CHICAGO - Attorney General Kwame Raoul sent a letter to the administrators of Illinois colleges and universities highlighting new guidance from the U.S. Department of Education that allows students to be paid through the Federal Work-Study program for working to register voters.
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The Federal Work-Study program provides part-time jobs for undergraduate and graduate students with financial needs, allowing them to earn money to help pay education expenses. The program encourages community service work and work related to the student’s course of study, whenever possible. The department’s new guidance allows students to be paid with work-study funds for participation in voter registration activities.
“As we approach the 2022 election, it is vital that young people have a voice in the direction of our nation by exercising their fundamental right to vote,” Raoul said. “This guidance offers a way to engage students in the democratic process and instill a lifelong commitment to civic participation. I encourage colleges and universities to use this new tool to promote voter registration on Illinois campuses and in the surrounding communities.”
Raoul’s letter outlines the department’s guidance on permissible uses of work-study funds to support voter registration activities. For example, institutions may use work-study funds to compensate students for voter registration activities that occur on or off campus. Work-study funds cannot be used for employment by third parties – including federal, state, or local agencies and private non-profit organizations – if the student’s work relates to partisan or nonpartisan political activities, including party-affiliated voter registration.
Voter registration activities must comply with Illinois law, including local rules. Institutions or students planning voter registration activities should contact their local election authority to ensure compliance with any local rules regarding the collection and submission of voter registration forms. Local election authorities for each jurisdiction are listed on the State Board of Elections website.
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