104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2025 and 2026
SB1324
 
Introduced 1/28/2025, by Sen. Ram Villivalam
 
SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
10 ILCS 5/11-4.1  from Ch. 46, par. 11-4.1
    Amends the Election Code. Provides that, upon receiving an election authority's request, if a school district demonstrates to the election authority that the use of a school as a polling place would interfere with scheduled programming or pose a threat to the safety of staff or students, the election authority and the school district shall work cooperatively to find an alternative location to serve as a polling place. Provides that, if the school district and the election authority are unable to identify a mutually agreeable alternative location, the school district and the election authority shall submit a report to the Board of County Commissioners that includes specified information. Provides that, after receiving the report, the Board of County Commissioners shall determine a location to be used as a polling place as soon as practicable to avoid further delay in determining a polling place.


LRB104 10022 SPS 20093 b

 
 
A BILL FOR
 
SB1324LRB104 10022 SPS 20093 b

1    AN ACT concerning elections.
 
2    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, 
3represented in the General Assembly:
 
4    Section 5. The Election Code is amended by changing 
5Section 11-4.1 as follows:
 
6    (10 ILCS 5/11-4.1)  (from Ch. 46, par. 11-4.1)
7    Sec. 11-4.1. (a) In appointing polling places under this 
8Article, the county board or board of election commissioners 
9shall, insofar as they are convenient and available, use 
10schools and other public buildings as polling places.
11    (b) Upon request of the county board or board of election 
12commissioners, the proper agency of government (including 
13school districts and units of local government) shall make a 
14public building under its control available for use as a 
15polling place on an election day and for a reasonably 
16necessary time before and after election day, without charge. 
17If the county board or board of election commissioners chooses 
18a school to be a polling place, then the school district must 
19make the school available for use as a polling place. Upon 
20receiving the election authority's request, if a school 
21district demonstrates to the election authority that the use 
22of the school as a polling place would interfere with 
23scheduled programming or pose a threat to the safety of staff 
 
 
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1or students, the election authority and the school district 
2shall work cooperatively to find an alternative location to 
3serve as a polling place. If the school district and the 
4election authority are unable to identify a mutually agreeable 
5alternative location, the school district and the election 
6authority shall submit a report to the Board of County 
7Commissioners that includes:
8        (1) previous voter turnout data at the proposed 
9    polling place, including:
10            (A) the percentage of early voters;
11            (B) the percentage of vote-by-mail voters; and
12            (C) the percentage of voters on election day;
13        (2) a list of previous polling places within a 
14    reasonable distance of the proposed polling place; and
15        (3) a list of early polling places within a reasonable 
16    distance of the proposed polling place.
17    After receiving the report, the Board of County 
18Commissioners shall determine a location to be used as a 
19polling place as soon as practicable to avoid further delay in 
20determining a polling place. 
21    However, for the day of the election, a school district is 
22encouraged to (i) close the school or (ii) hold a teachers 
23institute on that day with students not in attendance.
24    (c) A government agency which makes a public building 
25under its control available for use as a polling place shall 
26(i) ensure the portion of the building to be used as the 
 
 
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1polling place is accessible to voters with disabilities and 
2elderly voters and (ii) allow the election authority to 
3administer the election as authorized under this Code.
4    (d) If a qualified elector's precinct polling place is a 
5school and the elector will be unable to enter that polling 
6place without violating Section 11-9.3 of the Criminal Code of 
72012 because the elector is a child sex offender as defined in 
8Section 11-9.3 of the Criminal Code of 2012, that elector may 
9vote by a vote by mail ballot in accordance with Article 19 of 
10this Code or may vote early in accordance with Article 19A of 
11this Code.
12(Source: P.A. 98-773, eff. 7-18-14; 98-1171, eff. 6-1-15; 
1399-143, eff. 7-27-15.)