98TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2013 and 2014
HB2870

 

Introduced , by Rep. Brad E. Halbrook

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
10 ILCS 5/7-10  from Ch. 46, par. 7-10

    Amends the Election Code. Provides that petition sheets shall be neatly bound and deletes a reference to placing the sheets in a pile and fastening them together at one edge in a secure and suitable manner. Further provides that petitions filed that are bound using paper clips, prong fasteners, tape, or any similar temporary fastening device shall be found invalid. Effective immediately.


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A BILL FOR

 

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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
57-10 as follows:
 
6    (10 ILCS 5/7-10)  (from Ch. 46, par. 7-10)
7    Sec. 7-10. Form of petition for nomination. The name of no
8candidate for nomination, or State central committeeman, or
9township committeeman, or precinct committeeman, or ward
10committeeman or candidate for delegate or alternate delegate to
11national nominating conventions, shall be printed upon the
12primary ballot unless a petition for nomination has been filed
13in his behalf as provided in this Article in substantially the
14following form:
15    We, the undersigned, members of and affiliated with the
16.... party and qualified primary electors of the .... party, in
17the .... of ...., in the county of .... and State of Illinois,
18do hereby petition that the following named person or persons
19shall be a candidate or candidates of the .... party for the
20nomination for (or in case of committeemen for election to) the
21office or offices hereinafter specified, to be voted for at the
22primary election to be held on (insert date).
23    NameOfficeAddress

 

 

 

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1John JonesGovernorBelvidere, Ill.
2Jane James Lieutenant Governor Peoria, Ill.
3Thomas SmithAttorney GeneralOakland, Ill.
4Name..................         Address.......................
 
5State of Illinois)
6                 ) ss.
7County of........)
8    I, ...., do hereby certify that I reside at No. ....
9street, in the .... of ...., county of ...., and State of
10....., that I am 18 years of age or older, that I am a citizen
11of the United States, and that the signatures on this sheet
12were signed in my presence, and are genuine, and that to the
13best of my knowledge and belief the persons so signing were at
14the time of signing the petitions qualified voters of the ....
15party, and that their respective residences are correctly
16stated, as above set forth.
17
.........................
18    Subscribed and sworn to before me on (insert date).
19
.........................

 
20    Each sheet of the petition other than the statement of
21candidacy and candidate's statement shall be of uniform size
22and shall contain above the space for signatures an appropriate
23heading giving the information as to name of candidate or

 

 

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1candidates, in whose behalf such petition is signed; the
2office, the political party represented and place of residence;
3and the heading of each sheet shall be the same.
4    Such petition shall be signed by qualified primary electors
5residing in the political division for which the nomination is
6sought in their own proper persons only and opposite the
7signature of each signer, his residence address shall be
8written or printed. The residence address required to be
9written or printed opposite each qualified primary elector's
10name shall include the street address or rural route number of
11the signer, as the case may be, as well as the signer's county,
12and city, village or town, and state. However the county or
13city, village or town, and state of residence of the electors
14may be printed on the petition forms where all of the electors
15signing the petition reside in the same county or city, village
16or town, and state. Standard abbreviations may be used in
17writing the residence address, including street number, if any.
18At the bottom of each sheet of such petition shall be added a
19circulator statement signed by a person 18 years of age or
20older who is a citizen of the United States, stating the street
21address or rural route number, as the case may be, as well as
22the county, city, village or town, and state; and certifying
23that the signatures on that sheet of the petition were signed
24in his or her presence and certifying that the signatures are
25genuine; and either (1) indicating the dates on which that
26sheet was circulated, or (2) indicating the first and last

 

 

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1dates on which the sheet was circulated, or (3) certifying that
2none of the signatures on the sheet were signed more than 90
3days preceding the last day for the filing of the petition and
4certifying that to the best of his or her knowledge and belief
5the persons so signing were at the time of signing the
6petitions qualified voters of the political party for which a
7nomination is sought. Such statement shall be sworn to before
8some officer authorized to administer oaths in this State.
9    No petition sheet shall be circulated more than 90 days
10preceding the last day provided in Section 7-12 for the filing
11of such petition.
12    The person circulating the petition, or the candidate on
13whose behalf the petition is circulated, may strike any
14signature from the petition, provided that:
15        (1) the person striking the signature shall initial the
16    petition at the place where the signature is struck; and
17        (2) the person striking the signature shall sign a
18    certification listing the page number and line number of
19    each signature struck from the petition. Such
20    certification shall be filed as a part of the petition.
21    Such sheets before being filed shall be neatly bound
22fastened together in book form, by placing the sheets in a pile
23and fastening them together at one edge in a secure and
24suitable manner, and the sheets shall then be numbered
25consecutively. Petitions filed that are bound using paper
26clips, prong fasteners, tape, or any similar temporary

