SB3511 104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

LRB104 19395 SPS 32843 b

104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2025 and 2026
SB3511

Introduced 2/5/2026, by Sen. Julie A. Morrison

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:

10 ILCS 5/2A-1.1d new
10 ILCS 5/19-3	from Ch. 46, par. 19-3
10 ILCS 5/19-25 new
10 ILCS 5/19A-15
30 ILCS 500/15-45
105 ILCS 5/24-2
110 ILCS 70/45a	from Ch. 24 1/2, par. 38l.1

Amends the Election Code. Provides that the date of the general election on the first Tuesday after the first Monday of November in even-numbered years shall be a State holiday known as General Election Day and shall be observed throughout the State. Requires the State Board of Elections, in conjunction with election authorities, to implement a secure, free access system available to voters by January 1, 2026. Provides that the system shall allow a voter to track receipt of the voter's vote by mail ballot and check the ballot's status with the election authority. Provides that an election authority shall allow any voter who is in line to vote at the time an early voting polling place closes to cast a ballot. Makes other changes. Amends the Illinois Procurement Code, School Code, and State Universities Civil Service Act making conforming changes. Effective immediately.

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 19-3 and 19A-15 and by adding Sections 2A-1.1d and 19-25 as follows:

(10 ILCS 5/2A-1.1d new)

Sec. 2A-1.1d. General Election Day State holiday. Notwithstanding any other provision of State law to the contrary, the date of the general election on the first Tuesday after the first Monday of November in even-numbered years shall be a State holiday known as General Election Day and shall be observed throughout the State. General Election Day is a legal school holiday for purposes of the School Code and State Universities Civil Service Act. Any school closed for General Election Day shall be made available to an election authority as a polling place for General Election Day.

(10 ILCS 5/19-3) (from Ch. 46, par. 19-3)

Sec. 19-3. Application for a vote by mail ballot.

(a) The application for a vote by mail ballot for a single election shall be substantially in the following form:

APPLICATION FOR VOTE BY MAIL BALLOT

To be voted at the .... election in the County of .... and State of Illinois.

I state that I am a resident of .... in the municipality of .... in the county of ....; that I have resided at such address for at least 30 days; that I am lawfully entitled to vote at the .... election to be held on ....; and that I wish to vote by mail.

I hereby make application for an official ballot or ballots to be voted by me at such election, and I agree that I shall return such ballot or ballots to the official issuing the same prior to the closing of the polls on the date of the election or, if returned by mail, postmarked no later than election day, for counting no later than during the period for counting provisional ballots, the last day of which is the 14th day following election day.

I understand that this application is made for an official vote by mail ballot or ballots to be voted by me at the election specified in this application and that I must submit a separate application for an official vote by mail ballot or ballots to be voted by me at any subsequent election.

Under penalties as provided by law pursuant to Section 29-10 of the Election Code, the undersigned certifies that the statements set forth in this application are true and correct.

....

*fill in either (1), (2) or (3).

Post office address to which ballot is mailed: ...............

(a-5) The application for a single vote by mail ballot transmitted electronically pursuant to Section 19-2.6 shall be substantively similar to the application for a vote by mail ballot for a single election and shall include:

I swear or affirm that I am a voter with a print disability, and, as a result of this disability, I am making a request to receive a vote by mail ballot electronically so that I may privately and independently mark, verify, and print my vote by mail ballot.

(b) The application for permanent vote by mail status shall be substantially in the following form:

APPLICATION FOR PERMANENT VOTE BY MAIL STATUS

I am currently a registered voter and wish to apply for permanent vote by mail status.

I state that I am a resident of .... in the municipality of .... in the county of ....; that I have resided at such address for at least 30 days; that I am lawfully entitled to vote at the .... election to be held on ....; and that I wish to vote by mail in:

..... all subsequent elections that do not require a party designation.

..... all subsequent elections, and I wish to receive a ................... Party vote by mail ballot in elections that require a party designation.

