State of Illinois
92nd General Assembly
Legislation

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92_HB5576

 
                                               LRB9213726JMpr

 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
 5    Sections 19-2.1 and 24A-20 as follows:

 6        (10 ILCS 5/19-2.1) (from Ch. 46, par. 19-2.1)
 7        Sec.   19-2.1.   At  the  consolidated  primary,  general
 8    primary,  consolidated,  and  general   elections,   electors
 9    entitled  to  vote by absentee ballot under the provisions of
10    Section 19-1  may  vote  in  person  at  the  office  of  the
11    municipal   clerk,   if  the  elector  is  a  resident  of  a
12    municipality not having a board of election commissioners, or
13    at the office of the township clerk or, in counties not under
14    township organization, at the office  of  the  road  district
15    clerk  if  the  elector  is not a resident of a municipality;
16    provided, in each case that the municipal, township  or  road
17    district  clerk, as the case may be, is authorized to conduct
18    in-person absentee voting pursuant to this Section.  Absentee
19    voting in such municipal and township clerk's  offices  under
20    this Section shall be conducted from the 22nd day through the
21    day before the election.
22        Municipal  and  township clerks (or road district clerks)
23    who have  regularly  scheduled  working  hours  at  regularly
24    designated  offices other than a place of residence and whose
25    offices are open for business during the same  hours  as  the
26    office  of  the  election  authority  shall conduct in-person
27    absentee voting for said elections.  Municipal  and  township
28    clerks  (or  road  district  clerks)  who  have  no regularly
29    scheduled working hours but  who  have  regularly  designated
30    offices  other  than  a  place  of  residence  shall  conduct
31    in-person absentee voting for said elections during the hours
 
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 1    of  8:30  a.m.  to  4:30  p.m.  or  9:00  a.m.  to 5:00 p.m.,
 2    weekdays, and 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon on Saturdays,  but  not
 3    during  such hours as the office of the election authority is
 4    closed, unless the clerk files  a  written  waiver  with  the
 5    election authority not later than July 1 of each year stating
 6    that  he  or  she  is  unable  to conduct such voting and the
 7    reasons therefor. Such clerks who conduct in-person  absentee
 8    voting may extend their hours for that purpose to include any
 9    hours  in  which  the  election  authority's  office is open.
10    Municipal and township clerks (or road district  clerks)  who
11    have  no  regularly  scheduled  office hours and no regularly
12    designated offices other than a place of  residence  may  not
13    conduct  in-person  absentee  voting for said elections.  The
14    election  authority  may  devise  alternative   methods   for
15    in-person  absentee  voting  before  said elections for those
16    precincts  located  within  the   territorial   area   of   a
17    municipality or township (or road district) wherein the clerk
18    of  such  municipality  or  township  (or  road district) has
19    waived  or  is  not  entitled  to  conduct  such  voting.  In
20    addition, electors may vote  by  absentee  ballot  under  the
21    provisions  of  Section  19-1  at  the office of the election
22    authority having jurisdiction over their residence.
23        In conducting absentee voting  under  this  Section,  the
24    respective  clerks  shall  not  be  required  to  verify  the
25    signature  of  the  absentee  voter  by  comparison  with the
26    signature on the official registration record card.  However,
27    the  clerk  shall  reasonably  ascertain the identity of such
28    applicant,  shall  verify  that  each  such  applicant  is  a
29    registered voter, and shall verify the precinct in  which  he
30    or  she is registered and the proper ballots of the political
31    subdivisions in which the applicant resides and  is  entitled
32    to  vote,  prior  to  providing  any  absentee ballot to such
33    applicant.   The   clerk   shall   verify   the   applicant's
34    registration and from the most recent poll list  provided  by
 