 

 

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1fastening device shall be found invalid. The sheets shall not
2be fastened by pasting them together end to end, so as to form
3a continuous strip or roll. All petition sheets which are filed
4with the proper local election officials, election authorities
5or the State Board of Elections shall be the original sheets
6which have been signed by the voters and by the circulator
7thereof, and not photocopies or duplicates of such sheets. Each
8petition must include as a part thereof, a statement of
9candidacy for each of the candidates filing, or in whose behalf
10the petition is filed. This statement shall set out the address
11of such candidate, the office for which he is a candidate,
12shall state that the candidate is a qualified primary voter of
13the party to which the petition relates and is qualified for
14the office specified (in the case of a candidate for State's
15Attorney it shall state that the candidate is at the time of
16filing such statement a licensed attorney-at-law of this
17State), shall state that he has filed (or will file before the
18close of the petition filing period) a statement of economic
19interests as required by the Illinois Governmental Ethics Act,
20shall request that the candidate's name be placed upon the
21official ballot, and shall be subscribed and sworn to by such
22candidate before some officer authorized to take
23acknowledgment of deeds in the State and shall be in
24substantially the following form:
25
Statement of Candidacy
26NameAddressOfficeDistrictParty

 

 

 

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1John Jones102 Main St.GovernorStatewideRepublican
2Belvidere,
3Illinois
4State of Illinois)
5                 ) ss.
6County of .......)
7    I, ...., being first duly sworn, say that I reside at ....
8Street in the city (or village) of ...., in the county of ....,
9State of Illinois; that I am a qualified voter therein and am a
10qualified primary voter of the .... party; that I am a
11candidate for nomination (for election in the case of
12committeeman and delegates and alternate delegates) to the
13office of .... to be voted upon at the primary election to be
14held on (insert date); that I am legally qualified (including
15being the holder of any license that may be an eligibility
16requirement for the office I seek the nomination for) to hold
17such office and that I have filed (or I will file before the
18close of the petition filing period) a statement of economic
19interests as required by the Illinois Governmental Ethics Act
20and I hereby request that my name be printed upon the official
21primary ballot for nomination for (or election to in the case
22of committeemen and delegates and alternate delegates) such
23office.
24
Signed ......................
25    Subscribed and sworn to (or affirmed) before me by ....,

 

 

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1who is to me personally known, on (insert date).
2
Signed ....................
3
(Official Character)
4(Seal, if officer has one.)
 
5    The petitions, when filed, shall not be withdrawn or added
6to, and no signatures shall be revoked except by revocation
7filed in writing with the State Board of Elections, election
8authority or local election official with whom the petition is
9required to be filed, and before the filing of such petition.
10Whoever forges the name of a signer upon any petition required
11by this Article is deemed guilty of a forgery and on conviction
12thereof shall be punished accordingly.
13    A candidate for the offices listed in this Section must
14obtain the number of signatures specified in this Section on
15his or her petition for nomination.
16    (a) Statewide office or delegate to a national nominating
17convention. If a candidate seeks to run for statewide office or
18as a delegate or alternate delegate to a national nominating
19convention elected from the State at-large, then the
20candidate's petition for nomination must contain at least 5,000
21but not more than 10,000 signatures.
22    (b) Congressional office or congressional delegate to a
23national nominating convention. If a candidate seeks to run for
24United States Congress or as a congressional delegate or
25alternate congressional delegate to a national nominating

 

 