I hereby make application for an official ballot or ballots to be voted by me at such election, and I agree that I shall return such ballot or ballots to the official issuing the same prior to the closing of the polls on the date of the election or, if returned by mail, postmarked no later than election day, for counting no later than during the period for counting provisional ballots, the last day of which is the 14th day following election day.

Under penalties as provided by law under Section 29-10 of the Election Code, the undersigned certifies that the statements set forth in this application are true and correct.

....

Post office address to which ballot is mailed: ...............

(b-5) The application for permanent vote by mail ballots transmitted electronically pursuant to Section 19-2.6 shall be substantively similar to the application for permanent vote by mail status and shall include:

I swear or affirm that I am a voter with a non-temporary print disability, and as a result of this disability, I am making a request to receive vote by mail ballots electronically so that I may privately and independently mark, verify, and print my vote by mail ballots.

(c) However, if application is made for a primary election ballot, such application shall require the applicant to designate the name of the political party with which the applicant is affiliated. The election authority shall allow any voter on permanent vote by mail status to change his or her party affiliation for a primary election ballot by a method and deadline published and selected by the election authority.

(d) If application is made electronically, the applicant shall mark the box associated with the above described statement included as part of the online application certifying that the statements set forth in the application under subsection (a) or (b) are true and correct, and a signature is not required.

(e) Any person may produce, reproduce, distribute, or return to an election authority an application under this Section. If applications are sent to a post office box controlled by any individual or organization that is not an election authority, those applications shall (i) include a valid and current phone number for the individual or organization controlling the post office box and (ii) be turned over to the appropriate election authority within 7 days of receipt or, if received within 2 weeks of the election in which an applicant intends to vote, within 2 days of receipt. Failure to turn over the applications in compliance with this paragraph shall constitute a violation of this Code and shall be punishable as a petty offense with a fine of $100 per application. Removing, tampering with, or otherwise knowingly making the postmark on the application unreadable by the election authority shall establish a rebuttable presumption of a violation of this paragraph. Upon receipt, the appropriate election authority shall accept and promptly process any application under this Section submitted in a form substantially similar to that required by this Section, including any substantially similar production or reproduction generated by the applicant.

(f) An election authority shall may combine the applications in subsections (a) and (b) onto one form, but the distinction between the applications must be clear and the form must provide check boxes for an applicant to indicate whether he or she is applying for a single election vote by mail ballot or for permanent vote by mail status.

(Source: P.A. 102-15, eff. 6-17-21; 102-819, eff. 5-13-22; 103-467, eff. 8-4-23.)

(10 ILCS 5/19-25 new)

Sec. 19-25. Vote by mail tracking. In conjunction with election authorities, the State Board of Elections shall implement by January 1, 2026 a secure, free access system available to voters in each election authority that allows each vote by mail voter to:

(1) track the delivery and receipt of the voter's vote by mail ballot by the election authority; and

(2) learn if the voter's vote by mail ballot was accepted for counting and, if not, the reason why the ballot was rejected.

For each election, the election authority shall make the secure, free access system available to vote by mail voters from the first day that vote by mail ballots are accepted until 30 days after completion of the official canvass.

(10 ILCS 5/19A-15)

Sec. 19A-15. Period for early voting; hours.

(a) Except as otherwise provided in this Code, the period for early voting by personal appearance begins the 40th day preceding a general primary, consolidated primary, consolidated, or general election and extends through the end of the day before election day.

(b) Except as otherwise provided by this Section, a permanent polling place for early voting must remain open beginning the 15th day before an election through the end of the day before election day during the hours of 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., or 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., on weekdays, except that beginning 8 days before election day, a permanent polling place for early voting must remain open during the hours of 8:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., or 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., and 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. on Saturdays and holidays, and 10:00 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sundays; except that, in addition to the hours required by this subsection, a permanent polling place designated by an election authority under subsections (c), (d), and (e) of Section 19A-10 must remain open for a total of at least 8 hours on any holiday during the early voting period and a total of at least 14 hours on the final weekend during the early voting period.

