98TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2013 and 2014
HB4436

 

Introduced , by Rep. Brad E. Halbrook

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
10 ILCS 5/7-10  from Ch. 46, par. 7-10
10 ILCS 5/10-4  from Ch. 46, par. 10-4

    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, tape, or any similar temporary fastening device shall be found invalid. Makes similar changes to provisions concerning the form of nominating petitions under Article 10 of the Election Code. Effective immediately.


LRB098 15156 MGM 50132 b

 

 

A BILL FOR

 

HB4436LRB098 15156 MGM 50132 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
5Sections 7-10 and 10-4 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, tape, or any similar temporary fastening device shall be

 

 

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1found invalid. The sheets shall not be fastened by pasting them
2together end to end, so as to form a continuous strip or roll.
3All petition sheets which are filed with the proper local
4election officials, election authorities or the State Board of
5Elections shall be the original sheets which have been signed
6by the voters and by the circulator thereof, and not
7photocopies or duplicates of such sheets. Each petition must
8include as a part thereof, a statement of candidacy for each of
9the candidates filing, or in whose behalf the petition is
10filed. This statement shall set out the address of such
11candidate, the office for which he is a candidate, shall state
12that the candidate is a qualified primary voter of the party to
13which the petition relates and is qualified for the office
14specified (in the case of a candidate for State's Attorney it
15shall state that the candidate is at the time of filing such
16statement a licensed attorney-at-law of this State), shall
17state that he has filed (or will file before the close of the
18petition filing period) a statement of economic interests as
19required by the Illinois Governmental Ethics Act, shall request
20that the candidate's name be placed upon the official ballot,
21and shall be subscribed and sworn to by such candidate before
22some officer authorized to take acknowledgment of deeds in the
23State and shall be in substantially the following form:
24
Statement of Candidacy
25NameAddressOfficeDistrictParty
26John Jones102 Main St.GovernorStatewideRepublican

 

 

 

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

 

 

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

 

 

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

 

 

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

 

 

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

 

 

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

 

 

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1candidate's petition for nomination must contain at least the
2signatures of 150 qualified primary electors of his or her ward
3of that sanitary district.
4    (h) Judicial office. If a candidate seeks to run for
5judicial office in a district, then the candidate's petition
6for nomination must contain the number of signatures equal to
70.4% of the number of votes cast in that district for the
8candidate for his or her political party for the office of
9Governor at the last general election at which a Governor was
10elected, but in no event less than 500 signatures. If a
11candidate seeks to run for judicial office in a circuit or
12subcircuit, then the candidate's petition for nomination must
13contain the number of signatures equal to 0.25% of the number
14of votes cast for the judicial candidate of his or her
15political party who received the highest number of votes at the
16last general election at which a judicial officer from the same
17circuit or subcircuit was regularly scheduled to be elected,
18but in no event less than 1,000 signatures in circuits and
19subcircuits located in the First Judicial District or 500
20signatures in every other Judicial District.
21    (i) Precinct, ward, and township committeeperson. If a
22candidate seeks to run for precinct committeeperson, then the
23candidate's petition for nomination must contain at least 10
24signatures of the primary electors of his or her party for the
25precinct. If a candidate seeks to run for ward committeeperson,
26then the candidate's petition for nomination must contain no

 

 

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

 

 

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

 

 

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1Governor and Lieutenant Governor, a joint petition including
2one candidate for each of those offices must be filed.
3(Source: P.A. 96-1018, eff. 1-1-11; 97-81, eff. 7-5-11.)
 