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1convention elected from a congressional district, then the
2candidate's petition for nomination must contain at least the
3number of signatures equal to 0.5% of the qualified primary
4electors of his or her party in his or her congressional
5district. In the first primary election following a
6redistricting of congressional districts, a candidate's
7petition for nomination must contain at least 600 signatures of
8qualified primary electors of the candidate's political party
9in his or her congressional district.
10    (c) County office. If a candidate seeks to run for any
11countywide office, including but not limited to county board
12chairperson or county board member, elected on an at-large
13basis, in a county other than Cook County, then the candidate's
14petition for nomination must contain at least the number of
15signatures equal to 0.5% of the qualified electors of his or
16her party who cast votes at the last preceding general election
17in his or her county. If a candidate seeks to run for county
18board member elected from a county board district, then the
19candidate's petition for nomination must contain at least the
20number of signatures equal to 0.5% of the qualified primary
21electors of his or her party in the county board district. In
22the first primary election following a redistricting of county
23board districts or the initial establishment of county board
24districts, a candidate's petition for nomination must contain
25at least the number of signatures equal to 0.5% of the
26qualified electors of his or her party in the entire county who

 

 

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1cast votes at the last preceding general election divided by
2the total number of county board districts comprising the
3county board; provided that in no event shall the number of
4signatures be less than 25.
5    (d) County office; Cook County only.
6        (1) If a candidate seeks to run for countywide office
7    in Cook County, then the candidate's petition for
8    nomination must contain at least the number of signatures
9    equal to 0.5% of the qualified electors of his or her party
10    who cast votes at the last preceding general election in
11    Cook County.
12        (2) If a candidate seeks to run for Cook County Board
13    Commissioner, then the candidate's petition for nomination
14    must contain at least the number of signatures equal to
15    0.5% of the qualified primary electors of his or her party
16    in his or her county board district. In the first primary
17    election following a redistricting of Cook County Board of
18    Commissioners districts, a candidate's petition for
19    nomination must contain at least the number of signatures
20    equal to 0.5% of the qualified electors of his or her party
21    in the entire county who cast votes at the last preceding
22    general election divided by the total number of county
23    board districts comprising the county board; provided that
24    in no event shall the number of signatures be less than 25.
25        (3) If a candidate seeks to run for Cook County Board
26    of Review Commissioner, which is elected from a district

 

 

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1    pursuant to subsection (c) of Section 5-5 of the Property
2    Tax Code, then the candidate's petition for nomination must
3    contain at least the number of signatures equal to 0.5% of
4    the total number of registered voters in his or her board
5    of review district in the last general election at which a
6    commissioner was regularly scheduled to be elected from
7    that board of review district. In no event shall the number
8    of signatures required be greater than the requisite number
9    for a candidate who seeks countywide office in Cook County
10    under subsection (d)(1) of this Section. In the first
11    primary election following a redistricting of Cook County
12    Board of Review districts, a candidate's petition for
13    nomination must contain at least 4,000 signatures or at
14    least the number of signatures required for a countywide
15    candidate in Cook County, whichever is less, of the
16    qualified electors of his or her party in the district.
17    (e) Municipal or township office. If a candidate seeks to
18run for municipal or township office, then the candidate's
19petition for nomination must contain at least the number of
20signatures equal to 0.5% of the qualified primary electors of
21his or her party in the municipality or township. If a
22candidate seeks to run for alderman of a municipality, then the
23candidate's petition for nomination must contain at least the
24number of signatures equal to 0.5% of the qualified primary
25electors of his or her party of the ward. In the first primary
26election following redistricting of aldermanic wards or

 

 

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1trustee districts of a municipality or the initial
2establishment of wards or districts, a candidate's petition for
3nomination must contain the number of signatures equal to at
4least 0.5% of the total number of votes cast for the candidate
5of that political party who received the highest number of
6votes in the entire municipality at the last regular election
7at which an officer was regularly scheduled to be elected from
8the entire municipality, divided by the number of wards or
9districts. In no event shall the number of signatures be less
10than 25.
11    (f) State central committeeperson. If a candidate seeks to
12run for State central committeeperson, then the candidate's
13petition for nomination must contain at least 100 signatures of
14the primary electors of his or her party of his or her
15congressional district.
16    (g) Sanitary district trustee. If a candidate seeks to run
17for trustee of a sanitary district in which trustees are not
18elected from wards, then the candidate's petition for
19nomination must contain at least the number of signatures equal
20to 0.5% of the primary electors of his or her party from the
21sanitary district. If a candidate seeks to run for trustee of a
22sanitary district in which trustees are elected from wards,
23then the candidate's petition for nomination must contain at
24least the number of signatures equal to 0.5% of the primary
25electors of his or her party in the ward of that sanitary
26district. In the first primary election following

