HB0002 104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

LRB104 03384 SPS 13406 b

104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2025 and 2026
HB0002

Introduced 1/9/2025, by Rep. La Shawn K. Ford

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:

10 ILCS 5/24-1.1	from Ch. 46, par. 24-1.1
10 ILCS 5/24A-3	from Ch. 46, par. 24A-3
10 ILCS 5/24B-3
10 ILCS 5/3-5 rep.
730 ILCS 5/5-5-5	from Ch. 38, par. 1005-5-5

Amends the Election Code. Repeals provisions that prohibit a person that is serving a sentence of confinement in any penal institution from voting until his or her release from confinement. Further amends the Election Code and amends the Unified Code of Corrections making conforming changes. Effective January 1, 2026.

A BILL FOR

AN ACT concerning elections.

Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly:

Section 5. The Election Code is amended by changing Sections 24-1.1, 24A-3, and 24B-3 as follows:

(10 ILCS 5/24-1.1) (from Ch. 46, par. 24-1.1)

Sec. 24-1.1. The county board of each county having a population of 35,000 or more, with respect to all elections for which the county board or the county clerk is charged with the duty of providing materials and supplies, and each board of election commissioners in a municipality having a population of 35,000 or more with respect to elections under its jurisdiction, must provide either voting machines in accordance with this Article or electronic voting systems in accordance with Article 24A for each precinct for all such elections except as provided in Section 24-1.2 except in elections held pursuant to the provisions of Section 12 of Article VI of the Constitution relating to retention of judges in office, in which event, the special ballot containing the propositions on the retention of judges may be placed on the voting machines or devices. For purposes of this Section 24-1.1, the term "population" does not include persons prohibited from voting by Section 3-5 of this Act.

Before voting machines or electronic voting systems are introduced, adopted or used in any precinct or territory at least 2 months public notice must be given before the date of the first election wherein such machines are to be used. The election authority shall publish the notice at least once in one or more newspapers published within its jurisdiction in which the election is held. If there is no such newspaper, the notice shall be published in a newspaper published in the county and having a general circulation within such political subdivision of this State. The notice shall be substantially as follows:

Notice is hereby given that on (give date), at (give place where election is held) in the county of .... an election will be held for (give name of office to be filled) at which voting machines will be used.

Dated at .... on (insert date).

The notice referred to herein shall be given only at the first election at which such voting machines or electronic voting systems are used.

(Source: P.A. 91-357, eff. 7-29-99.)

(10 ILCS 5/24A-3) (from Ch. 46, par. 24A-3)

Sec. 24A-3. Except as otherwise provided in this Section, any county board, board of county commissioners and any board of election commissioners, with respect to territory within its jurisdiction, may adopt, experiment with, or abandon a voting system approved for use by the State Board of Elections and may use such voting system in all or some of the precincts within its jurisdiction, or in combination with paper ballots or voting machines. Any such county board, board of county commissioners or board of election commissioners may contract for the tabulation of votes at a location outside its territorial jurisdiction when there is no suitable tabulating equipment available within its territorial jurisdiction. In no case may a county board, board of county commissioners or board of election commissioners contract or arrange for the purchase, lease or loan of an electronic voting system or voting system component without the approval of the State Board of Elections as provided by Section 24A-16. However, the county board and board of county commissioners of each county having a population of 40,000 or more, with respect to all elections for which the county board or the county clerk is charged with the duty of providing materials and supplies, and each board of election commissioners in a municipality having a population of 40,000 or more, with respect to elections under its jurisdiction, must provide either voting systems approved for use by the State Board of Elections under this Article or voting machines under Article 24 for each precinct for all such elections except as provided in Section 24-1.2. For purposes of this Section 24A-3, the term "population" does not include persons prohibited from voting by Section 3-5 of this Act.

Before any such system is introduced, adopted or used in any precinct or territory at least 2 months public notice must be given before the date of the first election wherein such voting system is to be used. The election authority shall publish the notice at least once in one or more newspapers published within the county, or other jurisdiction, as the case may be, in which the election is held. If there is no such newspaper, the notice shall be published in a newspaper published in the county and having a general circulation within such jurisdiction. The notice shall be substantially as follows:

Notice is hereby given that on (give date), at (give place where election is held) in the county of ...., an election will be held for (give name of offices to be filled) at which an electronic voting system will be used.

