(10 ILCS 5/28-3) (from Ch. 46, par. 28-3)
Sec. 28-3. Form of petition for public question. Petitions for the
submission of public questions shall
consist of sheets of uniform size and each sheet shall contain, above
the space for signature, an appropriate heading, giving the information
as to the question of public policy to be submitted, and specifying the
state at large or the political subdivision or district or precinct or
combination of precincts or other territory in which it is to be submitted and,
where by law the public question must be submitted at a particular election,
the election at which it is to be submitted. In the case of a petition for the
submission of a public question described in subsection (b) of Section 28-6,
the heading shall also specify the regular election at which the question is to
be submitted and include the precincts included in the territory concerning
which the public question is to be submitted, as well as a common description
of such territory in plain and nonlegal language, such description to describe
the territory by reference to streets, natural or artificial landmarks,
addresses or any other method which would enable a voter signing the petition
to be informed of the territory concerning which the question is to be
submitted. The heading of each sheet shall be the same. Such petition shall be
signed by the registered voters of the political subdivision or district or
precinct or combination of precincts in which the question of public policy is
to be submitted in their own proper persons only, and opposite the
signature of each signer his residence address shall be written or
printed, which residence address shall include the street address or
rural route number of the signer, as the case may be, as well as the
signer's county, and city, village or town, and state; provided that
the county or city, village or
town, and state of residence of such electors may be printed on the
petition forms where all of the electors signing the petition
reside in the same county or city, village or town, and state. Standard
abbreviations may be used in writing the residence address, including
street number, if any. No signature shall be valid or be counted in
considering the validity or sufficiency of such petition unless the
requirements of this Section are complied with.
At the bottom of each sheet of such petition shall be added a
circulator's statement, signed by a person 18 years of age or older who
is a citizen of the United States, stating the street address or rural route
number, as the case may be, as well as the county,
city,
village or town, and state; certifying that the signatures on that sheet of
the
petition were signed in his or her presence and are genuine, and that to
the best
of his or her knowledge and belief the persons so signing were at the time
of
signing the petition registered voters of the political subdivision or
district or precinct or combination of precincts in which the question of
public policy is to be submitted and that their respective residences are
correctly stated therein. Such statement shall be sworn to before some
officer authorized to administer oaths in this State.
Such sheets, before being filed with the proper officer or board
shall be bound securely and numbered consecutively. The sheets shall not be
fastened by pasting them together end to end, so as to form a continuous strip
or roll. All petition sheets which are filed with the proper local election
officials, election authorities or the State Board of Elections shall be the
original sheets which have been signed by the voters and by the circulator, and
not photocopies or duplicates of such sheets. A petition, when presented or
filed, shall not be withdrawn, altered, or added to, and no signature shall be
revoked except by revocation in writing presented or filed with the board or
officer with whom the petition is required to be presented or filed, and before
the presentment or filing of such petition, except as may otherwise be provided
in another statute which authorize the public question. Whoever forges any name
of a signer upon any petition shall be deemed guilty of a forgery, and on
conviction thereof, shall be punished accordingly.
In addition to the foregoing requirements, a petition proposing an amendment
to Article IV of the Constitution pursuant to Section 3 of Article XIV of
the Constitution or a petition proposing a question of public policy to
be submitted to the voters of the entire State shall be in conformity with
the requirements of Section 28-9 of this Article.
If multiple sets of petitions for submission of the same public
questions are filed, the State Board of Elections, appropriate election
authority or local election official where the petitions are filed shall
within 2 business days notify the proponent of his or her multiple petition
filings and that proponent has 3 business days after receipt of the notice
to notify the State Board of Elections, appropriate election authority or
local election official that he or she may cancel prior sets of petitions.
If the proponent notifies the State Board of Elections, appropriate
election authority or local election official, the last set of petitions
filed shall be the only petitions to be considered valid by the State Board
of Elections, appropriate election authority or local election official. If the
proponent fails to notify the State Board of Elections, appropriate
election authority or local election official then only the first set of
petitions filed shall be valid and all subsequent petitions shall be void.
(Source: P.A. 98-756, eff. 7-16-14.)
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