Illinois General Assembly - Illinois Compiled Statutes

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10 ILCS 5/24A-2

(10 ILCS 5/24A-2) (from Ch. 46, par. 24A-2)

Sec. 24A-2. As used in this Article:

"Computer", "Automatic tabulating
equipment" or "equipment" includes apparatus necessary to automatically
examine and count votes as designated on ballots, and data processing
machines which can be used for counting ballots and tabulating results.

"Ballot card" means a ballot which is voted by the process of
punching.

"Ballot configuration" means the particular combination of political
subdivision ballots including, for each political subdivision, the particular
combination of offices, candidate names and ballot position
numbers for each candidate and question as it appears for each group of
voters who may cast the same ballot.

"Ballot labels" means the cards, papers, booklet, pages or other
material containing the names of officers and candidates and statements
of measures to be voted on.

"Ballot sheet" means a paper ballot printed on one or both sides which
is (1) designed and prepared so that the voter may indicate his or her votes
in designated areas, which must be enclosed areas clearly printed or otherwise
delineated for such purpose, and (2) capable of having votes marked in the
designated areas automatically examined, counted, and tabulated by an
electronic scanning process.

"Ballot" may include ballot cards, ballot labels and paper ballots.

"Separate ballot", with respect to ballot sheets, means a separate portion
of the ballot sheet in which the color of the ink used in printing that
portion of the ballot sheet is distinct from the color of the ink used in
printing any other portion of the ballot sheet.

"Column" in an electronic voting system which utilizes a ballot card
means a space on a ballot card for punching the voter's vote arranged in
a row running lengthwise on the ballot card.

"Central Counting" means the counting of
ballots in one or more locations selected by the
election authority for the processing or counting, or both, of
ballots. A location for central counting shall be within the territorial
jurisdiction of such election authority unless there is no suitable
tabulating equipment available within his territorial jurisdiction.
However, in any event a counting location shall be within this State.

"In-precinct counting" means the counting of ballots on automatic tabulating
equipment provided by the election authority in the same precinct polling
place in which those ballots have been cast.

"Computer operator" means any person or persons designated by the election
authority to operate the automatic tabulating equipment during any portion
of the vote tallying process in an election, but shall not include judges
of election operating vote tabulating equipment in the precinct.

"Computer program" or "program" means the set of operating instructions
for the automatic tabulating equipment by which it examines, counts,
tabulates, canvasses and prints votes recorded by a voter on a ballot
card or other medium.

"Edit listing" means a computer generated listing of the names and ballot
position numbers for each candidate and proposition
as they appear in the program for each precinct.

"Voting System" or "Electronic Voting System" means that combination of
equipment and programs used in the casting, examination and tabulation of
ballots and the cumulation and reporting of results by electronic means.

"Header card" means a data processing card which is coded to indicate
to the computer the precinct identity of the ballot cards that will follow
immediately and may indicate to the computer how such ballot cards are to
be tabulated.

"Marking device" means either an apparatus in which ballots or ballot
cards are inserted and used in connection with a punch apparatus for the
piercing of ballots by the voter, or any approved device for marking a
paper ballot with ink or other substance which will enable the ballot to
be tabulated by means of automatic tabulating equipment or by an electronic
scanning process.

"Redundant count" means a verification of the original computer count by
another count using compatible equipment or by hand as part of a discovery recount.

"Security punch" means a punch placed on a ballot card to identify to the
computer program the offices and propositions for which votes may be cast
and to indicate the manner in which votes cast should be tabulated
while negating any inadmissible votes.

(Source: P.A. 95-331, eff. 8-21-07.)