Dated at .... on (insert date).

The notice referred to herein shall be given only at the first election at which such voting machines or voting systems are used.

(Source: P.A. 91-357, eff. 7-29-99.)

(10 ILCS 5/24B-3)

Sec. 24B-3. Adoption, experimentation or abandonment of Precinct Tabulation Optical Scan Technology system; Boundaries of precincts; Notice. Except as otherwise provided in this Section, any county board, board of county commissioners and any board of election commissioners, with respect to territory within its jurisdiction, may adopt, experiment with, or abandon a Precinct Tabulation Optical Scan Technology voting system approved for use by the State Board of Elections and may use the Precinct Tabulation Optical Scan Technology voting system in all or some of the precincts within its jurisdiction, or in combination with paper ballots or voting machines. Any county board, board of county commissioners or board of election commissioners may contract for the tabulation of votes at a location outside its territorial jurisdiction when there is no suitable tabulating equipment available within its territorial jurisdiction. In no case may a county board, board of county commissioners or board of election commissioners contract or arrange for the purchase, lease or loan of an electronic Precinct Tabulation Optical Scan Technology voting system or Precinct Tabulation Optical Scan Technology voting system component without the approval of the State Board of Elections as provided by Section 24B-16. However, the county board and board of county commissioners of each county having a population of 40,000 or more, with respect to all elections for which the county board or the county clerk is charged with the duty of providing materials and supplies, and each board of election commissioners in a municipality having a population of 40,000 or more, with respect to elections under its jurisdiction, must provide either Precinct Tabulation Optical Scan Technology voting systems approved for use by the State Board of Elections under this Article or voting systems under Article 24A or Article 24 for each precinct for all such elections except as provided in Section 24-1.2. For purposes of this Section 24B-3, the term "population" does not include persons prohibited from voting by Section 3-5 of this Code.

Before any such Precinct Tabulation Optical Scan Technology system is introduced, adopted or used in any precinct or territory at least 2 months public notice must be given before the date of the first election where the Precinct Tabulation Optical Scan Technology voting system is to be used. The election authority shall publish the notice at least once in one or more newspapers published within the county, or other jurisdiction, where the election is held. If there is no such newspaper, the notice shall be published in a newspaper published in the county and having a general circulation within such jurisdiction. The notice shall be substantially as follows:

Notice is hereby given that on (give date), at (give place where election is held) in the county of ...., an election will be held for (give name of offices to be filled) at which a Precinct Tabulation Optical Scan Technology electronic voting system will be used.

Dated at.... on (insert date).

This notice referred to shall be given only at the first election at which the Precinct Tabulation Optical Scan Technology voting machines or Precinct Tabulation Optical Scan Technology voting systems are used.

(Source: P.A. 91-357, eff. 7-29-99.)

(10 ILCS 5/3-5 rep.)

Section 10. The Election Code is amended by repealing Section 3-5.

Section 15. The Unified Code of Corrections is amended by changing Section 5-5-5 as follows:

(730 ILCS 5/5-5-5) (from Ch. 38, par. 1005-5-5)

Sec. 5-5-5. Loss and restoration of rights.

(a) Conviction and disposition shall not entail the loss by the defendant of any civil rights, except under this Section and Sections 29-6 and 29-10 of The Election Code, as now or hereafter amended.

(b) A person convicted of a felony shall be ineligible to hold an office created by the Constitution of this State until the completion of his sentence.

(b-5) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, a person convicted of a felony, bribery, perjury, or other infamous crime for an offense committed on or after the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 103rd General Assembly and committed while he or she was serving as a public official in this State is ineligible to hold any local public office or any office created by the Constitution of this State unless the person's conviction is reversed, the person is again restored to such rights by the terms of a pardon for the offense, the person has received a restoration of rights by the Governor, or the person's rights are otherwise restored by law.

(c) (Blank). A person sentenced to imprisonment shall lose his right to vote until released from imprisonment.

(d) On completion of sentence of imprisonment or upon discharge from probation, conditional discharge or periodic imprisonment, or at any time thereafter, all license rights and privileges granted under the authority of this State which have been revoked or suspended because of conviction of an offense shall be restored unless the authority having jurisdiction of such license rights finds after investigation and hearing that restoration is not in the public interest. This paragraph (d) shall not apply to the suspension or revocation of a license to operate a motor vehicle under the Illinois Vehicle Code.

