Gov. Bruce Rauner vetoed a bill Friday that called for people to be automatically registered to vote when they had contact with some state agencies like the Secretary of State’s Office.

In a four-page veto message, the Republican governor raised concerns about the potential for voter fraud, whether the State Board of Elections would be able to meet deadlines to comply with the bill and whether some of its provisions conflicted with federal election law.

In his veto message, Rauner said he “strongly support(s) efforts to simplify the voter registration process and remove barriers to voting, while still protecting the integrity of our election system.” He said he’s willing to work with proponents of the bill to modify it so that it will guard against fraud and comply with federal law.

The bill’s initial sponsor, Sen. Andy Manar, D-Bunker Hill, could not be reached for comment Friday. His office issued a statement saying he was disappointed in the governor's veto.

“The governor talks a lot about the need to streamline bureaucracy and cut government waste,” Manar said. “Automatically registering voters would have allowed us to do exactly that. Although this veto is a setback, I will continue to work with advocates to ensure voting access is a top priority in Illinois.”

Manar’s statement did not say if he would try to override the veto. The bill passed both the House and Senate with more than enough votes for an override. It was supported by both Democrats and Republicans. Five other states have automatic voter registration.

Under Illinois' bill, people would be automatically registered to vote if they went to obtain a new driver's license or to renew one, or to obtain a state ID. Currently, people are asked if they want to register. There are an estimated 2.6 million Illinoisans who are eligible to vote but aren’t registered.

The bill also called for people to be automatically registered if they had business with the departments of Human Services, Healthcare and Family Services, Employment Security or Aging. The bill would not have gone into effect until 2018, the same year Rauner would be up for re-election if he decides to seek a second term.

“I strongly support efforts to encourage greater voter participation in our democracy and share the goals of this legislation,” Rauner said in his veto message. “Unfortunately, as currently drafted, the bill would inadvertently open the door to voter fraud and run afoul of federal election law.”

Rauner said federal law requires people to attest that they meet the qualifications to vote, but the automatic voter registration law did not require this. Instead, the Board of Elections would have to determine that, and Rauner said the board might not have access to the information it would need.

Common Cause Illinois, which supports the bill, said Rauner is “playing politics” with the legislation.

“Governor Rauner’s staff explained that the primary reason he did not sign the bill is because he wants to delay implementation until 2019, after the next gubernatorial election,” said Trevor Gervais, lead organizer of Common Cause Illinois. “Playing politics with something as important as voting rights is absolutely unacceptable.”

-- Contact Doug Finke: doug.finke@sj-r.com, 788-1527, twitter.com/dougfinkesjr.