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 1    the  county clerk, and if the applicant is not listed on that
 2    poll list then by telephoning the office of the county clerk.
 3        Absentee  voting  procedures  in  the   office   of   the
 4    municipal, township and road district clerks shall be subject
 5    to  all  of  the  applicable  provisions  of this Article 19.
 6    Pollwatchers may be appointed to observe  in-person  absentee
 7    voting procedures at the office of the municipal, township or
 8    road  district  clerks' offices where such absentee voting is
 9    conducted.  Such pollwatchers shall qualify and be  appointed
10    in  the  same  manner as provided in Sections 7-34 and 17-23,
11    except each candidate, political  party  or  organization  of
12    citizens  may  appoint only one pollwatcher for each location
13    where in-person absentee voting is  conducted.   Pollwatchers
14    shall   be   residents   of  the  county  and  possess  valid
15    pollwatcher credentials. All  requirements  in  this  Article
16    applicable   to  election  authorities  shall  apply  to  the
17    respective local clerks, except where inconsistent with  this
18    Section.
19        The  sealed  absentee  ballots  in their carrier envelope
20    shall be delivered  by  the  respective  clerks,  or  by  the
21    election  authority on behalf of a clerk if the clerk and the
22    election authority agree,  to the proper polling place before
23    the close of the polls on the day  of  the  general  primary,
24    consolidated primary, consolidated, or general election.
25        Not more than 23 days before the nonpartisan, general and
26    consolidated elections, the county clerk shall make available
27    to   those  municipal,  township  and  road  district  clerks
28    conducting in-person absentee voting within  such  county,  a
29    sufficient   number   of   applications,   absentee  ballots,
30    envelopes, and printed voting instruction slips  for  use  by
31    absentee voters in the offices of such clerks. The respective
32    clerks  shall  receipt for all ballots received, shall return
33    all unused or spoiled ballots to the county clerk on the  day
34    of  the  election  and shall strictly account for all ballots
 
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 1    received.
 2        The ballots delivered  to  the  respective  clerks  shall
 3    include   absentee   ballots   for   each   precinct  in  the
 4    municipality, township or road  district,  or  shall  include
 5    such   separate   ballots   for  each  political  subdivision
 6    conducting an election of officers or a  referendum  on  that
 7    election day as will permit any resident of the municipality,
 8    township  or  road district to vote absentee in the office of
 9    the proper clerk.
10        The clerks of  all  municipalities,  townships  and  road
11    districts may distribute applications for absentee ballot for
12    the  use  of voters who wish to mail such applications to the
13    appropriate  election  authority.    Such  applications   for
14    absentee  ballots  shall  be  made  on  forms provided by the
15    election  authority.   Duplication  of  such  forms  by   the
16    municipal, township or road district clerk is prohibited.
17        In-person  absentee  voting  may be conducted upon direct
18    recording electronic voting  systems  when  approved  by  the
19    State  Board  of  Elections, as prescribed in Section 24A-16,
20    and when the use of those systems  is  provided  for  by  the
21    election authority, as prescribed in Section 24A-20.
22    (Source: P.A. 91-210, eff. 1-1-00.)

23        (10 ILCS 5/24A-20)
24        Sec.  24A-20.   State  Board testing of electronic ballot
25    forms using direct recording electronic voting systems.   The
26    State Board of Elections may test direct recording electronic
27    voting systems. Testing by the State Board of Elections shall
28    include  the  operation of direct recording electronic voting
29    systems during a mock voting  procedure  and  during  a  mock
30    contested  election  in  which  ballots  are  objected  to or
31    recounted.  The State Board of Elections shall certify to the
32    General Assembly the results of any tests it  performs  under
33    this   Section.   When  the  State  Board  of  Elections  has
 
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 1    determined that a direct recording electronic  voting  system
 2    meets   the   requirements   of   Section   24A-16,  election
 3    authorities may experiment  with  such  equipment  during  an
 4    actual election by authorizing the use of such system for the
 5    casting  of in-person absentee votes as prescribed in Section
 6    19-2.1.  No such system  shall  be  used  without  the  joint
 7    approval  of  the  State  Board of Elections and the election
 8    authority.  Notwithstanding the results of the   State  Board
 9    of  Elections  test  and  its  certification  to  the General
10    Assembly, nothing in this Section shall authorize the use  of
11    a  direct  recording  electronic voting system unless further
12    authorized by the General Assembly.
13    (Source: P.A. 90-745, eff. 8-14-98.)

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

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