97TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2011 and 2012
SB0098

 

Introduced 1/27/2011, by Sen. Christine Radogno

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
10 ILCS 5/19-12.1  from Ch. 46, par. 19-12.1
10 ILCS 5/19-12.2  from Ch. 46, par. 19-12.2

    Amends the Election Code. Extends the "incapacitated voter" provisions to residents of State-operated and federally-operated veterans' homes, hospitals, and facilities located in Illinois in order to qualify for absentee ballots in multiple elections and to require that absentee voting be conducted at the homes, hospitals, and facilities.


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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,
3represented in the General Assembly:
 
4    Section 5. The Election Code is amended by changing
5Sections 19-12.1 and 19-12.2 as follows:
 
6    (10 ILCS 5/19-12.1)  (from Ch. 46, par. 19-12.1)
7    Sec. 19-12.1. Any qualified elector who has secured an
8Illinois Disabled Person Identification Card in accordance
9with The Illinois Identification Card Act, indicating that the
10person named thereon has a Class 1A or Class 2 disability or
11any qualified voter who has a permanent physical incapacity of
12such a nature as to make it improbable that he will be able to
13be present at the polls at any future election, or any voter
14who is a resident of (i) a State-operated or federally-operated
15veterans' home, hospital, or facility located in Illinois or
16(ii) a facility licensed or certified pursuant to the Nursing
17Home Care Act or the MR/DD Community Care Act and has a
18condition or disability of such a nature as to make it
19improbable that he will be able to be present at the polls at
20any future election, may secure a disabled voter's or nursing
21home resident's identification card, which will enable him to
22vote under this Article as a physically incapacitated or
23nursing home voter.

 

 

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1    Application for a disabled voter's or nursing home
2resident's identification card shall be made either: (a) in
3writing, with voter's sworn affidavit, to the county clerk or
4board of election commissioners, as the case may be, and shall
5be accompanied by the affidavit of the attending physician
6specifically describing the nature of the physical incapacity
7or the fact that the voter is a nursing home resident and is
8physically unable to be present at the polls on election days;
9or (b) by presenting, in writing or otherwise, to the county
10clerk or board of election commissioners, as the case may be,
11proof that the applicant has secured an Illinois Disabled
12Person Identification Card indicating that the person named
13thereon has a Class 1A or Class 2 disability. Upon the receipt
14of either the sworn-to application and the physician's
15affidavit or proof that the applicant has secured an Illinois
16Disabled Person Identification Card indicating that the person
17named thereon has a Class 1A or Class 2 disability, the county
18clerk or board of election commissioners shall issue a disabled
19voter's or nursing home resident's identification card. Such
20identification cards shall be issued for a period of 5 years,
21upon the expiration of which time the voter may secure a new
22card by making application in the same manner as is prescribed
23for the issuance of an original card, accompanied by a new
24affidavit of the attending physician. The date of expiration of
25such five-year period shall be made known to any interested
26person by the election authority upon the request of such

 

 

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1person. Applications for the renewal of the identification
2cards shall be mailed to the voters holding such cards not less
3than 3 months prior to the date of expiration of the cards.
4    Each disabled voter's or nursing home resident's
5identification card shall bear an identification number, which
6shall be clearly noted on the voter's original and duplicate
7registration record cards. In the event the holder becomes
8physically capable of resuming normal voting, he must surrender
9his disabled voter's or nursing home resident's identification
10card to the county clerk or board of election commissioners
11before the next election.
12    The holder of a disabled voter's or nursing home resident's
13identification card may make application by mail for an
14official ballot within the time prescribed by Section 19-2.
15Such application shall contain the same information as is
16included in the form of application for ballot by a physically
17incapacitated elector prescribed in Section 19-3 except that it
18shall also include the applicant's disabled voter's
19identification card number and except that it need not be sworn
20to. If an examination of the records discloses that the
21applicant is lawfully entitled to vote, he shall be mailed a
22ballot as provided in Section 19-4. The ballot envelope shall
23be the same as that prescribed in Section 19-5 for physically
24disabled voters, and the manner of voting and returning the
25ballot shall be the same as that provided in this Article for
26other absentee ballots, except that a statement to be

 

 

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1subscribed to by the voter but which need not be sworn to shall
2be placed on the ballot envelope in lieu of the affidavit
3prescribed by Section 19-5.
4    Any person who knowingly subscribes to a false statement in
5connection with voting under this Section shall be guilty of a
6Class A misdemeanor.
7    For the purposes of this Section, "nursing home resident"
8includes a resident of (i) a State-operated or
9federally-operated veterans' home, hospital, or facility
10located in Illinois or (ii) a facility licensed under the MR/DD
11Community Care Act.
12(Source: P.A. 96-339, eff. 7-1-10.)
 
