* AG Kwame Raoul…

Attorney General Kwame Raoul today released a 2024 Voter Misinformation Guide to help Illinois voters identify and report election misinformation generated by artificial intelligence (AI), which is increasingly being used to create fake but realistic content about the November election and its candidates.

Raoul explained the AI-generated content can include misleading videos, images or audio that can impersonate people or candidates, which cause confusion or even dissuade people from voting.

“The right to vote is one of the most fundamental rights we have as Americans, and voters deserve to have accurate information about the important choices they make on their ballots,” Raoul said. “As the general election draws nearer, I’m reminding Illinoisans to be vigilant about election misinformation and election-related financial fraud. Don’t let scammers steal your vote, your identity or your hard-earned dollars. Use reliable sources to educate yourself on your ballot choices and make your plan to vote.”

AI-generated election misinformation is deployed through social media platforms, robocalls, text messages and chatbots that can quickly spread false information. For instance, fake, AI-generated audio of political candidates has been used in attempts to deter voters around the country from going to the polls in previous elections. AI-generated pictures falsely depicting celebrities endorsing or condemning a particular political candidate or cause are also shared widely across social media.

* Daily Herald…

You can only register to vote in-person, by mail and online at official websites — not over the phone or by text, officials said. Voters can learn more at the Illinois State Board of Elections.

AI election misinformation spirals through robocalls, texts, social media and chatbots, Raoul said. Deceptions can range from donation scams to lies about candidates to false endorsement from celebrities.

This January, thousands of New Hampshire residents received robocalls urging them not to vote in the state’s primary. Instead they should save their votes for the Nov. 5 general election, advised a voice artificially manipulated to sound like President Joe Biden.

New Hampshire authorities filed charges in the case but it’s a cautionary tale.

* Early voting starts today in most of the state, Tribune…

Election Day is still 40 days away, but election season kicks off Thursday throughout much of Illinois.

That’s when in-person early voting begins in many parts of the state, including the collar counties of DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry and Will. Thursday also marks the first day for local election authorities in the state to mail ballots to registered voters.

Early voting, however, does not start yet in Chicago or suburban Cook County. Chicago voters have to wait until Oct. 3 to cast early ballots in person, and suburban Cook County residents will be able to vote early in person beginning Oct. 9. […]

Two years ago, nearly 40% of Illinois ballots were cast ahead of the November general election, according to the Illinois State Board of Elections.

That included about 879,000 early votes at polling locations and 737,000 mail ballots, according to election board data.

* WBEZ has some background on the income tax advisory question that’s on the ballot…

A 3% tax on individual income over $1 million would flood Illinois’ coffers with at least $4.5 billion in new revenues annually, a new state estimate shows weeks ahead of an advisory referendum on earmarking that money for property tax relief.

The estimate, obtained by WBEZ through a state open-records request, marks the first time Gov. JB Pritzker’s Revenue Department has weighed in on the effects of imposing that new proposed tax on the state’s wealthiest citizens to ease what is a leading financial issue daunting the middle class.

Voters are being asked this question now because lawmakers in May voted to bring it forward as part of a broader election package that Pritzker signed.

The exact wording of the ballot question reads: “Should the Illinois Constitution be amended to create an additional 3% tax on income greater than $1,000,000 for the purpose of dedicating funds raised to property tax relief?”

And while the results on the referendum won’t be binding, the outcome could arm policymakers in the General Assembly with new ammunition to seek a constitutional amendment in 2026 — the year Pritzker himself may be on the ballot — to impose the millionaires tax for property tax relief.