96TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2009 and 2010
HB0499


 
Introduced 2/4/2009, by Rep. Keith Farnham
 
SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 		














10 ILCS 5/20-1
  from Ch. 46, par. 20-1







    Amends the Election Code.  Specifies that the spouse or dependent of a member of the armed forces or merchant marine, residing with or accompanying the member,  need not have resided in Illinois in order to vote a military or overseas absentee ballot.
















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A BILL FOR









 











HB0499

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    AN ACT concerning elections.

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


 
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    Section 5. The Election Code is amended  by changing Section 
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20-1 as follows:
 



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    (10 ILCS 5/20-1)  (from Ch. 46, par. 20-1)



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    Sec. 20-1. 
The following words and phrases contained in 
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this Article
shall be construed as follows:

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    1.  "Territorial limits of the United States" means each of 
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the several
States of the United States and includes the 
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District of Columbia, the
Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam and 
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the Virgin Islands; but does not
include American Samoa, the 
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Canal Zone, the Trust Territory of the Pacific
Islands or any 
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other territory or possession of the United States.

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    2.  "Member of the United States Service" means (a) members 
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of the Armed
Forces while on active duty and their spouses and 
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dependents of voting
age when residing with or accompanying 
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them, (b) members of the Merchant
Marine of the United States 
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and their spouses and dependents when residing
with or 
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accompanying them and (c) United States government employees 
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serving
outside the territorial limits of the United States. 
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For the purposes of this definition, nothing in this Code shall 
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be construed to require that the spouse or voting age dependent 
 


 






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of a member of the Armed Forces or Merchant Marine must have 
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ever resided in Illinois. 

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    3. "Citizens of the United States temporarily residing 
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outside the
territorial limits of the United States" means 
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civilian citizens of the
United States and their spouses and 
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dependents of voting age when residing
with or accompanying 
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them, who maintain a precinct residence in a county in
this 
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State and whose intent to return may be ascertained.

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    4. "Non-Resident Civilian Citizens" means civilian 
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citizens of the United
States (a) who reside outside the 
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territorial limits of the United States,
(b) who had maintained 
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a precinct residence in a county in this State
immediately 
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prior to their departure from the United States, (c) who do not

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maintain a residence and are not registered to vote in any 
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other State, and
(d) whose intent to return to this State may 
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be uncertain.

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    5. "Official postcard" means the postcard application for 
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registration
to vote or for an absentee ballot in the form 
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provided in Section 204(c)
of the Federal Voting Rights Act of 
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1955, as amended (42 U.S.C. 1973cc-14(c)).

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    6. "Federal office" means the offices of President and 
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Vice-President
of the United States, United States Senator, 
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Representative in Congress,
delegates and alternate delegates 
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to the national nominating conventions
and candidates for the 
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Presidential Preference Primary.

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    7. "Federal election" means any general, primary or special 
 


 






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election at
which candidates are nominated or elected to 
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Federal office.

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    8. "Dependent", for purposes of this Article, shall mean a 
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father, mother,
brother, sister, son or daughter.

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(Source: P.A. 81-953.)