SB1370 98TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

LRB098 09885 HLH 40043 b

98TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2013 and 2014
SB1370

Introduced 2/5/2013, by Sen. Terry Link

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:

10 ILCS 5/19A-10
10 ILCS 5/19A-15

Amends the Election Code. Provides that permanent polling places must (currently may) be established, and that in person voting at those polling places shall close the day before the election (now the third day before the election).

A BILL FOR

AN ACT concerning elections.

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

Section 5. The Election Code is amended by changing Sections 19A-10 and 19A-15 as follows:

(10 ILCS 5/19A-10)

Sec. 19A-10. Permanent polling places for early voting.

(a) An election authority must may establish permanent polling places for early voting by personal appearance at locations throughout the election authority's jurisdiction, including but not limited to a municipal clerk's office, a township clerk's office, a road district clerk's office, or a county or local public agency office. Except as otherwise provided in subsection (b), any person entitled to vote early by personal appearance may do so at any polling place established for early voting.

(b) If it is impractical for the election authority to provide at each polling place for early voting a ballot in every form required in the election authority's jurisdiction, the election authority may:

(1) provide appropriate forms of ballots to the office of the municipal clerk in a municipality not having a board of election commissioners; the township clerk; or in counties not under township organization, the road district clerk; and

(2) limit voting at that polling place to registered voters in that municipality, ward or group of wards, township, or road district.

If the early voting polling place does not have the correct ballot form for a person seeking to vote early, the election judge or election official conducting early voting at that polling place shall inform the person of that fact, give the person the appropriate telephone number of the election authority in order to locate an early voting polling place with the correct ballot form for use in that person's assigned precinct, and instruct the person to go to the proper early voting polling place to vote early.

(c) During each general primary and general election, each election authority in a county with a population over 250,000 shall establish at least one polling place for early voting by personal appearance at a location within each of the 3 largest municipalities within its jurisdiction. If any of the 3 largest municipalities is over 80,000, the election authority shall establish at least 2 polling places within the municipality. All population figures shall be determined by the federal census.

During each general primary and general election, each board of election commissioners established under Article 6 of this Code in any city, village, or incorporated town with a population over 100,000 shall establish at least 2 polling places for early voting by personal appearance. All population figures shall be determined by the federal census.

(Source: P.A. 94-645, eff. 8-22-05; 95-699, eff. 11-9-07.)

(10 ILCS 5/19A-15)

Sec. 19A-15. Period for early voting; hours.

(a) The period for early voting by personal appearance begins the 15th day preceding a general primary, consolidated primary, consolidated, or general election and extends through the 3rd day before election day.

(b) A permanent polling place for early voting must remain open during the hours of 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., or 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., on weekdays and 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. on Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays; except that, in addition to the hours required by this subsection, a permanent early voting polling place designated by an election authority under subsection (c) of Section 19A-10 must remain open for a total of at least 8 hours on any holiday during the early voting period and a total of at least 14 hours on the final weekend during the early voting period.

(c) Notwithstanding subsections (a) and (b), an election authority may close an early voting polling place if the building in which the polling place is located has been closed by the State or unit of local government in response to a severe weather emergency. In the event of a closure, the election authority shall conduct early voting on the 2nd day before election day from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. or 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The election authority shall notify the State Board of Elections of any closure and shall make reasonable efforts to provide notice to the public of the extended early voting period.

(Source: P.A. 96-637, eff. 1-1-10; 97-81, eff. 7-5-11; 97-766, eff. 7-6-12.)