(c) Notwithstanding subsection (b), an election authority may close an early voting polling place if the building in which the polling place is located has been closed by the State or unit of local government in response to a severe weather emergency or other force majeure. The election authority shall notify the State Board of Elections of any closure and shall make reasonable efforts to provide notice to the public of an alternative location for early voting.

(d) (Blank).

(e) Except as otherwise provided in this Code, an election authority shall allow any voter who is in line to vote at the time an early voting polling place closes to cast a ballot.

(Source: P.A. 102-15, eff. 6-17-21.)

Section 10. The Illinois Procurement Code is amended by changing Section 15-45 as follows:

(30 ILCS 500/15-45)

Sec. 15-45. Computation of days. The time within which any act provided in this Code is to be done shall be computed by excluding the first day and including the last, unless the last day is Saturday or Sunday or is a holiday, and then it shall also be excluded. If the day succeeding a Saturday, Sunday, or holiday is also a holiday, a Saturday, or a Sunday, then that succeeding day shall also be excluded. For the purposes of this Code, "holiday" means: New Year's Day; Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Birthday; Lincoln's Birthday; President's Day; Memorial Day; Juneteenth National Freedom Day; Independence Day; Labor Day; Columbus Day; General Election Day; Veterans' Day; Thanksgiving Day; Christmas Day; and any other day from time to time declared by the President of the United States or the Governor of Illinois to be a day during which the agencies of the State of Illinois that are ordinarily open to do business with the public shall be closed for business.

Notwithstanding any other provision of State law to the contrary, November 3, 2020 shall be a State holiday known as 2020 General Election Day and shall be observed throughout the State pursuant to this amendatory Act of the 101st General Assembly.

(Source: P.A. 101-642, eff. 6-16-20; 102-14, eff. 1-1-22; 102-334, eff. 8-9-21.)

Section 15. The School Code is amended by changing Section 24-2 as follows:

(105 ILCS 5/24-2)

Sec. 24-2. Holidays.

(a) Teachers shall not be required to teach on Saturdays, nor, except as provided in subsection (b) of this Section, shall teachers, educational support personnel employees, or other school employees, other than noncertificated school employees whose presence is necessary because of an emergency or for the continued operation and maintenance of school facilities or property, be required to work on legal school holidays, which are January 1, New Year's Day; the third Monday in January, the Birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.; February 12, the Birthday of President Abraham Lincoln; the first Monday in March (to be known as Casimir Pulaski's birthday); Good Friday; the day designated as Memorial Day by federal law; June 19, Juneteenth National Freedom Day; July 4, Independence Day; the first Monday in September, Labor Day; the second Monday in October, Columbus Day; the first Tuesday after the first Monday of November in even-numbered years, General Election Day; November 11, Veterans' Day; the Thursday in November commonly called Thanksgiving Day; and December 25, Christmas Day. School boards may grant special holidays whenever in their judgment such action is advisable. No deduction shall be made from the time or compensation of a school employee, including an educational support personnel employee, on account of any legal or special holiday in which that employee would have otherwise been scheduled to work but for the legal or special holiday.

(b) A school board or other entity eligible to apply for waivers and modifications under Section 2-3.25g of this Code is authorized to hold school or schedule teachers' institutes, parent-teacher conferences, or staff development on the third Monday in January (the Birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.); February 12 (the Birthday of President Abraham Lincoln); the first Monday in March (known as Casimir Pulaski's birthday); the second Monday in October (Columbus Day); and November 11 (Veterans' Day), provided that:

(1) the person or persons honored by the holiday are recognized through instructional activities conducted on that day or, if the day is not used for student attendance, on the first school day preceding or following that day; and

(2) the entity that chooses to exercise this authority first holds a public hearing about the proposal. The entity shall provide notice preceding the public hearing to both educators and parents. The notice shall set forth the time, date, and place of the hearing, describe the proposal, and indicate that the entity will take testimony from educators and parents about the proposal.

