40 ILCS 5/7-175

(40 ILCS 5/7-175) (from Ch. 108 1/2, par. 7-175)

Sec. 7-175. Board elections.

(a) During the period beginning on August 1 and ending on September 15 of each year the board shall accept nominations of candidates for election to the trusteeships for terms beginning the next January 1, new trusteeships or vacancies to be filled by election.

(b) All nominations shall be by petition. Three petitions for an executive trustee shall be signed by governing bodies of contributing participating municipalities or instrumentalities.

A petition for an employee trustee shall be signed by at least 350 participating employees who were participants during July of the current year and who, if their employment status remained unchanged, would be eligible to vote for such candidate at the following election.

A petition for an annuitant trustee shall be signed by at least 100 persons who were annuitants of the Fund during July of the current year and who, if their annuitant status remains unchanged, would be eligible to vote for the candidate at the following election.

(c) A separate ballot shall be used for each class of trustee and the names of all candidates properly nominated in petitions received by the board shall be placed in alphabetical order upon the proper ballot. Where two employee trustees are elected to a full term in the same year, there shall be one election for the two trusteeships and the two candidates getting the highest number of votes shall be elected.

(d) At any election, each contributing participating municipality and participating instrumentality and each contributing participating employee employed by such participating municipality or participating instrumentality during September of any year, shall be entitled to vote as follows:

1. The governing body of each such participating municipality and participating instrumentality shall have one vote at any election in which an executive trustee is to be elected, and may cast such vote for any candidate on the executive trustee ballot.

2. Each participating employee shall have one vote at any election in which an employee trustee is to be elected, and may cast such vote for any candidate on the employee trustee ballot.

3. Each annuitant of the Fund shall have one vote at any election in which an annuitant trustee is to be elected, and may cast that vote for any candidate on the annuitant trustee ballot.

4. A vote may be cast for a person not on the ballot by writing in his or her name.

(e) The election shall be by ballot pursuant to the rules and regulations established by the board and shall be completed by December 31 of the year. The results shall be entered in the minutes of the meeting of the board following the tally of votes.

(f) In case of a tie vote, the candidate employed by or retired from the participating municipality or participating instrumentality having the greatest number of participating employees at the time shall be elected.

(g) Notwithstanding any other provision of this Article, if only one candidate is properly nominated in petitions received by the Board, that candidate shall be deemed the winner. In the case of 2 employee trustees elected to a full term in the same year, if only 2 candidates are properly nominated in petitions received by the Board, those 2 candidates shall both be deemed winners. If a candidate is deemed a winner under this paragraph, no election under this Section or Section 7-175.1 shall be required.

(Source: P.A. 98-932, eff. 8-15-14.)