101ST GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2019 and 2020
HB3384

 

Introduced , by Rep. Daniel Didech

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
10 ILCS 5/17-20  from Ch. 46, par. 17-20
10 ILCS 5/19-8  from Ch. 46, par. 19-8

    Amends the Election Code. Requires county clerks to immediately post vote totals received by each precinct, including vote by mail ballots determined to be valid, on the county clerk's website.


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A BILL FOR

 

HB3384LRB101 09911 SMS 55013 b

1    AN ACT concerning elections.
 
2    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3represented in the General Assembly:
 
4    Section 5. The Election Code is amended by changing
5Sections 17-20 and 19-8 as follows:
 
6    (10 ILCS 5/17-20)  (from Ch. 46, par. 17-20)
7    Sec. 17-20. When the canvass of the ballots has been
8completed, the tally judges shall announce to the judges the
9total number of votes received by each candidate; each judge of
10the election shall proclaim in a loud voice the total number of
11votes received by each of the persons voted for and the office
12for which he is designated, and the number of votes for and
13number of votes against any proposition which has been
14submitted to a vote of the people; such proclamation shall be
15prima facie evidence of the result of such canvass of the
16ballots.
17    Immediately after making such proclamation the judges
18shall designate one of their number to go to the nearest
19telephone and report to the office of the county clerk the
20results announced in such proclamation. The county clerk in
21such counties shall keep his office open after the close of the
22polls on the day of any election and thereafter until he has
23received from each precinct in such county the report above

 

 

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1provided for. Immediately upon receiving such report the county
2clerk shall cause the same to be posted in a public place in
3his office for inspection by the public and shall post the vote
4totals for each precinct on the county clerk's website.
5Immediately after making such report such judge shall return to
6the polling place.
7    After making such proclamation and before separating, the
8judges of all counties shall fold or roll all of the ballots
9which have been counted by them, except those ballots which
10have been in the ballot box but have not been counted and
11marked "defective" or "objected to", securely bind them,
12lengthwise and in width, with a soft cord having a minimum
13tensile strength of 60 pounds, and wrap the same with heavy
14wrapping paper on which the judges of election shall write
15their signature and seal the package with filament over the
16signatures and around the package lengthwise and crosswise, at
17least twice each way, so that the ballots cannot be removed
18from the package without breaking the seal and the filament
19tape and disturbing the signatures, and enclose the ballots so
20wrapped, together with the envelope containing the ballots
21marked "defective" or "objected to", in a secure canvass
22covering, which the judges of election shall sign and seal with
23filament tape as above specified. The precinct judges of
24election shall elect 2 judges (one from each of the major
25political parties), who shall immediately return the ballots,
26in such sealed canvass covering, to the election authority who

 

 

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1shall keep their respective offices, or any receiving stations
2designated by them, open for at least 12 consecutive hours
3after the polls close, or until the ballots from all precincts
4within the jurisdiction of any such election authority are
5returned to the office of such election authority, signed and
6sealed as above specified. Ballots returned to the office of an
7election authority which are not signed and sealed as above
8specified shall not be accepted until the judges returning the
9same sign and properly seal the same. Upon acceptance of the
10returned ballots by the election authority, the judges
11returning the same shall take a receipt signed by the election
12authority and stamped with the time and date of such return.
13The election judges whose duty it is to return any ballots as
14above provided shall, in the event such ballots cannot be found
15when needed, on proper request, produce the receipt which they
16are to take as above provided. Upon receiving the ballots so
17returned, the election authority shall carefully preserve the
18ballots for 2 months, subject to their examination in a
19discovery recount proceeding in accordance with law. However,
20where electronic voting systems are used, the apparatus or
21frame in which the ballot booklet is contained shall not be
22subject to the 2 month preservation requirement. At the
23expiration of that time such election authority shall remove
24the same from original package and shall destroy the same,
25together with all unused ballots returned from the polling
26places. If any contest of election is pending at such time in

 

 

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1which such ballots may be required as evidence, and such
2election authority has notice thereof the same shall not be
3destroyed until after such contest is finally determined.
4    Where voting machines or electronic voting systems are
5used, the provisions of this section may be modified as
6required or authorized by Article 24 or Article 24A, whichever
7is applicable.
8(Source: P.A. 83-1362.)
 
9    (10 ILCS 5/19-8)  (from Ch. 46, par. 19-8)
10    Sec. 19-8. Time and place of counting ballots.
11    (a) (Blank.)
12    (b) Each vote by mail voter's ballot returned to an
13election authority, by any means authorized by this Article,
14and received by that election authority before the closing of
15the polls on election day shall be endorsed by the receiving
16election authority with the day and hour of receipt and may be
17processed by the election authority beginning on the day it is
18received by the election authority in the central ballot
19counting location of the election authority, but the results of
20the processing may not be counted until the day of the election
21after 7:00 p.m., except as provided in subsections (g) and
22(g-5).
23    (c) Each vote by mail voter's ballot that is mailed to an
24election authority and postmarked no later than election day,
25but that is received by the election authority after the polls

 

 

