SB1659 104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

LRB104 10411 SPS 20486 b

104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2025 and 2026
SB1659

Introduced 2/5/2025, by Sen. Julie A. Morrison

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:

10 ILCS 5/11-1

from Ch. 46, par. 11-1

Amends the Election Code. Provides that, in counties under township organization, an election authority may combine a township with another township to constitute one election precinct if the townships are contiguous and 2 or more specified conditions are satisfied. Provides that the election authority shall consider voter convenience and election integrity when determining whether to combine a township with another township to constitute one election precinct.

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 Section 11-1 as follows:

(10 ILCS 5/11-1) (from Ch. 46, par. 11-1)

Sec. 11-1. In counties not under township organization, the election precincts shall remain as now established until changed by the Board of County Commissioners, but said County Board may, from time to time, change the boundaries of election precincts and establish new ones. In counties under township organization, an election authority may combine a township with another township to constitute one election precinct if the townships are contiguous and 2 or more of the following conditions are satisfied:

(1) the election authority certifies to the State Board of Elections that the townships have been combined into one election precinct for the 2 preceding general elections;

(2) there are no more than 1,800 registered voters in the townships combined;

(3) there are no more than 500 registered voters in a precinct within either township; or

(4) the majority of the board of township trustees for both townships vote to combine the townships into one election precinct and inform the election authority of that decision.

The election authority shall consider voter convenience and election integrity when determining whether to combine a township with another township to constitute one election precinct. In counties under township organization, each town shall constitute at least one election precinct.

Insofar as is practicable, each precinct shall be situated within a single congressional, legislative and representative district and within a single municipal ward. In order to situate each precinct within a single district or ward, the County Board shall change the boundaries of election precincts after each decennial census as soon as is practicable following the completion of congressional and legislative redistricting.

At any consolidated primary or consolidated election at which municipal officers are to be elected, and at any emergency referendum at which a public question relating to a municipality is to be voted on, notwithstanding any other provision of this Code, the election authority shall establish a polling place within such municipality upon the request of the municipal council or board of trustees at least 60 days before the election and provided that the municipality provides a suitable polling place. To accomplish this purpose, the election authority may establish an election precinct constituting a single municipality of under 500 population for all elections, notwithstanding the minimum precinct size otherwise specified herein.

Notwithstanding the above, when there are not more than 50 registered voters in a precinct who are entitled to vote in a local government or school district election, the election authority having jurisdiction over the precinct is authorized to reassign such voters to one or more polling places in adjacent precincts, within or without the election authority's jurisdiction, for that election. For the purposes of such local government or school district election only, the votes of the reassigned voters shall be tallied and canvassed as votes from the precinct of the polling place to which such voters have been reassigned. The election authority having jurisdiction over the precinct shall approve all administrative and polling place procedures. Such procedures shall take into account voter convenience, and ensure that the integrity of the election process is maintained and that the secrecy of the ballot is not violated.

Except in the event of a fire, flood or total loss of heat in a place fixed or established by any election authority pursuant to this Section as a polling place for an election, no election authority shall change the location of a polling place so established for any precinct after notice of the place of holding the election for that precinct has been given as required under Article 12 unless the election authority notifies all registered voters in the precinct of the change in location by first class mail in sufficient time for such notice to be received by the registered voters in the precinct at least one day prior to the date of the election.

The provisions of this Section apply to all precincts, including those where voting machines or electronic voting systems are used.

If, as a result of the redistricting of legislative, representative, or congressional districts following a decennial census, there exists a census block with only one voter that is the only census block in a precinct that is in a legislative, representative, or congressional district, then the county board, at any meeting of the county board, may change the precinct boundaries so that the census block is within a precinct that has more than one voter in the legislative, representative, or congressional district.

(Source: P.A. 88-525.)