s online portal and also includes multi-lingual services for non-English speaking communities. The Illinois DMV App will also allow residents to upload their driver’s license, registration and insurance to an app for easy contactless digital access.
- Anna will stand-up DMV self-service kiosks to allow Illinoisans to conveniently renew vehicle registrations, print duplicate registration and decals, and obtain drivers’ history printouts. Anna will work to meet people where they are and spend their time. That’s why she will prioritize making our local libraries and other state facilities locations for self-service kiosks in order to make DMV services more accessible.
- Implementing a Digital Driver’s License that is Safe and Secure
- Anna will take the lead on establishing a safe and secure digital driver’s license option for Illinoisans who want one. She will work closely with the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators (AAMVA) and the Transportation Safety Administration (TSA) on best practices. AAMVA is developing rules establishing minimum standards and procedures to ensure uniform standards nationwide. Anna’s goal includes ensuring Illinois digital driver’s licenses are convenient but also contain security features that are as robust as the hard card driver’s license, making them as counterfeit-proof as possible to combat fraud and identity theft.
- Implementing Blockchain Solutions to Protect Our Data
- Data breaches are eroding trust in government. Unfortunately, this is becoming the norm with countless data breaches over the past decade. Blockchain has many benefits that allow for safer and faster transactions, encryption that makes it extremely difficult for hackers to corrupt, and allows for the tracking of real-time records which limits fraud. Anna will implement these new technologies to ensure our data is safe and secure.
- Updating Our Library Infrastructure
- As the state’s chief librarian, Anna will expand upon Secretary White’s efforts to fund and support public libraries. She will utilize federal infrastructure dollars coming into Illinois to ensure every library has broadband access. She will also work to make sure our library system is delivering for Illinoisans in the 21st century by expanding “Makers Labs” into libraries across the state and increasing innovation grants to make additional modernized improvements.
- Turning Our Physical Infrastructure Into Digital Beacons
- Anna will work to electrify our infrastructure by turning our state buildings into WiFi beacons. This will allow residents living or working nearby to access free internet. This idea has been utilized and implemented all over the U.S. during the pandemic, let’s use what we’ve learned to help all our residents move into the future. In addition, Anna will double down on Secretary White’s efforts to award grants to public libraries and school libraries, allowing these critical institutions to expand and improve upon Wi-Fi connectivity to better serve their communities.
- Create A One-Stop-Shop Online Portal
- Anna will use federal funding to update, upgrade and enhance the Secretary of State office’s computer system in a manner that will allow for state-of-the-art customer service improvements. Anna’s goal is to create one electronic file per person, so Illinoisans can visit the Secretary of State’s web portal, enter their password, and conduct all their business on one personalized, secure webpage. This could include, for instance, renewing a driver’s license, changing an address, renewing a vehicle registration, submitting an annual report for a business, etc. This one-stop-shop initiative will make transactions with the office quick and easy.
- Making the S.O.S Office More Eco-Friendly
- Anna launched the “City Council Modernization project” to bring the Chicago City Council into the future with all electronic voting and e-files. From her experience as Clerk, Anna understands that going paperless can be a long process, which is why we need to start now. She will expand upon Secretary White’s eco-friendly efforts, including efforts to encourage Illinoisans to sign up for online vehicle registration renewal reminder notices instead of receiving postcard reminders each year in the mail. This saves the state money in postcards and postage as well. Anna will work to help implement the use of more e-forms and begin the process of moving the State of Illinois to a more paperless future. She will also take an audit of our state physical assets and buildings to look for opportunities to upgrade them to become more sustainable.
- Collaborating With Community Leaders & Modernization Experts
- In her role as City Clerk of Chicago, Anna has proven time and again that she is a collaborator. Anna understands that the best results come from elected officials working with members of our communities to identify their needs and teaming up with experts to create forward-thinking policies. As Secretary of State, Anna will bring together thought partners who are proven innovators, including frontline workers, mid-level managers, private sector partners, faith leaders, and academic institutions. Anna will work with them to create the feedback necessary to make additional modernizations to the Secretary of State’s office. Anna also knows that with the passage of the federal infrastructure bill, Illinois has a once in a generation opportunity to utilize federal dollars to bring our state government into the 21st century and ensure it is serving the citizens of Illinois. Anna will bring stakeholders together from around Illinois to make sure we are using every tax dollar to its fullest in service of the people of our state.
