House Speaker Michael Madigan's (D-Chicago) proposed constitutional amendment targeting possible voter suppression efforts in Illinois passed through the state House Tuesday by a 109-5 vote.

The measure, HJRCA 52, now heads to the Senate, where it will need to garner 36 votes in order to be placed on the ballot. 

No Illinoisan can be barred from registering to vote or casting a ballot in an election "based on race, color, ethnicity, status as a member of a language minority, sex, sexual orientation, or income," according to the proposed amendment.

“The purpose of the amendment is to ensure that all citizens have an opportunity to register and vote and to prevent the passage of inappropriate voter-suppression laws and discriminatory voting procedures,” Madigan said, according to the State Journal-Register.

Voter suppression efforts do not appear to be a current problem in the state, Madigan explained. The proposed constitutional amendment is designed to prevent any future actions by the legislature that would make it harder for people to vote.

“We don’t know what the future holds,” the House Speaker added.

Madigan has another proposed amendment that looks to impose an additional tax on incomes over $1 million.

Since only so many amendments are allowed on the ballot at a given time, some see Madigan's measure to crackdown on possible voter suppression efforts as a way to prevent the public from voting on other pressing issues. 

“This is an amendment in search of a problem,” State Rep. David Reis (R-Willow Hill) told the newspaper. “All we are trying to do is clog up (the ballot).”