Local politicians are questioning the legality of actions taken by members of the NIU College Republicans and by Eric Johnson, the organization’s president and NIU student trustee.

In a document distributed to members of the College Republicans at an Aug. 31 meeting, organization members are instructed to offer registration forms only to students who are Republican or leaning Republican.

The document instructs members canvassing the campus to follow a prescribed conversation. Organization members are instructed to end the conversation right before they would offer a voter registration form if the student expresses a Democratic preference.

Johnson, who also is a DeKalb County Board member, made statements at a College Republicans meeting that implied that he and other members would register only Republican-leaning voters.

Johnson said that his statements were “in jest” and that the College Republicans are doing nothing out of the ordinary.

“Interest groups around the country do the same thing in registering like-minded voters,” Johnson said. “We’re not doing anything different. If we put a table up to register voters, we can’t deny them and we can’t say: ‘vote for Bush, vote for Bush,’ but we can ask ‘what do you think of this issue and that issue?’”

Eileen Dubin, DeKalb Democratic Central Committee Chair and deputy registrar, said these actions by Johnson and the College Republicans are “illegal.”

“You do not politick when you are doing voter registration,” Dubin said. “You can’t wear any buttons, your can’t state any political preferences – you are only there to get people to register to vote.”

Dubin, also a member of the DeKalb County Board, said when looking to register voters, you’re not supposed to ask anyone what political party they belong to

“It’s plain illegal to do that,” Dubin said.

Jason Hitzert, a Democrat and DeKalb 17th-precinct committee chair, said Johnson is walking a fine line. No one can be denied registration if they have a valid ID and a piece of mail, he said.

If someone was denied registration, they would have to send a written complaint to the state’s attorney, DeKalb County Clerk Sharon Holmes said.

Until a few weeks ago, Johnson was a deputy registrar, responsible for registering people to vote.

Deputy registrars cannot engage in any kind of political activity while registering voters, according to a deputy registrar pamphlet issued by the State Board of Elections.

Johnson said the county clerk’s office contacted him and asked if he was going to renew his registration.

“Two weeks ago, I met with [Holmes] and told her I was no longer interested in being a deputy registrar,” Johnson said.

Holmes recounted the conversation.

“[Johnson] contacted me [Sept. 9] and informed me that he no longer wanted to be deputized because of the story that was printed that put him in a negative light,” she said.

Johnson denied that he canceled his status as a deputy registrar because of a column published in the Sept. 9 issue of the Northern Star.

“It’s just easier for me to work with the motor-voter forms,” Johnson said.

The motor-voter form is a downloadable form that allows voters to register themselves, instead of going through a deputy registrar, said Daniel R. Kempton, chair of the political science department and adviser to the College Republicans.

Anyone can hand out motor-voter forms or inform the public about the Web site where they can be downloaded.

Dubin said the organization’s opportunity to get people to register to vote should be taken away if they aren’t willing to register all students.

“It’s totally inappropriate to ask anyone their political preference at that particular time,” Dubin said. “They could canvass the dorms and get a sense of who’s leaning which way and then they could go back and see if these people are registered.”

Dubin said she is not only concerned with Johnson’s actions now, but if no action is taken, what he may do in the future.

“I think it’s atrocious,” Dubin said. “The [NIU College Democrats] put a table up in the residence halls with the intent to register voters, not Democrats.”