VOTING ACCESS PLAN
- On day one as Secretary of State, we will call for an Illinois Voting Access Commission. This will bring together diverse stakeholders from across the State to identify ways to expand and protect voter registration, voting and vote counting. Our stakeholders will include the Illinois State Board of Elections, members of the Illinois General Assembly, County Clerks, community and business leaders, universities and foundations, tasked with specifically evaluating how to:
- Expand Vote-By-Mail (VBM)
- Fully implement Automatic Voter Registration (AVR)
- Expand transportation to the polls
- Recruit Election Judges for Early Voting and Election Day
- Update voting technology in every county in Illinois to ensure transparency and securing data
CIVICS CORPS PLAN
- As Secretary of State, we will create partnerships between private foundations, corporations and non-profit organizations to launch an Illinois Civics Corps. This would be a first-of-its-kind program in Illinois, offering students and young people - regardless of their zip code - an opportunity for a job and to learn the importance of being civically engaged. This is a way for our young people to gain valuable civic and government experience for the future and do so while strengthening relationships with peers, family and neighbors as they help them register to vote. Those trusted relationships are important in every community, but especially among hard-to-reach populations. The program will consist of:
- Students in high school, community college, university and G.E.D. programs
- Stipends given to those accepted into the program
- Training necessary for Civics Corps members to become Voter Registrars
- Learning the importance of being civically engaged through mentoring and training
- We are incredibly excited about this new program to create opportunities for our young people, while engaging even more residents in their communities.
ETHICS PLAN
- Anna knows that it's time for a new generation of leadership in Springfield that puts the corruption of the past behind us. That's why Anna has released a comprehensive ethics plan that will repair and strengthen Illinoisans' faith in their government.
- Strengthen Reporting Requirements
- Anna will strengthen the reporting requirements in statements of economic interest submissions and require a greater depth of disclosures on statements of economic interest submissions. These additional disclosures will include individual stock holdings, reporting all sources of outside income, and disclosure of any and all clients to better highlight potential conflicts of interest. Greater transparency will benefit the public and the media in their efforts to gauge the potential for conflicts of interest. This effort will go a long way toward repairing and strengthening the public’s faith in government.
- Anna and her husband will go beyond the required Statement of Economic Interest and commit to releasing their tax returns annually to ensure the utmost transparency.
- No Individual Stock Trading
- Anna and her husband will commit to not trading any individual stocks, creating a bright line and ensuring that the public can have confidence that their elected officials are not being enriched by their actions in office, and will push to require a ban of General Assembly lawmakers trading individual stocks as well.
- Create Lobbyist Cooling-Off Period
- Anna will work to prohibit elected officials from engaging in lobbying or consulting for two years after leaving office. Current state law mandates a 6-month prohibition in which former elected officials may not engage in lobbying or consulting after leaving office. This proposal extends the period to two years.
- Close the Cooling-Off Loophole
- Anna would work to close the loophole in the cooling-off period law that allows former legislators to lobby a new General Assembly after a term expires, and require the two-year waiting period in all instances.
- Strengthen SOS Inspector General’s Office
- Anna will double-down on the Secretary of State Inspector General Audit Review Committee efforts to further promote transparency and efficiency and to save taxpayer dollars.
- Anna will require a robust annual audit of the Secretary of State’s office budget, ensuring that there is no waste, fraud, or abuse by any employees. The audit will be provided to the General Assembly and the Illinois Inspector General for oversight.
- Ban Campaign Funding of Criminal Attorneys
- Anna will push to end the practice of legislators using campaign funds to pay for criminal defense attorneys. If a legislator engages in criminal behavior, he or she should be personally liable for their defense.
SMALL BUSINESS PLAN
- Anna is committed to helping small businesses flourish in Illinois. When they succeed, we all succeed. As Secretary of State, she will initiate policies and programs designed to make it easier for small businesses to incorporate, register and file required documentation with the office.
- Informational Outreach Efforts to Help Small Business Owners
- Anna will establish a robust outreach effort under the Secretary of State Business Services Department designed to interact with and help small businesses navigate the various incorporation, registration and filing requirements in Illinois. Under this plan, Anna will deploy mobile units staffed by Business Services employees throughout the state to conduct public seminars and answer questions from small business owners. While much of the registration and filing requirements for small businesses can be done online at ilsos.gov, small business owners can benefit from hearing directly from the experts on how to register and file online. Anna will work with the business industry, business associations and state legislators to co-host and promote these informational seminars in their respective regions of the state. She will also offer seminars online via zoom conferences in order to better reach small business owners in all parts of the state.
- Instructional Videos Designed to Help Business Owners
- To save small business owners money, Anna’s plan will create instructional videos posted on the office website, ilsos.gov, that help explain to small business owners Illinois’ various incorporation, registration and filing requirements. Many small business owners hire entities to file this paperwork electronically on the owner’s behalf, and many of these entities do so through the Secretary of State’s website. Anna’s instructional videos will help educate and empower small business owners to do this themselves, which will save them money.