(e) Upon a person's discharge from incarceration or parole, or upon a person's discharge from probation or at any time thereafter, the committing court may enter an order certifying that the sentence has been satisfactorily completed when the court believes it would assist in the rehabilitation of the person and be consistent with the public welfare. Such order may be entered upon the motion of the defendant or the State or upon the court's own motion.

(f) Upon entry of the order, the court shall issue to the person in whose favor the order has been entered a certificate stating that his behavior after conviction has warranted the issuance of the order.

(g) This Section shall not affect the right of a defendant to collaterally attack his conviction or to rely on it in bar of subsequent proceedings for the same offense.

(h) No application for any license specified in subsection (i) of this Section granted under the authority of this State shall be denied by reason of an eligible offender who has obtained a certificate of relief from disabilities, as defined in Article 5.5 of this Chapter, having been previously convicted of one or more criminal offenses, or by reason of a finding of lack of "good moral character" when the finding is based upon the fact that the applicant has previously been convicted of one or more criminal offenses, unless:

(1) there is a direct relationship between one or more of the previous criminal offenses and the specific license sought; or

(2) the issuance of the license would involve an unreasonable risk to property or to the safety or welfare of specific individuals or the general public.

In making such a determination, the licensing agency shall consider the following factors:

(1) the public policy of this State, as expressed in Article 5.5 of this Chapter, to encourage the licensure and employment of persons previously convicted of one or more criminal offenses;

(2) the specific duties and responsibilities necessarily related to the license being sought;

(3) the bearing, if any, the criminal offenses or offenses for which the person was previously convicted will have on his or her fitness or ability to perform one or more such duties and responsibilities;

(4) the time which has elapsed since the occurrence of the criminal offense or offenses;

(5) the age of the person at the time of occurrence of the criminal offense or offenses;

(6) the seriousness of the offense or offenses;

(7) any information produced by the person or produced on his or her behalf in regard to his or her rehabilitation and good conduct, including a certificate of relief from disabilities issued to the applicant, which certificate shall create a presumption of rehabilitation in regard to the offense or offenses specified in the certificate; and

(8) the legitimate interest of the licensing agency in protecting property, and the safety and welfare of specific individuals or the general public.

(i) A certificate of relief from disabilities shall be issued only for a license or certification issued under the following Acts:

(1) the Animal Welfare Act; except that a certificate of relief from disabilities may not be granted to provide for the issuance or restoration of a license under the Animal Welfare Act for any person convicted of violating Section 3, 3.01, 3.02, 3.03, 3.03-1, or 4.01 of the Humane Care for Animals Act or Section 26-5 or 48-1 of the Criminal Code of 1961 or the Criminal Code of 2012;

(2) the Illinois Athletic Trainers Practice Act;

(3) the Barber, Cosmetology, Esthetics, Hair Braiding, and Nail Technology Act of 1985;

(4) the Boiler and Pressure Vessel Repairer Regulation Act;

(5) the Boxing and Full-contact Martial Arts Act;

(6) the Illinois Certified Shorthand Reporters Act of 1984;

(7) the Illinois Farm Labor Contractor Certification Act;

(8) the Registered Interior Designers Act;

(9) the Illinois Professional Land Surveyor Act of 1989;

(10) the Landscape Architecture Registration Act;

(11) the Marriage and Family Therapy Licensing Act;

(12) the Private Employment Agency Act;

(13) the Professional Counselor and Clinical Professional Counselor Licensing and Practice Act;

(14) the Real Estate License Act of 2000;

(15) the Illinois Roofing Industry Licensing Act;

(16) the Professional Engineering Practice Act of 1989;

(17) the Water Well and Pump Installation Contractor's License Act;

(18) the Electrologist Licensing Act;

(19) the Auction License Act;

(20) the Illinois Architecture Practice Act of 1989;

(21) the Dietitian Nutritionist Practice Act;

(22) the Environmental Health Practitioner Licensing Act;

(23) the Funeral Directors and Embalmers Licensing Code;

(24) (blank);

(25) the Professional Geologist Licensing Act;

(26) the Illinois Public Accounting Act; and

(27) the Structural Engineering Practice Act of 1989.

(Source: P.A. 102-284, eff. 8-6-21; 103-562, eff. 11-17-23.)

Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect January 1, 2026.