SB2487 102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY

LRB102 16010 SMS 21382 b

102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2021 and 2022
SB2487

Introduced 2/26/2021, by Sen. Ram Villivalam

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:

10 ILCS 5/1-3	from Ch. 46, par. 1-3
10 ILCS 5/19-4	from Ch. 46, par. 19-4
10 ILCS 5/20-4	from Ch. 46, par. 20-4

Amends the Election Code. Provides that an election authority shall provide a trackable return envelope to return a vote by mail ballot, including absentee ballots for voters in military or naval service. Requires each election authority to provide online access to the vote by mail ballot list and corresponding dates to when the ballot was requested, received, and returned to the election authority and to update the online vote by mail status list daily. Effective immediately.

FISCAL NOTE ACT MAY APPLY

A BILL FOR

AN ACT concerning elections.

Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly:

Section 5. The Election Code is amended by changing Sections 1-3, 19-4, and 20-4 as follows:

(10 ILCS 5/1-3) (from Ch. 46, par. 1-3)

Sec. 1-3. As used in this Act, unless the context otherwise requires:

1. "Election" includes the submission of all questions of public policy, propositions, and all measures submitted to popular vote, and includes primary elections when so indicated by the context.

2. "Regular election" means the general, general primary, consolidated and consolidated primary elections regularly scheduled in Article 2A. The even numbered year municipal primary established in Article 2A is a regular election only with respect to those municipalities in which a primary is required to be held on such date.

3. "Special election" means an election not regularly recurring at fixed intervals, irrespective of whether it is held at the same time and place and by the same election officers as a regular election.

4. "General election" means the biennial election at which members of the General Assembly are elected. "General primary election", "consolidated election" and "consolidated primary election" mean the respective elections or the election dates designated and established in Article 2A of this Code.

5. "Municipal election" means an election or primary, either regular or special, in cities, villages, and incorporated towns; and "municipality" means any such city, village or incorporated town.

6. "Political or governmental subdivision" means any unit of local government, or school district in which elections are or may be held. "Political or governmental subdivision" also includes, for election purposes, Regional Boards of School Trustees, and Township Boards of School Trustees.

7. The word "township" and the word "town" shall apply interchangeably to the type of governmental organization established in accordance with the provisions of the Township Code. The term "incorporated town" shall mean a municipality referred to as an incorporated town in the Illinois Municipal Code, as now or hereafter amended.

8. "Election authority" means a county clerk or a Board of Election Commissioners.

9. "Election Jurisdiction" means (a) an entire county, in the case of a county in which no city board of election commissioners is located or which is under the jurisdiction of a county board of election commissioners; (b) the territorial jurisdiction of a city board of election commissioners; and (c) the territory in a county outside of the jurisdiction of a city board of election commissioners. In each instance election jurisdiction shall be determined according to which election authority maintains the permanent registration records of qualified electors.

10. "Local election official" means the clerk or secretary of a unit of local government or school district, as the case may be, the treasurer of a township board of school trustees, and the regional superintendent of schools with respect to the various school officer elections and school referenda for which the regional superintendent is assigned election duties by The School Code, as now or hereafter amended.

11. "Judges of election", "primary judges" and similar terms, as applied to cases where there are 2 sets of judges, when used in connection with duties at an election during the hours the polls are open, refer to the team of judges of election on duty during such hours; and, when used with reference to duties after the closing of the polls, refer to the team of tally judges designated to count the vote after the closing of the polls and the holdover judges designated pursuant to Section 13-6.2 or 14-5.2. In such case, where, after the closing of the polls, any act is required to be performed by each of the judges of election, it shall be performed by each of the tally judges and by each of the holdover judges.

12. "Petition" of candidacy as used in Sections 7-10 and 7-10.1 shall consist of a statement of candidacy, candidate's statement containing oath, and sheets containing signatures of qualified primary electors bound together.

13. "Election district" and "precinct", when used with reference to a 30-day residence requirement, means the smallest constituent territory in which electors vote as a unit at the same polling place in any election governed by this Act.

14. "District" means any area which votes as a unit for the election of any officer, other than the State or a unit of local government or school district, and includes, but is not limited to, legislative, congressional and judicial districts, judicial circuits, county board districts, municipal and sanitary district wards, school board districts, and precincts.

15. "Question of public policy" or "public question" means any question, proposition or measure submitted to the voters at an election dealing with subject matter other than the nomination or election of candidates and shall include, but is not limited to, any bond or tax referendum, and questions relating to the Constitution.

