A law that took effect at the start of this month means that same-day registration will be in place this summer when Illinois voters choose a replacement for former Congressman Aaron Schock.
County clerks like McLean's Kathy Michael had asked state legislators to delay the law's effective date until next year.
"Of course no one expected this bill to apply; no one knew about the special election. I'm not surprised, and I'm really disappointed that our legislators didn't take the time to amend this."
Michael says the special election will cost her county an extra $300,000 partly because of the law mandating voters be able to register on July 7th, the primary election date.
One leading Democratic legislator says clerks' request for a delay was deliberately turned down -- as lawmakers believe clerks had enough time and money to comply.