40 ILCS 5/22C-116

(40 ILCS 5/22C-116)

Sec. 22C-116. Conduct and administration of elections; terms of office.

(a) For the election of the permanent trustees, the transition board shall administer the initial elections and the permanent board shall administer all subsequent elections. Each board shall develop and implement such procedures as it determines to be appropriate for the conduct of such elections. For the purposes of obtaining information necessary to conduct elections under this Section, participating pension funds shall cooperate with the Fund.

(b) All nominations for election shall be by petition. Each petition for a trustee shall be executed as follows:

(1) for trustees to be elected by the mayors and presidents of municipalities or fire protection districts that have participating pension funds, by at least 20 such mayors and presidents; except that this item (1) shall apply only with respect to participating pension funds;

(2) for trustees to be elected by participants, by at least 400 participants; and

(3) for trustees to be elected by beneficiaries, by at least 100 beneficiaries.

(c) A separate ballot shall be used for each class of trustee. The board shall prepare and send ballots and ballot envelopes to eligible voters in accordance with rules adopted by the board. The ballots shall contain the names of all candidates in alphabetical order.

Eligible voters, upon receipt of the ballot, shall vote the ballot and place it in the ballot envelope, seal the envelope, and return the ballot to the Fund.

The board shall set a final date for ballot return, and ballots received prior to that date in a ballot envelope shall be valid ballots.

The board shall set a day for counting the ballots and name judges and clerks of election to conduct the count of ballots and shall make any rules necessary for the conduct of the count.

The candidate or candidates receiving the highest number of votes for each class of trustee shall be elected. In the case of a tie vote, the winner shall be determined in accordance with procedures developed by the Department of Insurance.

In lieu of conducting elections via mail balloting as described in this Section, the board may instead adopt rules to provide for elections to be carried out solely via Internet balloting or phone balloting. Nothing in this Section prohibits the Fund from contracting with a third party to administer the election in accordance with this Section.

(d) At any election, voting shall be as follows:

(1) Each person authorized to vote for an elected trustee may cast one vote for each related position for which such person is entitled to vote and may cast such vote for any candidate or candidates on the ballot for such trustee position.

(2) If only one candidate for each position is properly nominated in petitions received, that candidate shall be deemed the winner and no election under this Section shall be required.

(3) The results shall be entered in the minutes of the first meeting of the board following the tally of votes.

(e) The initial election for permanent trustees shall be held and the permanent board shall be seated no later than 12 months after the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 101st General Assembly. Each subsequent election shall be held no later than 30 days prior to the end of the term of the incumbent trustees.

(f) The elected trustees shall each serve for terms of 4 years commencing on the first business day of the first month after election; except that the terms of office of the initially elected trustees shall be as follows:

(1) One trustee elected pursuant to item (1) of subsection (b) of Section 22C-115 shall serve for a term of 2 years and 2 trustees elected pursuant to item (1) of subsection (b) of Section 22C-115 shall serve for a term of 4 years;

(2) One trustee elected pursuant to item (2) of subsection (b) of Section 22C-115 shall serve for a term of 2 years and 2 trustees elected pursuant to item (2) of subsection (b) of Section 22C-115 shall serve for a term of 4 years; and

(3) The trustee elected pursuant to item (3) of subsection (b) of Section 22C-115 shall serve for a term of 2 years.

(g) The trustees appointed pursuant to items (4) and (5) of subsection (b) of Section 22C-115 shall each serve for a term of 4 years commencing on the first business day of the first month after the election of the elected trustees.

(h) A member of the board who was elected pursuant to item (1) of subsection (b) of Section 22C-115 who ceases to serve as a mayor, president, chief executive officer, chief financial officer, or other officer, executive, or department head of a municipality or fire protection district that has a participating pension fund shall not be eligible to serve as a member of the board and his or her position shall be deemed vacant. A member of the board who was elected by the participants of participating pension funds who ceases to be a participant may serve the remainder of his or her elected term.

For a vacancy of an elected trustee, the vacancy shall be filled by appointment by the board as follows: a vacancy of a member elected pursuant to item (1) of subsection (b) of Section 22C-115 shall be filled by a mayor, president, chief executive officer, chief financial officer, or other officer, executive, or department head of a municipality or fire protection district that has a participating pension fund; a vacancy of a member elected pursuant to item (2) of subsection (b) of Section 22C-115 shall be filled by a participant of a participating pension fund; and a vacancy of a member elected under item (3) of subsection (b) of Section 22C-115 shall be filled by a beneficiary of a participating pension fund. A trustee appointed to fill the vacancy of an elected trustee shall serve until a successor is elected. Special elections to fill the remainder of an unexpired term vacated by an elected trustee shall be held concurrently with and in the same manner as the next regular election for an elected trustee position.

Vacancies among the appointed trustees shall be filled for unexpired terms by appointment in like manner as for the original appointments.

(Source: P.A. 103-552, eff. 8-11-23.)