(10 ILCS 5/25-6) (from Ch. 46, par. 25-6)
Sec. 25-6. General Assembly vacancies. (a) When a vacancy occurs in the office of State Senator or
Representative in the General Assembly, the vacancy shall be filled within
30 days by appointment of the legislative or representative committee of
that legislative or representative district of the political
party of which the incumbent was a candidate at the time of his
election. Prior to holding a meeting to fill the vacancy, the committee shall make public (i) the names of the committeeperson on the appropriate legislative or representative committee, (ii) the date, time, and location of the meeting to fill the vacancy, and (iii) any information on how to apply or submit a name for consideration as the appointee. A meeting to fill a vacancy in office shall be held in the district or virtually, and any meeting shall be accessible to the public. The appointee shall be a member of the same political party as
the person he succeeds was at the time of his election, and shall be
otherwise eligible to serve as a member of the General Assembly.
(b) When a vacancy occurs in the office of a legislator elected
other than as a candidate of a political party, the vacancy shall be
filled within 30 days of such occurrence by appointment of the Governor.
The appointee shall not be a member of a political party, and shall be
otherwise eligible to serve as a member of the General Assembly.
Provided, however, the appropriate body of the General Assembly may, by
resolution, allow a legislator elected other than as a candidate of a
political party to affiliate with a political party for his term of
office in the General Assembly. A vacancy occurring in the office of any
such legislator who affiliates with a political party pursuant to
resolution shall be filled within 30 days of such occurrence by
appointment of the appropriate legislative or representative
committee of that legislative or representative district of the political
party with which the legislator so affiliates. The appointee shall be a
member of the political party with which the incumbent affiliated.
(c) For purposes of this Section, a person is a member of a
political party for 23 months after (i) signing a candidate petition, as
to the political party whose nomination is sought; (ii) signing a
statement of candidacy, as to the political party where nomination or
election is sought; (iii) signing a Petition of Political Party
Formation, as to the proposed political party; (iv) applying for and
receiving a primary ballot, as to the political party whose ballot is
received; or (v) becoming a candidate for election to or accepting
appointment to the office of ward, township, precinct or state central committeeperson.
(d) In making appointments under this Section, each committeeperson of
the appropriate legislative or representative committee
shall be entitled to one vote for each vote that was received, in that
portion of the legislative or representative district which he represents
on the committee, by the Senator or Representative whose seat is vacant at the
general election at which that legislator was elected to the seat which
has been vacated and a majority of the total number of votes received in
such election by the Senator or Representative whose seat is vacant is
required for the appointment of his successor; provided,
however, that in making appointments in legislative or representative
districts comprising only one county or part of a county
other than a county containing 2,000,000 or more inhabitants, each committeeperson
shall be entitled to cast only one vote.
(e) Appointments made under this Section shall be in writing
and shall be signed by members of the legislative or representative committee
whose total votes are sufficient to make the appointments or by the
Governor, as the case may be. Such appointments shall be filed with the
Secretary of State and with the Clerk of the House of Representatives or
the Secretary of the Senate, whichever is appropriate.
(f) An appointment made under this Section shall be for the
remainder of the term, except that, if the appointment is to fill a
vacancy in the office of State Senator and the vacancy occurs with more
than 28 months remaining in the term, the term of the
appointment shall expire at the time of
the next general election at which time a
Senator shall be elected for a new term commencing on the determination
of the results of the election and ending on the second Wednesday of
January in the second odd-numbered year next occurring. Whenever a
Senator has been appointed to fill a vacancy and
was thereafter elected to that office, the term of service under the
authority of the election shall
be considered a new term of service, separate from the term of service
rendered under the authority of the appointment.
(Source: P.A. 102-15, eff. 6-17-21.)
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