 

 

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1redistricting of sanitary districts elected from wards, a
2candidate's petition for nomination must contain at least the
3signatures of 150 qualified primary electors of his or her ward
4of that sanitary district.
5    (h) Judicial office. If a candidate seeks to run for
6judicial office in a district, then the candidate's petition
7for nomination must contain the number of signatures equal to
80.4% of the number of votes cast in that district for the
9candidate for his or her political party for the office of
10Governor at the last general election at which a Governor was
11elected, but in no event less than 500 signatures. If a
12candidate seeks to run for judicial office in a circuit or
13subcircuit, then the candidate's petition for nomination must
14contain the number of signatures equal to 0.25% of the number
15of votes cast for the judicial candidate of his or her
16political party who received the highest number of votes at the
17last general election at which a judicial officer from the same
18circuit or subcircuit was regularly scheduled to be elected,
19but in no event less than 1,000 signatures in circuits and
20subcircuits located in the First Judicial District or 500
21signatures in every other Judicial District.
22    (i) Precinct, ward, and township committeeperson. If a
23candidate seeks to run for precinct committeeperson, then the
24candidate's petition for nomination must contain at least 10
25signatures of the primary electors of his or her party for the
26precinct. If a candidate seeks to run for ward committeeperson,

 

 

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1then the candidate's petition for nomination must contain no
2less than the number of signatures equal to 10% of the primary
3electors of his or her party of the ward, but no more than 16%
4of those same electors; provided that the maximum number of
5signatures may be 50 more than the minimum number, whichever is
6greater. If a candidate seeks to run for township
7committeeperson, then the candidate's petition for nomination
8must contain no less than the number of signatures equal to 5%
9of the primary electors of his or her party of the township,
10but no more than 8% of those same electors; provided that the
11maximum number of signatures may be 50 more than the minimum
12number, whichever is greater.
13    (j) State's attorney or regional superintendent of schools
14for multiple counties. If a candidate seeks to run for State's
15attorney or regional Superintendent of Schools who serves more
16than one county, then the candidate's petition for nomination
17must contain at least the number of signatures equal to 0.5% of
18the primary electors of his or her party in the territory
19comprising the counties.
20    (k) Any other office. If a candidate seeks any other
21office, then the candidate's petition for nomination must
22contain at least the number of signatures equal to 0.5% of the
23registered voters of the political subdivision, district, or
24division for which the nomination is made or 25 signatures,
25whichever is greater.
26    For purposes of this Section the number of primary electors

 

 

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1shall be determined by taking the total vote cast, in the
2applicable district, for the candidate for that political party
3who received the highest number of votes, statewide, at the
4last general election in the State at which electors for
5President of the United States were elected. For political
6subdivisions, the number of primary electors shall be
7determined by taking the total vote cast for the candidate for
8that political party who received the highest number of votes
9in the political subdivision at the last regular election at
10which an officer was regularly scheduled to be elected from
11that subdivision. For wards or districts of political
12subdivisions, the number of primary electors shall be
13determined by taking the total vote cast for the candidate for
14that political party who received the highest number of votes
15in the ward or district at the last regular election at which
16an officer was regularly scheduled to be elected from that ward
17or district.
18    A "qualified primary elector" of a party may not sign
19petitions for or be a candidate in the primary of more than one
20party.
21    The changes made to this Section of this amendatory Act of
22the 93rd General Assembly are declarative of existing law,
23except for item (3) of subsection (d).
24    Petitions of candidates for nomination for offices herein
25specified, to be filed with the same officer, may contain the
26names of 2 or more candidates of the same political party for

 

 

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1the same or different offices. In the case of the offices of
2Governor and Lieutenant Governor, a joint petition including
3one candidate for each of those offices must be filed.
4(Source: P.A. 96-1018, eff. 1-1-11; 97-81, eff. 7-5-11.)
 
5    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
6becoming law.