- Establishing a Secure Web Portal for Individual Business Owners
- Anna will streamline the Secretary of State Business Services Department webpage, simplifying the process of incorporating, registering and filing online. Her plan will also allow business owners to access their information through a secure web portal and allow them to view all the documents they have filed and quickly assess their status as a business and what, if anything, they must do to achieve full compliance.
- Enhancing SOS Computer System to create a One-Stop-Shop Online Portal
- As Part of Anna’s overall modernization plan, she will use federal funding to update and upgrade the office’s computer system in a manner that will allow for state-of-the-art customer service improvements. Anna’s goal is to create one electronic file per person, so Illinoisans can visit the Secretary of State’s web portal, enter their password, and conduct all their business on one personalized, secure webpage. This could include, for instance, renewing a driver’s license, changing an address, renewing a vehicle registration, filing incorporation documents or submitting an annual report for a small business owner. This one-stop-shop initiative will make transactions with the office quick and easy.
ROAD SAFETY PLAN
- Anna is committed to making road safety a top priority as Secretary of State. Secretary White has made our roads safer, and because of his policies, Illinois is a national leader in highway safety. Anna will double down and build on Secretary White’s efforts to make improvements and save even more lives.
- Convene a Road Safety Advisory Panel
- Anna will convene a Road Safety Advisory Panel comprised of national and state experts – including the Alliance Against Intoxicated Motorists (AAIM) and Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD). The panel’s charge will be to develop an innovative and comprehensive traffic safety package designed to combat impaired driving, extreme speeding and distracted driving.
- Urge Court System to Convict Repeat Offenders
- Anna knows it is imperative that we remove drunk drivers from our roads quickly. Motorists with a history of repeat drunk driving offenses jeopardize the safety of everyone using the roadways. But too often these drivers are given a pass, either in the form of a court supervision or in a plea deal that reduces the charges and allows the driver to keep his or her license. Anna will urge our court system to crack down on repeat offenders to ensure that our roads are safer.
- The Secretary of State makes its driver’s license and vehicle registration data available electronically to law enforcement through LEADS (Law Enforcement Agencies Data System). Law enforcement officers can quickly determine vehicle registration information through LEADS from their squad car. In addition, this data is equally important in efforts to capture license plate information in incidents involving violent crimes on highways. Anna will double down on this partnership with law enforcement to protect the public as well as law enforcement officers.
- Build on Secretary White’s Road Safety Accomplishments
- Anna will continue to build on Secretary White’s legacy to keep Illinois a national leader in highway safety, including efforts to:
- Streamline communication among the 102 counties in sharing court supervision information
- Enhance penalties for drunk driving
- Expand the state’s Breath Alcohol Ignition Interlock Device (BAIID) program
- Address the Nationwide Shortage of Truck Drivers and Help Veterans
- Anna is committed to road safety in Illinois. She will never jeopardize traffic safety and the lives of Illinoisans traveling our roadways. This is why she would oppose weakening the standards and requirements of the state’s Commercial Driver Licensing (CDL) program. While there is a shortage of truck drivers nationwide, we must maintain Illinois’ stringent standards and not go back to the years of the Ryan Administration when Illinois had the worst CDL program in the nation and lives were lost at the hands of poorly trained truck drivers.
- There are safe and responsible ways to add more truck drivers in Illinois in a manner that does not sacrifice road safety. One way to do this is to double down on the Secretary of State’s efforts to help military veterans gain employment in the trucking industry, which will have the added benefit of addressing the nationwide shortage of truck drivers.
- Illinois was the first state in the nation to take advantage of changes to federal CDL regulations in 2017 that grant state driver licensing agencies the authority to exempt veterans from taking the knowledge written test, a move known as the “Even Exchange” process. In addition, Secretary White initiated a law that permitted the office to waive the CDL skills drive test requirement for qualified veterans and active duty personnel who meet the requirements stated in federal and state law (625 ILCS 5/6-508 (b). These initiatives reward our heroes and help address the nationwide shortage of truck drivers.
- This is why Anna is committed to working with Illinois Veterans organizations to further promote these important initiatives as a means to help recruit more truck drivers from the ranks of our veterans. Under the “Even Exchange” process, the Secretary of State’s office is authorized to waive the written exam of veterans applying for a commercial learner's permit, provided the applicant meets all of the following requirements:
- is a current resident of Illinois;
- is a current or former member of the U.S. military;
- within one year prior to the application, has been regularly employed in a military position that requires the operation of large trucks[2]
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