Alexi Giannoulias

Civil Rights I’m committed to advancing initiatives that will expand voter rights and make voting easier and more convenient. Government Reform Establish a statewide, searchable database for the public to access lobbyist information and activity at all levels of state and local government with regularly updated registration and expenditure reports from lobbyists and clients. Government Reform Enact a tough “revolving door” policy – of two years – to prevent state lawmakers from working as lobbyists immediately after they leave the Legislature. Criminal Justice / Public Safety I would push the State to begin providing ex-offenders with valid state identification cards before their release from prison. Ensuring newly released inmates have an authorized and recognized state identification card once they complete their sentences will help reduce recidivism and make it easier to reintegrate into society, especially when it comes to establishing a residency and finding a job. Education We must also ensure libraries remain havens of free speech and trust librarians, not extremists, with what to put on shelves. My office will take action against far right attempts to ban books that help children learn and grow. Civil Rights ’ve proposed a change to the state’s Automatic Voter Registration system by implementing a back–end system, which would automatically add eligible voters to the rolls without requiring additional steps on the part of the voter during their visit to a driver’s license facility. Civil Rights I will make sure that access to registering to vote and individual rights at the ballot box are safeguarded and that AVR is implemented fairly, accurately and securely to expand voting opportunities. Civil Rights To increase registration and boost voter turnout among our young people, I’m proposing that Illinois to give 16- and 17-year-olds the ability to pre-register to vote and become automatically registered upon turning 18. Economy I will strengthen the Secretary of State’s Business Services Division to make it easier for minority-owned business owners – to start a business and cut through the layers of red-tape, which will reduce costs and get them up and running more quickly and enable them to hire workers. Taxes / Budget I’ll end the corruption tax. Government Reform Giannoulias supports initiatives that would ban elected officials from lobbying local governments. Criminal Justice / Public Safety I will continue to support legislation that prohibited the state and municipalities from suspending the driver’s licenses of drivers who fail to pay parking tickets and other fines, which was signed into law earlier this year. The suspensions disproportionately affect low-income drivers who need their cars to get to work and earn the money to earn a living. Government Reform Allowing for digital driver’s licenses and state identification cards on people’s phones will make it more convenient for Illinoisans to update their information remotely and avoid an in-person visit to a facility. I will draft legislation and encourage Illinois lawmakers to approve it during my first year in office. Infrastructure / Transportation I will make our roads safer places for both motorists and police officers in repealing an existing state law, which prohibits drivers from hanging items from a vehicle’s rear view. Illinois is one of just a handful of states that ban items from hanging from a vehicle’s rear-view mirror or affixed to a windshield on the grounds that they obstruct a motorist’s vision. Education I plan to implement a universal License to Read program to improve access to libraries, add educational programs, provide more digital services online and find new ways to bring more people together, especially in communities that need those services most. Environment / Energy I’m passionate about the environment and doing more to pass legislation that would force people and large companies to change behavior and act more responsibly when it comes to protecting the environment.