(c) Commemorative holidays, which recognize specified patriotic, civic, cultural or historical persons, activities, or events, are regular school days. Commemorative holidays are: January 17 (the birthday of Muhammad Ali), January 28 (to be known as Christa McAuliffe Day and observed as a commemoration of space exploration), February 15 (the birthday of Susan B. Anthony), March 29 (Viet Nam War Veterans' Day), the last Friday in April (Arbor and Bird Day), September 11 (September 11th Day of Remembrance), September 17 (Constitution Day), the school day immediately preceding Veterans' Day (Korean War Veterans' Day), October 1 (Recycling Day), October 7 (Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans Remembrance Day), October 9 (Leif Erikson Day), the day immediately after Thanksgiving (Native American Heritage Day), December 7 (Pearl Harbor Veterans' Day), and any day so appointed by the President or Governor. School boards may establish commemorative holidays whenever in their judgment such action is advisable. School boards may include instruction relative to commemorated persons, activities, or events on the commemorative holiday or at any other time during the school year and at any point in the curriculum when such instruction may be deemed appropriate. The State Board of Education may prepare and make available to school boards instructional materials relative to commemorated persons, activities, or events which may be used by school boards in conjunction with any instruction provided pursuant to this paragraph.

(d) City of Chicago School District 299 shall observe March 4 of each year as a commemorative holiday. This holiday shall be known as Mayors' Day which shall be a day to commemorate and be reminded of the past Chief Executive Officers of the City of Chicago, and in particular the late Mayor Richard J. Daley and the late Mayor Harold Washington. If March 4 falls on a Saturday or Sunday, Mayors' Day shall be observed on the following Monday.

(e) Notwithstanding any other provision of State law to the contrary, the date of the general election on the first Tuesday after the first Monday of November in even-numbered years November 3, 2020 shall be a State holiday known as 2020 General Election Day and shall be observed throughout the State pursuant to Public Act 101-642. All government offices, with the exception of election authorities, shall be closed unless authorized to be used as a location for election day services or as a polling place.

Notwithstanding any other provision of State law to the contrary, November 8, 2022 shall be a State holiday known as 2022 General Election Day and shall be observed throughout the State under Public Act 102-15.

Notwithstanding any other provision of State law to the contrary, November 5, 2024 shall be a State holiday known as 2024 General Election Day and shall be observed throughout this State pursuant to Public Act 103-467.

(Source: P.A. 103-15, eff. 7-1-23; 103-395, eff. 1-1-24; 103-467, eff. 8-4-23; 103-605, eff. 7-1-24; 104-391, eff. 8-15-25.)

Section 20. The State Universities Civil Service Act is amended by changing Section 45a as follows:

(110 ILCS 70/45a) (from Ch. 24 1/2, par. 38l.1)

Sec. 45a. Except as provided in the second sentence of this Section, all officers and employees subject to this Act, shall have the following days as holidays, for which they shall receive their usual compensation: New Year's Day, January 1, Memorial Day, as determined by the law of the State of Illinois, Juneteenth National Freedom Day, as determined by the law of the State of Illinois, Independence Day, July 4, Labor Day, the first Monday in September, General Election Day, the first Tuesday after the first Monday of November in even-numbered years, Thanksgiving Day, the fourth Thursday of November, Christmas Day, December 25, and five holidays to be designated by each college, university, or agency subject to this Act. Craft and trade employees subject to this Act shall be paid for all paid holidays included in their area agreement, and will be paid for all five holidays designated by their employer pursuant to this Section.

College, university, agency, and community college offices Notwithstanding any other provision of State law to the contrary, November 3, 2020 shall be a State holiday known as 2020 General Election Day and shall be observed throughout the State pursuant to this amendatory Act of the 101st General Assembly. All government offices, with the exception of election authorities, shall be closed on General Election Day unless authorized to be used as a location for election day services or as a polling place.

Notwithstanding any other provision of State law to the contrary, November 8, 2022 shall be a State holiday known as 2022 General Election Day and shall be observed throughout the State under this amendatory Act of the 102nd General Assembly.

(Source: P.A. 101-642, eff. 6-16-20; 102-15, eff. 6-17-21; 102-1075, eff. 6-10-22.)

Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon becoming law.