13    (10 ILCS 5/19-12.2)  (from Ch. 46, par. 19-12.2)
14    Sec. 19-12.2. Voting by physically incapacitated electors
15who have made proper application to the election authority not
16later than 5 days before the regular primary and general
17election of 1980 and before each election thereafter shall be
18conducted on the premises of (i) veterans' homes, hospitals,
19and facilities located in Illinois, whether State-operated or
20federally-operated, or (ii) facilities licensed or certified
21pursuant to the Nursing Home Care Act or the MR/DD Community
22Care Act for the sole benefit of residents of such homes,
23hospitals, and facilities. Such voting shall be conducted
24during any continuous period sufficient to allow all applicants
25to cast their ballots between the hours of 9 a.m. and 7 p.m.

 

 

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1either on the Friday, Saturday, Sunday or Monday immediately
2preceding the regular election. This absentee voting on one of
3said days designated by the election authority shall be
4supervised by two election judges who must be selected by the
5election authority in the following order of priority: (1) from
6the panel of judges appointed for the precinct in which such
7home, hospital, or facility is located, or from a panel of
8judges appointed for any other precinct within the jurisdiction
9of the election authority in the same ward or township, as the
10case may be, in which the home, hospital, or facility is
11located or, only in the case where a judge or judges from the
12precinct, township or ward are unavailable to serve, (3) from a
13panel of judges appointed for any other precinct within the
14jurisdiction of the election authority. The two judges shall be
15from different political parties. Not less than 30 days before
16each regular election, the election authority shall have
17arranged with the chief administrative officer of each home,
18hospital, or facility in his or its election jurisdiction a
19mutually convenient time period on the Friday, Saturday, Sunday
20or Monday immediately preceding the election for such voting on
21the premises of the home, hospital, or facility and shall post
22in a prominent place in his or its office a notice of the
23agreed day and time period for conducting such voting at each
24home, hospital, or facility; provided that the election
25authority shall not later than noon on the Thursday before the
26election also post the names and addresses of those homes,

 

 

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1hospitals, and facilities from which no applications were
2received and in which no supervised absentee voting will be
3conducted. All provisions of this Code applicable to
4pollwatchers shall be applicable herein. To the maximum extent
5feasible, voting booths or screens shall be provided to insure
6the privacy of the voter. Voting procedures shall be as
7described in Article 17 of this Code, except that ballots shall
8be treated as absentee ballots and shall not be counted until
9the close of the polls on the following day. After the last
10voter has concluded voting, the judges shall seal the ballots
11in an envelope and affix their signatures across the flap of
12the envelope. Immediately thereafter, the judges shall bring
13the sealed envelope to the office of the election authority who
14shall deliver such ballots to the election authority's central
15ballot counting location prior to the closing of the polls on
16the day of election. The judges of election shall also report
17to the election authority the name of any applicant in the
18home, hospital, or facility who, due to unforeseen circumstance
19or condition or because of a religious holiday, was unable to
20vote. In this event, the election authority may appoint a
21qualified person from his or its staff to deliver the ballot to
22such applicant on the day of election. This staff person shall
23follow the same procedures prescribed for judges conducting
24absentee voting in such homes, hospitals, or facilities and
25shall return the ballot to the central ballot counting location
26before the polls close. However, if the home, hospital, or

 

 

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1facility from which the application was made is also used as a
2regular precinct polling place for that voter, voting
3procedures heretofore prescribed may be implemented by 2 of the
4election judges of opposite party affiliation assigned to that
5polling place during the hours of voting on the day of the
6election. Judges of election shall be compensated not less than
7$25.00 for conducting absentee voting in such homes, hospitals,
8or facilities.
9    Not less than 120 days before each regular election, the
10Department of Veterans' Affairs shall certify to the State
11Board of Elections a list of the State-operated and
12federally-operated veterans' homes, hospitals, and facilities
13located in Illinois and the Department of Public Health shall
14certify to the State Board of Elections a list of the
15facilities licensed or certified pursuant to the Nursing Home
16Care Act or the MR/DD Community Care Act. The lists , and shall
17indicate the approved bed capacity and the name of the chief
18administrative officer of each such home, hospital, or
19facility, and the State Board of Elections shall certify the
20same to the appropriate election authority within 20 days
21thereafter.
22(Source: P.A. 96-339, eff. 7-1-10.)