4    (10 ILCS 5/10-4)  (from Ch. 46, par. 10-4)
5    Sec. 10-4. Form of petition for nomination. All petitions
6for nomination under this Article 10 for candidates for public
7office in this State, shall in addition to other requirements
8provided by law, be as follows: Such petitions shall consist of
9sheets of uniform size and each sheet shall contain, above the
10space for signature, an appropriate heading, giving the
11information as to name of candidate or candidates in whose
12behalf such petition is signed; the office; the party; place of
13residence; and such other information or wording as required to
14make same valid, and the heading of each sheet shall be the
15same. Such petition shall be signed by the qualified voters in
16their own proper persons only, and opposite the signature of
17each signer his residence address shall be written or printed.
18The residence address required to be written or printed
19opposite each qualified primary elector's name shall include
20the street address or rural route number of the signer, as the
21case may be, as well as the signer's county, and city, village
22or town, and state. However, the county or city, village or
23town, and state of residence of such electors may be printed on
24the petition forms where all of the such electors signing the
25petition reside in the same county or city, village or town,

 

 

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1and state. Standard abbreviations may be used in writing the
2residence address, including street number, if any. No
3signature shall be valid or be counted in considering the
4validity or sufficiency of such petition unless the
5requirements of this Section are complied with. At the bottom
6of each sheet of such petition shall be added a circulator's
7statement, signed by a person 18 years of age or older who is a
8citizen of the United States; stating the street address or
9rural route number, as the case may be, as well as the county,
10city, village or town, and state; certifying that the
11signatures on that sheet of the petition were signed in his or
12her presence; certifying that the signatures are genuine; and
13either (1) indicating the dates on which that sheet was
14circulated, or (2) indicating the first and last dates on which
15the sheet was circulated, or (3) certifying that none of the
16signatures on the sheet were signed more than 90 days preceding
17the last day for the filing of the petition; and certifying
18that to the best of his knowledge and belief the persons so
19signing were at the time of signing the petition duly
20registered voters under Articles 4, 5 or 6 of the Code of the
21political subdivision or district for which the candidate or
22candidates shall be nominated, and certifying that their
23respective residences are correctly stated therein. Such
24statement shall be sworn to before some officer authorized to
25administer oaths in this State. No petition sheet shall be
26circulated more than 90 days preceding the last day provided in

 

 

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1Section 10-6 for the filing of such petition. Such sheets,
2before being presented to the electoral board or filed with the
3proper officer of the electoral district or division of the
4state or municipality, as the case may be, shall be neatly
5bound fastened together in book form, by placing the sheets in
6a pile and fastening them together at one edge in a secure and
7suitable manner, and the sheets shall then be numbered
8consecutively. Petitions filed that are bound using paper
9clips, tape, or any similar temporary fastening device shall be
10found invalid. The sheets shall not be fastened by pasting them
11together end to end, so as to form a continuous strip or roll.
12All petition sheets which are filed with the proper local
13election officials, election authorities or the State Board of
14Elections shall be the original sheets which have been signed
15by the voters and by the circulator, and not photocopies or
16duplicates of such sheets. A petition, when presented or filed,
17shall not be withdrawn, altered, or added to, and no signature
18shall be revoked except by revocation in writing presented or
19filed with the officers or officer with whom the petition is
20required to be presented or filed, and before the presentment
21or filing of such petition. Whoever forges any name of a signer
22upon any petition shall be deemed guilty of a forgery, and on
23conviction thereof, shall be punished accordingly. The word
24"petition" or "petition for nomination", as used herein, shall
25mean what is sometimes known as nomination papers, in
26distinction to what is known as a certificate of nomination.

 

 

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1The words "political division for which the candidate is
2nominated", or its equivalent, shall mean the largest political
3division in which all qualified voters may vote upon such
4candidate or candidates, as the state in the case of state
5officers; the township in the case of township officers et
6cetera. Provided, further, that no person shall circulate or
7certify petitions for candidates of more than one political
8party, or for an independent candidate or candidates in
9addition to one political party, to be voted upon at the next
10primary or general election, or for such candidates and parties
11with respect to the same political subdivision at the next
12consolidated election.
13(Source: P.A. 91-57, eff. 6-30-99; 92-129, eff. 7-20-01;
14revised 9-4-13.)
 
15    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
16becoming law.