Illinois General Assembly - Illinois Compiled Statutes

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10 ILCS 5/17-18

(10 ILCS 5/17-18) (from Ch. 46, par. 17-18)

Sec. 17-18.

Immediately upon closing the polls the judges shall
proceed to canvass the votes polled. They shall first count the whole
number of ballots in the box. If 2 or more ballots are folded together
so as to appear to have been cast by the same person, all of the ballots
so folded together shall be marked and returned with the other ballots
in the same conditions, as near as may be, in which they were found when
first opened, but shall not be counted. If the remaining ballots shall
be found to exceed the number of applications  for
ballot, the ballots shall be replaced in the box, and the box closed and
well shaken and again opened and one of the judges shall publicly draw
out so many ballots unopened as shall be equal to such excess; and the
number of the ballots agreeing with the poll lists, or being made to
agree.  Such excess ballots shall be marked "Excess-Not Counted" and
signed by a majority of the judges and shall be placed in the  "After
6:00 p.m. Defective Ballots Envelope".  The number of excess ballots
shall be noted in the remarks section of the Certificate of Results.
"Excess" ballots shall not be counted in the total of "defective"
ballots.

The judges shall then proceed to  count and record the votes; and
when the judges of election shall open and read the ballots, 3 judges,
with at least one from each political party from which the precinct
judges were chosen, shall carefully and correctly mark down upon the
three tally sheets the vote each candidate has received, in a separate
box prepared for that purpose, with the name of such candidate at the
head of such box, and the office designated by the votes such candidate
shall fill. Whenever a proposition is submitted to the electors at the
same election, the ballots for or against such proposition shall always
be canvassed, counted or tallied.  The votes shall be canvassed in the
room or place where the election is held, and the judges shall not allow
the ballot box, or any of the ballots, or  the applications for ballot,
or any of the tally sheets to be removed or carried away from such room
or place, until the canvass of the vote is completed, and the returns
carefully enveloped and sealed up as provided by law.

Where voting machines or electronic voting systems are used, the
provisions of this section may be modified as required or authorized by
Article 24 or Article 24A, whichever is applicable.

(Source: P.A. 83-333.)