Illinois General Assembly - Illinois Compiled Statutes

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10 ILCS 5/18-9

(10 ILCS 5/18-9) (from Ch. 46, par. 18-9)

Sec. 18-9.

The judges of election shall first count the whole number
of ballots in the box. If the ballots shall be found to exceed the
number of applications for ballot, they shall reject the ballots, if
any, found folded inside of a ballot. And if the ballots and the
applications for ballot still do not agree after such rejection,  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.  Such excess ballots
shall be marked "Excess-Not Counted" and signed by a  majority of 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.  And the ballots  and
applications for ballot being made to agree in this way, the judges
shall proceed to count the votes in the following manner: The judges
shall open the ballots and place those which contain the same names
together, so that the several kinds shall be in separate piles or on
separate files. Each of the judges shall examine the separate files
which are, or are supposed to be, alike, and exclude from such files any
which may have a name or an erasure, or in any manner shall be different
from the others of such file. One of the judges shall then take one file
of the kind of ballots which contain the same names, and count them by
tens, carefully examining each name on each of the ballots. Such judge
shall then pass the ten ballots aforesaid to the judge sitting next to
him, who shall count them in the same manner, who shall then pass them
to a third judge, who shall also count them in the same manner. Then the
third judge shall call the names of the persons named in the ten
ballots, and the offices for which they are designated, and 2 of the
judges, who did not assist in the counting shall tally ten votes for
each of such persons, except as herein otherwise provided. When the
judges shall have gone through such file of ballots, containing the same
names, and shall count them by tens in the same way, and shall call the
names of the persons named in the ballots and the office for which they
are designated, the tally judges shall tally the votes by tens for each
of such persons in the same manner as in the first instance. When the
counting of each file of ballots which contain the same names shall be
completed, the tally judges shall compare their tallies together and
ascertain the total number of ballots of that kind so canvassed; and
when they agree upon the number, one of them shall announce it in a loud
voice to the other judges. The judges shall then canvass the other kinds
of ballots which do not correspond, those containing names partly from
one kind of ballots and partly from another, being those  from which the
name of the person proper to be voted for on such ballots has been
omitted or erased, usually called "scratched tickets". They shall be
canvassed separately by one of the judges sitting between 2 other
judges, which judge shall call each name to the tally judges and the
office for which it is designated, and the other judges looking at the
ballot at the same time, and the tally judges making tally of the same.
When all the ballots have been canvassed in this manner, the tally
judges shall compare their tallies together, and ascertain the total
number of votes received by each candidate and when they agree upon the
numbers one of them shall announce in a loud voice to the judges the
number of votes received by each candidate on each of the kinds of
ballots containing his name, the number received by him on
scratch tickets, and the total number of votes received by him.

The votes for the offices of Governor and Lieutenant Governor shall
be counted and tallied jointly.

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. 89-700, eff. 1-17-97.)