16. "Ordinance providing the form of government of a municipality or county pursuant to Article VII of the Constitution" includes ordinances, resolutions and petitions adopted by referendum which provide for the form of government, the officers or the manner of selection or terms of office of officers of such municipality or county, pursuant to the provisions of Sections 4, 6 or 7 of Article VII of the Constitution.

17. "List" as used in Sections 4-11, 4-22, 5-14, 5-29, 6-60, and 6-66 shall include a computer tape or computer disc or other electronic data processing information containing voter information.

18. "Accessible" means accessible to persons with disabilities and elderly individuals for the purpose of voting or registration, as determined by rule of the State Board of Elections.

19. "Elderly" means 65 years of age or older.

20. "Person with a disability" means a person having a temporary or permanent physical disability.

21. "Leading political party" means one of the two political parties whose candidates for governor at the most recent three gubernatorial elections received either the highest or second highest average number of votes. The political party whose candidates for governor received the highest average number of votes shall be known as the first leading political party and the political party whose candidates for governor received the second highest average number of votes shall be known as the second leading political party.

22. "Business day" means any day in which the office of an election authority, local election official or the State Board of Elections is open to the public for a minimum of 7 hours.

23. "Homeless individual" means any person who has a nontraditional residence, including, but not limited to, a shelter, day shelter, park bench, street corner, or space under a bridge.

24. "Signature" means a name signed in ink or in digitized form. This definition does not apply to a nominating or candidate petition or a referendum petition.

25. "Intelligent mail barcode tracking system" means a printed trackable barcode attached to the return business reply envelope for mail-in ballots under Article 19 or Article 20 that allows an election authority to determine the date the envelope was mailed in absence of a postmark.

26. "Trackable" means using an intelligent mail barcode tracking system.

(Source: P.A. 99-143, eff. 7-27-15; 99-522, eff. 6-30-16.)

(10 ILCS 5/19-4) (from Ch. 46, par. 19-4)

Sec. 19-4. Mailing or delivery of ballots; time. Immediately upon the receipt of such application either by mail or electronic means, not more than 90 days nor less than 5 days prior to such election, or by personal delivery not more than 90 days nor less than one day prior to such election, at the office of such election authority, it shall be the duty of such election authority to examine the records to ascertain whether or not such applicant is lawfully entitled to vote as requested, including a verification of the applicant's signature by comparison with the signature on the official registration record card, and if found so to be entitled to vote, to post within one business day thereafter the name, street address, ward and precinct number or township and district number, as the case may be, of such applicant given on a list, the pages of which are to be numbered consecutively to be kept by such election authority for such purpose in a conspicuous, open and public place accessible to the public at the entrance of the office of such election authority, and in such a manner that such list may be viewed without necessity of requesting permission therefor. Within one day after posting the name and other information of an applicant for a vote by mail ballot, the election authority shall transmit by electronic means pursuant to a process established by the State Board of Elections that name and other posted information to the State Board of Elections, which shall maintain those names and other information in an electronic format on its website, arranged by county and accessible to State and local political committees. Within 2 business days after posting a name and other information on the list within its office, but no sooner than 40 days before an election, the election authority shall mail, postage prepaid and trackable, or deliver in person in such office an official ballot or ballots if more than one are to be voted at said election. Included with the ballot or ballots, the election authority shall also mail return envelopes, postage prepaid and trackable, or deliver in person in such office a return envelope or envelopes if more than one are needed at said election. Mail delivery of Temporarily Absent Student ballot applications pursuant to Section 19-12.3 shall be by nonforwardable mail. However, for the consolidated election, vote by mail ballots for certain precincts may be delivered to applicants not less than 25 days before the election if so much time is required to have prepared and printed the ballots containing the names of persons nominated for offices at the consolidated primary. The election authority shall enclose with each vote by mail ballot or application written instructions on how voting assistance shall be provided pursuant to Section 17-14 and a document, written and approved by the State Board of Elections, informing the vote by mail voter of the required postage for returning the application and ballot, and enumerating the circumstances under which a person is authorized to vote by vote by mail ballot pursuant to this Article; such document shall also include a statement informing the applicant that if he or she falsifies or is solicited by another to falsify his or her eligibility to cast a vote by mail ballot, such applicant or other is subject to penalties pursuant to Section 29-10 and Section 29-20 of the Election Code. Each election authority shall maintain a list of the name, street address, ward and precinct, or township and district number, as the case may be, of all applicants who have requested, received, or returned vote by mail ballots to such authority, and the name of such vote by mail voter shall be added to such list within one business day from receipt of such ballot. Each election authority shall provide online access to the vote by mail ballot list and corresponding dates to when the ballot was requested, received, and returned to the election authority. This online vote by mail status list shall be updated by the election authority daily. If the vote by mail ballot envelope indicates that the voter was assisted in casting the ballot, the name of the person so assisting shall be included on the list. The list, the pages of which are to be numbered consecutively, shall be kept by each election authority in a conspicuous, open, and public place accessible to the public at the entrance of the office of the election authority and in a manner that the list may be viewed without necessity of requesting permission for viewing in addition to being available on the election authority's website.

