96TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2009 and 2010
SB1475

 

Introduced 2/18/2009, by Sen. M. Maggie Crotty

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
10 ILCS 5/7-9   from Ch. 46, par. 7-9

    Amends the Election Code. Specifies that an appointed precinct committeeman's powers include the authority to vote at a managing committee meeting held to fill a vacancy in nomination.


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A BILL FOR

 

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1     AN ACT concerning elections.
 
2     Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3 represented in the General Assembly:
 
4     Section 5. The Election Code is amended by changing Section
5 7-9 as follows:
 
6     (10 ILCS 5/7-9)  (from Ch. 46, par. 7-9)
7     Sec. 7-9. County central committee; county and State
8 conventions.
9     (a) On the 29th day next succeeding the primary at which
10 committeemen are elected, the county central committee of each
11 political party shall meet within the county and proceed to
12 organize by electing from its own number a chairman and either
13 from its own number, or otherwise, such other officers as such
14 committee may deem necessary or expedient. Such meeting of the
15 county central committee shall be known as the county
16 convention.
17     The chairman of each county committee shall within 10 days
18 after the organization, forward to the State Board of
19 Elections, the names and post office addresses of the officers,
20 precinct committeemen and representative committeemen elected
21 by his political party.
22     The county convention of each political party shall choose
23 delegates to the State convention of its party; but in any

 

 

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1 county having within its limits any city having a population of
2 200,000, or over the delegates from such city shall be chosen
3 by wards, the ward committeemen from the respective wards
4 choosing the number of delegates to which such ward is entitled
5 on the basis prescribed in paragraph (e) of this Section such
6 delegates to be members of the delegation to the State
7 convention from such county. In all counties containing a
8 population of 2,000,000 or more outside of cities having a
9 population of 200,000 or more, the delegates from each of the
10 townships or parts of townships as the case may be shall be
11 chosen by townships or parts of townships as the case may be,
12 the township committeemen from the respective townships or
13 parts of townships as the case may be choosing the number of
14 delegates to which such townships or parts of townships as the
15 case may be are entitled, on the basis prescribed in paragraph
16 (e) of this Section such delegates to be members of the
17 delegation to the State convention from such county.
18     Each member of the State Central Committee of a political
19 party which elects its members by Alternative B under paragraph
20 (a) of Section 7-8 shall be a delegate to the State Convention,
21 ex officio.
22     Each member of the State Central Committee of a political
23 party which elects its members by Alternative B under paragraph
24 (a) of Section 7-8 may appoint 2 delegates to the State
25 Convention who must be residents of the member's Congressional
26 District.

 

 

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1     (b) State conventions shall be held within 180 days after
2 the general primary in the year 2000 and every 4 years
3 thereafter. In the year 1998, and every 4 years thereafter, the
4 chairman of a State central committee may issue a call for a
5 State convention within 180 days after the general primary.
6     The State convention of each political party has power to
7 make nominations of candidates of its political party for the
8 electors of President and Vice President of the United States,
9 and to adopt any party platform, and, to the extent determined
10 by the State central committee as provided in Section 7-14, to
11 choose and select delegates and alternate delegates at large to
12 national nominating conventions. The State Central Committee
13 may adopt rules to provide for and govern the procedures of the
14 State convention.
15     (c) The chairman and secretary of each State convention
16 shall, within 2 days thereafter, transmit to the State Board of
17 Elections of this State a certificate setting forth the names
18 and addresses of all persons nominated by such State convention
19 for electors of President and Vice President of the United
20 States, and of any persons selected by the State convention for
21 delegates and alternate delegates at large to national
22 nominating conventions; and the names of such candidates so
23 chosen by such State convention for electors of President and
24 Vice President of the United States, shall be caused by the
25 State Board of Elections to be printed upon the official ballot
26 at the general election, in the manner required by law, and

 

 

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1 shall be certified to the various county clerks of the proper
2 counties in the manner as provided in Section 7-60 of this
3 Article 7 for the certifying of the names of persons nominated
4 by any party for State offices. If and as long as this Act
5 prescribes that the names of such electors be not printed on
6 the ballot, then the names of such electors shall be certified
7 in such manner as may be prescribed by the parts of this Act
8 applicable thereto.
9     (d) Each convention may perform all other functions
10 inherent to such political organization and not inconsistent
11 with this Article.
12     (e) At least 33 days before the date of a State convention,
13 the chairman of the State central committee of each political
14 party shall file in the principal office of the State Board of
15 Elections a call for the State convention. Such call shall
16 state, among other things, the time and place (designating the
17 building or hall) for holding the State convention. Such call
18 shall be signed by the chairman and attested by the secretary
19 of the committee. In such convention each county shall be
20 entitled to one delegate for each 500 ballots voted by the
21 primary electors of the party in such county at the primary to
22 be held next after the issuance of such call; and if in such
23 county, less than 500 ballots are so voted or if the number of
24 ballots so voted is not exactly a multiple of 500, there shall
25 be one delegate for such group which is less than 500, or for
26 such group representing the number of votes over the multiple

 

 

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1 of 500, which delegate shall have 1/500 of one vote for each
2 primary vote so represented by him. The call for such
3 convention shall set forth this paragraph (e) of Section 7-9 in
4 full and shall direct that the number of delegates to be chosen
5 be calculated in compliance herewith and that such number of
6 delegates be chosen.
7     (f) All precinct, township and ward committeemen when
8 elected as provided in this Section shall serve as though
9 elected at large irrespective of any changes that may be made
10 in precinct, township or ward boundaries and the voting
11 strength of each committeeman shall remain as provided in this
12 Section for the entire time for which he is elected.
13     (g) The officers elected at any convention provided for in
14 this Section shall serve until their successors are elected as
15 provided in this Act.
16     (h) A special meeting of any central committee may be
17 called by the chairman, or by not less than 25% of the members
18 of such committee, by giving 5 days notice to members of such
19 committee in writing designating the time and place at which
20 such special meeting is to be held and the business which it is
21 proposed to present at such special meeting.
22     (i) Except as otherwise provided in this Act, whenever a
23 vacancy exists in the office of precinct committeeman because
24 no one was elected to that office or because the precinct
25 committeeman ceases to reside in the precinct or for any other
26 reason, the chairman of the county central committee of the

 

 

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1 appropriate political party may fill the vacancy in such office
2 by appointment of a qualified resident of the county. The and
3 the appointed precinct committeeman shall serve as though
4 elected, including, but not limited to, having the authority to
5 vote at the meeting of a managing committee held for the
6 purpose of filling vacancies in nomination. No ; however, no
7 such appointment, however, may be made between the general
8 primary election and the 30th day after the general primary
9 election.
10     (j) If the number of Congressional Districts in the State
11 of Illinois is reduced as a result of reapportionment of
12 Congressional Districts following a federal decennial census,
13 the State Central Committeemen and Committeewomen of a
14 political party which elects its State Central Committee by
15 either Alternative A or by Alternative B under paragraph (a) of
16 Section 7-8 who were previously elected shall continue to serve
17 as if no reapportionment had occurred until the expiration of
18 their terms.
19 (Source: P.A. 93-847, eff. 7-30-04.)