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1close on election day and before the close of the period for
2counting provisional ballots cast at that election, shall be
3endorsed by the receiving authority with the day and hour of
4receipt and shall be counted at the central ballot counting
5location of the election authority during the period for
6counting provisional ballots.
7    Each vote by mail voter's ballot that is mailed to an
8election authority absent a postmark or a barcode usable with
9an intelligent mail barcode tracking system, but that is
10received by the election authority after the polls close on
11election day and before the close of the period for counting
12provisional ballots cast at that election, shall be endorsed by
13the receiving authority with the day and hour of receipt,
14opened to inspect the date inserted on the certification, and,
15if the certification date is election day or earlier and the
16ballot is otherwise found to be valid under the requirements of
17this Section, counted at the central ballot counting location
18of the election authority during the period for counting
19provisional ballots. Absent a date on the certification, the
20ballot shall not be counted.
21    If an election authority is using an intelligent mail
22barcode tracking system, a ballot that is mailed to an election
23authority absent a postmark may be counted if the intelligent
24mail barcode tracking system verifies the envelope was mailed
25no later than election day.
26    (d) Special write-in vote by mail voter's blank ballots

 

 

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1returned to an election authority, by any means authorized by
2this Article, and received by the election authority at any
3time before the closing of the polls on election day shall be
4endorsed by the receiving election authority with the day and
5hour of receipt and shall be counted at the central ballot
6counting location of the election authority during the same
7period provided for counting vote by mail voters' ballots under
8subsections (b), (g), and (g-5). Special write-in vote by mail
9voter's blank ballots that are mailed to an election authority
10and postmarked no later than election day, but that are
11received by the election authority after the polls close on
12election day and before the closing of the period for counting
13provisional ballots cast at that election, shall be endorsed by
14the receiving authority with the day and hour of receipt and
15shall be counted at the central ballot counting location of the
16election authority during the same periods provided for
17counting vote by mail voters' ballots under subsection (c).
18    (e) Except as otherwise provided in this Section, vote by
19mail voters' ballots and special write-in vote by mail voter's
20blank ballots received by the election authority after the
21closing of the polls on an election day shall be endorsed by
22the election authority receiving them with the day and hour of
23receipt and shall be safely kept unopened by the election
24authority for the period of time required for the preservation
25of ballots used at the election, and shall then, without being
26opened, be destroyed in like manner as the used ballots of that

 

 

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1election.
2    (f) Counting required under this Section to begin on
3election day after the closing of the polls shall commence no
4later than 8:00 p.m. and shall be conducted by a panel or
5panels of election judges appointed in the manner provided by
6law. The counting shall continue until all vote by mail voters'
7ballots and special write-in vote by mail voter's blank ballots
8required to be counted on election day have been counted.
9    (g) The procedures set forth in Articles 17 and 18 of this
10Code shall apply to all ballots counted under this Section. In
11addition, within 2 days after a vote by mail ballot is
12received, but in all cases before the close of the period for
13counting provisional ballots, the election judge or official
14shall compare the voter's signature on the certification
15envelope of that vote by mail ballot with the signature of the
16voter on file in the office of the election authority. If the
17election judge or official determines that the 2 signatures
18match, and that the vote by mail voter is otherwise qualified
19to cast a vote by mail ballot, the election authority shall
20cast and count the ballot on election day or the day the ballot
21is determined to be valid, whichever is later, adding the
22results to the precinct in which the voter is registered. If
23the election judge or official determines that the signatures
24do not match, or that the vote by mail voter is not qualified
25to cast a vote by mail ballot, then without opening the
26certification envelope, the judge or official shall mark across

 

 

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1the face of the certification envelope the word "Rejected" and
2shall not cast or count the ballot.
3    In addition to the voter's signatures not matching, a vote
4by mail ballot may be rejected by the election judge or
5official:
6        (1) if the ballot envelope is open or has been opened
7    and resealed;
8        (2) if the voter has already cast an early or grace
9    period ballot;
10        (3) if the voter voted in person on election day or the
11    voter is not a duly registered voter in the precinct; or
12        (4) on any other basis set forth in this Code.
13    If the election judge or official determines that any of
14these reasons apply, the judge or official shall mark across
15the face of the certification envelope the word "Rejected" and
16shall not cast or count the ballot.
17    (g-5) If a vote by mail ballot is rejected by the election
18judge or official for any reason, the election authority shall,
19within 2 days after the rejection but in all cases before the
20close of the period for counting provisional ballots, notify
21the vote by mail voter that his or her ballot was rejected. The
22notice shall inform the voter of the reason or reasons the
23ballot was rejected and shall state that the voter may appear
24before the election authority, on or before the 14th day after
25the election, to show cause as to why the ballot should not be
26rejected. The voter may present evidence to the election

 

 

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1authority supporting his or her contention that the ballot
2should be counted. The election authority shall appoint a panel
3of 3 election judges to review the contested ballot,
4application, and certification envelope, as well as any
5evidence submitted by the vote by mail voter. No more than 2
6election judges on the reviewing panel shall be of the same
7political party. The reviewing panel of election judges shall
8make a final determination as to the validity of the contested
9vote by mail ballot. The judges' determination shall not be
10reviewable either administratively or judicially.
11    A vote by mail ballot subject to this subsection that is
12determined to be valid shall be counted before the close of the
13period for counting provisional ballots.
14    (g-10) All vote by mail ballots determined to be valid
15shall be added to the vote totals for the precincts for which
16they were cast in the order in which the ballots were opened
17and added to the vote totals for each precinct on the county
18clerk's website as required under Section 17-20.
19    (h) Each political party, candidate, and qualified civic
20organization shall be entitled to have present one pollwatcher
21for each panel of election judges therein assigned.
22(Source: P.A. 98-1171, eff. 6-1-15; 99-522, eff. 6-30-16.)