SC0015 96TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

LRB096 09040 JAM 19179 e

96TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2009 and 2010
SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION
CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT
SC0015

Introduced 2/10/2009, by Sen. Rickey R. Hendon

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:

ILCON Art. III, Sec. 7 new

Proposes to amend the Suffrage and Elections Article of the Illinois Constitution. Provides for elections to recall State executive branch officers, members of the General Assembly, and elected officers of units of local government, if the annual compensation of the office exceeds $21,000. Provides for successor elections to fill the vacant term of a recalled officer or member. Provides for petitions to be filed with the State Board of Elections and sets requirements for petitions. Provides for the State Board of Elections to proclaim the election and set the date. Provides for objections to petitions. Provides that the recall provisions are self-executing and judicially enforceable. Effective upon being declared adopted.

A BILL FOR

SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION

CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES CONCURRING HEREIN, that there shall be submitted to the electors of the State for adoption or rejection at the general election next occurring at least 6 months after the adoption of this resolution a proposition to add Section 7 to Article III of the Illinois Constitution as follows:

ARTICLE III

SUFFRAGE AND ELECTIONS

(ILCON Art. III, Sec. 7 new)

SECTION 7. RECALL OF PUBLIC OFFICERS

(a) Electors may petition for the recall of an executive branch officer as identified in Section 1 of Article V, a member of the General Assembly, or an elected officer of a unit of local government, if the annual compensation for that office exceeds $21,000. If the recall petition is valid, on a separate ballot the question "Shall (name of person) be recalled from the office of (office)" must be submitted to the electors, along with the names of any candidates certified for the successor election, at a special election called by the State Board of Elections or at a regularly scheduled election to occur not more than 100 days after the date of certification of the recall petition. The officer or member subject to recall may be a candidate in the successor election.

(b) An executive branch officer, a member of the General Assembly, or an elected officer of a unit of local government is immediately removed upon certification of the recall election results if a majority of the electors voting on the question vote to recall the officer or member. If an officer or member is recalled, the candidate who receives the highest number of votes in the successor election is elected successor for the balance of the term. Once a recall election petition is certified, the petition may not be withdrawn and another recall petition may not be initiated against that officer or member during the remainder of his or her current term of office.

(c) Any elector of the State, the applicable Legislative or Representative District, or the unit of local government may file an affidavit with the State Board of Elections providing notice of intent to circulate a petition to recall an officer or member no sooner than 6 months after the beginning of the officer's or member's current term of office. An affidavit must be filed by an elector of the Legislative or Representative District or unit of local government for which the recall petition will be circulated. The affidavit must identify the name of the officer or member and the office to be recalled, the name and address of the proponents of the recall petition, and the date of filing with the State Board of Elections. A recall petition shall not be circulated prior to filing the affidavit, and a recall petition must be filed with the State Board of Elections no later than 160 days after filing the affidavit.

(d) A petition to recall must be signed by registered voters of the State, Legislative or Representative District, or unit of local government the officer or member represents, in a number equal to at least twice the number of signatures required for a nominating petition for that office. A petition to recall an executive branch officer must include signatures of electors of the State from at least 5 separate counties. A petition to recall a Governor or Lieutenant Governor elected jointly under Section 4 of Article V must include both officers. The form, circulation, and manner of filing a recall petition shall comply with the requirements provided by law for a statewide advisory public question, except the deadlines set forth in this Section.

(e) A recall petition is valid unless an objection is made within 45 days after the date the petition is filed, and an objection to the recall petition may be made in the same manner as to a candidate for the office subject to recall. The State Board of Elections shall certify the recall petition not more than 105 days after the date the recall petition is filed. Any recall petition or election pending on the date of the next general election at which a candidate for the office subject to recall is elected is moot.

(f) If a recall election is initiated, the name of no successor candidate may appear on the ballot unless a nominating petition has been filed with the State Board of Elections no more than 40 days after filing of the recall petition. The nominating petition of an established party candidate must contain the same number of signatures and be circulated in the same manner as an established party candidate for nomination to the office subject to recall, except the petition must be circulated no more than 40 days prior to the last day for filing nomination petitions. The nominating petition of an independent or new party candidate must contain the same number of signatures and be circulated in the same manner as an independent or new party candidate, respectively, for election to the office subject to recall, except the petition must be circulated no more than 40 days prior to the last day for filing nomination petitions. A nominating petition may be objected to in the same manner as a candidate for the office subject to recall, unless otherwise provided by law. The State Board of Elections shall certify a valid nominating petition not more than 105 days after the date the recall petition is filed.

(g) An election to determine whether to recall an executive officer, a member of the General Assembly, or an officer of a unit of local government and to elect a successor shall be proclaimed by the State Board of Elections and held not less than 60 days and no more than 100 days after the date of certification of the recall petition.

(h) The provisions of this Section are self-executing and judicially enforceable.

SCHEDULE

The State Board of Elections shall proceed, as soon as all the returns are received but no later than 31 days after the election, to canvass the votes given for and against this Constitutional Amendment, as shown by the abstracts of votes cast. If this Constitutional Amendment is approved by either three-fifths of those voting on the question or a majority of those voting in the election, then the State Board of Elections shall declare the adoption of this Constitutional Amendment and it shall, upon declaration of its adoption, take effect and become a part of the Constitution of this State. This Schedule supersedes and applies notwithstanding any statute to the contrary, and no other requirements, including without limitation proclamation of the results of the vote or notice by publication, are necessary for its effectiveness.