Each election authority shall maintain a list for each election of the voters to whom it has issued vote by mail ballots. The list shall be maintained for each precinct within the jurisdiction of the election authority. Prior to the opening of the polls on election day, the election authority shall deliver to the judges of election in each precinct the list of registered voters in that precinct to whom vote by mail ballots have been issued by mail.

Each election authority shall maintain a list for each election of voters to whom it has issued temporarily absent student ballots. The list shall be maintained for each election jurisdiction within which such voters temporarily abide. Immediately after the close of the period during which application may be made by mail or electronic means for vote by mail ballots, each election authority shall mail to each other election authority within the State a certified list of all such voters temporarily abiding within the jurisdiction of the other election authority.

In the event that the return address of an application for ballot by a physically incapacitated elector is that of a facility licensed or certified under the Nursing Home Care Act, the Specialized Mental Health Rehabilitation Act of 2013, the ID/DD Community Care Act, or the MC/DD Act, within the jurisdiction of the election authority, and the applicant is a registered voter in the precinct in which such facility is located, the ballots shall be prepared and transmitted to a responsible judge of election no later than 9 a.m. on the Friday, Saturday, Sunday, or Monday immediately preceding the election as designated by the election authority under Section 19-12.2. Such judge shall deliver in person on the designated day the ballot to the applicant on the premises of the facility from which application was made. The election authority shall by mail notify the applicant in such facility that the ballot will be delivered by a judge of election on the designated day.

All applications for vote by mail ballots shall be available at the office of the election authority for public inspection upon request from the time of receipt thereof by the election authority until 30 days after the election, except during the time such applications are kept in the office of the election authority pursuant to Section 19-7, and except during the time such applications are in the possession of the judges of election.

(Source: P.A. 98-104, eff. 7-22-13; 98-115, eff. 7-29-13; 98-756, eff. 7-16-14; 98-1171, eff. 6-1-15; 99-180, eff. 7-29-15; 99-522, eff. 6-30-16.)

(10 ILCS 5/20-4) (from Ch. 46, par. 20-4)

Sec. 20-4. Immediately upon the receipt of the official postcard or an application as provided in Section 20-3 within the times heretofore prescribed, the election authority shall ascertain whether or not such applicant is legally entitled to vote as requested, including verification of the applicant's signature by comparison with the signature on the official registration record card, if any. If the election authority ascertains that the applicant is lawfully entitled to vote, it shall enter the name, street address, ward and precinct number of such applicant on a list to be posted in his or its office in a place accessible to the public. Within one day after posting the name and other information of an applicant for a ballot, the election authority shall transmit that name and posted information to the State Board of Elections, which shall maintain the names and other information in an electronic format on its website, arranged by county and accessible to State and local political committees. Each election authority shall provide online access to the vote by mail ballot list and corresponding dates to when the ballot was requested, received, and returned to the election authority. This online vote by mail status list shall be updated by the election authority daily. As soon as the official ballot is prepared the election authority shall immediately deliver the same to the applicant in person, by mail, by facsimile transmission, or by electronic transmission as provided in this Article. Included with the ballot or ballots, the election authority shall also mail return envelopes, postage prepaid and trackable, or deliver in person in such office a return envelope or envelopes if more than one are needed at said election.

If any such election authority receives a second or additional application which it believes is from the same person, he or it shall submit it to the chief judge of the circuit court or any judge of that court designated by the chief judge. If the chief judge or his designate determines that the application submitted to him is a second or additional one, he shall so notify the election authority who shall disregard the second or additional application.

The election authority shall maintain a list for each election of the voters to whom it has issued vote by mail ballots. The list shall be maintained for each precinct within the jurisdiction of the election authority. Prior to the opening of the polls on election day, the election authority shall deliver to the judges of election in each precinct the list of registered voters in that precinct to whom vote by mail ballots have been issued.

Election authorities may transmit by facsimile or other electronic means a ballot simultaneously with transmitting an application for vote by mail ballot; however, no such ballot shall be counted unless an application has been completed by the voter and the election authority ascertains that the applicant is lawfully entitled to vote as provided in this Section.

(Source: P.A. 98-1171, eff. 6-1-15.)

Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon becoming law.