97TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2011 and 2012
HB1853

 

Introduced , by Rep. Dan Brady

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
10 ILCS 5/10-8  from Ch. 46, par. 10-8

    Amends the Election Code. With respect to objector's petitions, requires that (i) 2 copies (now, one copy) must be filed with the petition, (ii) the petition shall not be accepted for filing without the 2 copies, and (iii) challenges to signatures must include recapitulation sheets that refer to the page and line numbers of the signatures. Permits an electoral board to examine a randomly selected sample of the signatures. Makes other changes.


LRB097 07065 HLH 47158 b

 

 

A BILL FOR

 

HB1853LRB097 07065 HLH 47158 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 Section
510-8 as follows:
 
6    (10 ILCS 5/10-8)  (from Ch. 46, par. 10-8)
7    Sec. 10-8. Certificates of nomination and nomination
8papers, and petitions to submit public questions to a
9referendum, being filed as required by this Code, and being in
10apparent conformity with the provisions of this Act, shall be
11deemed to be valid unless objection thereto is duly made in
12writing within 5 business days after the last day for filing
13the certificate of nomination or nomination papers or petition
14for a public question, with the following exceptions:
15        A. In the case of petitions to amend Article IV of the
16    Constitution of the State of Illinois, there shall be a
17    period of 35 business days after the last day for the
18    filing of such petitions in which objections can be filed.
19        B. In the case of petitions for advisory questions of
20    public policy to be submitted to the voters of the entire
21    State, there shall be a period of 35 business days after
22    the last day for the filing of such petitions in which
23    objections can be filed.

 

 

HB1853- 2 -LRB097 07065 HLH 47158 b

1    Any legal voter of the political subdivision or district in
2which the candidate or public question is to be voted on, or
3any legal voter in the State in the case of a proposed
4amendment to Article IV of the Constitution or an advisory
5public question to be submitted to the voters of the entire
6State, having objections to any certificate of nomination or
7nomination papers or petitions filed, shall file an objector's
8petition together with 2 copies a copy thereof in the principal
9office or the permanent branch office of the State Board of
10Elections, or in the office of the election authority or local
11election official with whom the certificate of nomination,
12nomination papers or petitions are on file; objector's
13petitions that are not accompanied by 2 copies thereof shall
14not be accepted by those offices. In the case of nomination
15papers or certificates of nomination, the State Board of
16Elections, election authority or local election official shall
17note the day and hour upon which such objector's petition is
18filed. Not , and shall, not later than 12:00 noon on the second
19business day following the last day to file objections after
20receipt of the petition, the State Board of Elections, election
21authority, or local election official shall transmit by
22registered mail or receipted personal delivery the certificate
23of nomination or nomination papers and the original objector's
24petition to the chairman of the proper electoral board
25designated in Section 10-9 hereof, or his authorized agent, and
26shall transmit a copy by registered mail or receipted personal

 

 

HB1853- 3 -LRB097 07065 HLH 47158 b

1delivery of the objector's petition, to the candidate whose
2certificate of nomination or nomination papers are objected to,
3addressed to the place of residence designated in said
4certificate of nomination or nomination papers. In the case of
5objections to a petition for a proposed amendment to Article IV
6of the Constitution or for an advisory public question to be
7submitted to the voters of the entire State, the State Board of
8Elections shall note the day and hour upon which such
9objector's petition is filed and shall transmit a copy of the
10objector's petition by registered mail or receipted personal
11delivery to the person designated on a certificate attached to
12the petition as the principal proponent of such proposed
13amendment or public question, or as the proponents' attorney,
14for the purpose of receiving notice of objections. In the case
15of objections to a petition for a public question, to be
16submitted to the voters of a political subdivision, or district
17thereof, the election authority or local election official with
18whom such petition is filed shall note the day and hour upon
19which such objector's petition was filed, and shall, not later
20than 12:00 noon on the second business day following the last
21day to file objections after receipt of the petition, transmit
22by registered mail or receipted personal delivery the petition
23for the public question and the original objector's petition to
24the chairman of the proper electoral board designated in
25Section 10-9 hereof, or his authorized agent, and shall
26transmit a copy by registered mail or receipted personal

 

 

HB1853- 4 -LRB097 07065 HLH 47158 b

1delivery, of the objector's petition to the person designated
2on a certificate attached to the petition as the principal
3proponent of the public question, or as the proponent's
4attorney, for the purposes of receiving notice of objections.
5    The objector's petition shall give the objector's name and
6residence address, and shall state fully the nature of the
7objections to the certificate of nomination or nomination
8papers or petitions in question, and shall state the interest
9of the objector and shall state what relief is requested of the
10electoral board. If the objection challenges the validity of
11specific signatures, the objector's petition shall include
12recapitulation sheets indicating the specific page and line
13number on which the challenged signature is located and
14specifying the basis of the objection. Each recapitulation
15sheet shall be in substantially the following form:
 
16    Candidate        Office        Sheet Number 
 
17A mark, such as an "x" or "v", indicates that the signature on
18the designated sheet and line is objected to for the reasons
19set forth above the column in which the identifying mark
20appears, in accordance with the Objector's Petition, of which
21this Appendix-Recapitulation is made a part.
 
--
22Objectiona. Signerb.c.
23--------notSigner'sSigner

 
 

 

 

HB1853- 5 -LRB097 07065 HLH 47158 b

1--registeredsignatureresides
2LINE #at addressnotoutside
3showngenuineDistrict
41
52
63
--
7Objectiond.e. Signerf. Other
8-------Signer's signed(Must
9--addressPetitionspecify
10LINE #missing ormore thanlegal
11incompleteonce atbasis for
12Sheet/Lineobjection)
13indicated
141
152
163
17The mandated use of this form shall not preclude an objector
18from making objections to the qualifications of a circulator or
19the manner in which the petition was circulated or notarized.
20Such circulator or notarization objections may be included on
21the recapitulation form. Use of the recapitulation form shall
22not preclude an opposing party from challenging the sufficiency
23of the objector's petition when it is shown by such party that
24the objection appears on its face to have been filed without

 

 

HB1853- 6 -LRB097 07065 HLH 47158 b

1the objector first conducting a diligent examination of the
2challenged signatures to determine whether they are indeed
3invalid. In the event such a challenge is raised, in the form
4of a motion to strike or otherwise, the electoral board may
5conduct an examination of a randomly selected sample of no less
6than 20% of the challenged signatures to determine whether a
7sufficient number of signatures in the sample are valid or
8invalid, thereby determining whether a complete examination of
9all the challenged signatures is necessary. If, following the
10examination of a randomly selected 20% sample of challenged
11signatures, the number of sustained challenges is no greater
12than 35% of the total number of challenged signatures, the
13electoral board may suspend the records examination and order
14the objector to appear before the board and show cause as to
15why the objection should not be dismissed; this provision does
16not apply to objections to a candidate's nomination petition
17for an office with a petition signature requirement of fewer
18than 500.
19    The provisions of this Section and of Sections 10-9, 10-10
20and 10-10.1 shall also apply to and govern objections to
21petitions for nomination filed under Article 7 or Article 8,
22except as otherwise provided in Section 7-13 for cases to which
23it is applicable, and also apply to and govern petitions for
24the submission of public questions under Article 28.
25(Source: P.A. 86-1348.)