State of Illinois
90th General Assembly
Legislation

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90_SB1441

      10 ILCS 5/19-2            from Ch. 46, par. 19-2
      10 ILCS 5/19-4            from Ch. 46, par. 19-4
          Amends the Election Code.  Allows  electors  (in  certain
      circumstances)  to  apply to the county clerk or the Board of
      Election Commissioners for an absentee  ballot  by  mail  not
      more  than  40  nor  less than 7 days (now 5 days) before the
      election.
                                                    LRB9010233JMmgA
                                              LRB9010233JMmgA
 1        AN ACT to amend the Election Code  by  changing  Sections
 2    19-2 and 19-4.
 3        Be  it  enacted  by  the People of the State of Illinois,
 4    represented in the General Assembly:
 5        Section 5.  The Election  Code  is  amended  by  changing
 6    Sections 19-2 and 19-4 as follows:
 7        (10 ILCS 5/19-2) (from Ch. 46, par. 19-2)
 8        Sec.  19-2.    Any  elector  as  defined  in Section 19-1
 9    expecting to be absent from the county of  his  residence  or
10    any  such  elector  who because of being appointed a judge of
11    election in a precinct other than the precinct  in  which  he
12    resides  or  who because of physical incapacity or the tenets
13    of his religion in the observance of a religious  holiday  or
14    who  because of election duties for the office of an Election
15    Authority, the State Board of Elections, or a law enforcement
16    agency will be unable to be present at the polls on  the  day
17    of  such election may by mail, not more than 40 nor less than
18    7 5 days prior to the date of such election, or  by  personal
19    delivery  not more than 40 nor less than one day prior to the
20    date of such election, make application to the  county  clerk
21    or  to  the  Board  of Election Commissioners for an official
22    ballot for the voter's precinct to be voted at such election.
23    (Source: P.A. 84-808.)
24        (10 ILCS 5/19-4) (from Ch. 46, par. 19-4)
25        Sec. 19-4.  Mailing  or  delivery  of  ballots  -  Time.)
26    Immediately  upon  the  receipt of such application either by
27    mail, not more than 40 days nor less than 7 5 days  prior  to
28    such  election, or by personal delivery not more than 40 days
29    nor less than one day prior to such election,  at the  office
30    of  such  election  authority,  it  shall be the duty of such
                            -2-               LRB9010233JMmgA
 1    election  authority  to  examine  the  records  to  ascertain
 2    whether or not such applicant is lawfully entitled to vote as
 3    requested, and if found so to be, to post within one business
 4    day thereafter the name, street address,  ward  and  precinct
 5    number  or  township and district number, as the case may be,
 6    of such applicant given on a list, the pages of which are  to
 7    be  numbered  consecutively  to  be  kept  by  such  election
 8    authority  for such purpose in a conspicuous, open and public
 9    place accessible to the public at the entrance of the  office
10    of  such  election  authority, and in such a manner that such
11    list may be viewed without necessity of requesting permission
12    therefor, and within 2  business  days  thereafter  to  mail,
13    postage  prepaid,  or  deliver  in  person  in such office an
14    official ballot or ballots if more than one are to  be  voted
15    at  said  election.   Mail  delivery  of  Temporarily  Absent
16    Student ballot applications pursuant to Section 19-12.3 shall
17    be  by  nonforwardable  mail.   However, for the consolidated
18    election, absentee  ballots  for  certain  precincts  may  be
19    delivered  to  applicants  not  less  than 25 days before the
20    election if so much time is required  to  have  prepared  and
21    printed the ballots containing the names of persons nominated
22    for   offices  at  the  consolidated  primary.  The  election
23    authority  shall  enclose  with  each  absentee   ballot   or
24    application  written  instructions  on  how voting assistance
25    shall be provided pursuant to Section 17-14 and  a  document,
26    written  and  approved  by  the  State  Board  of  Elections,
27    enumerating   the  circumstances  under  which  a  person  is
28    authorized to  vote  by  absentee  ballot  pursuant  to  this
29    Article;   such  document  shall  also  include  a  statement
30    informing the applicant that if he or  she  falsifies  or  is
31    solicited  by  another  to  falsify his or her eligibility to
32    cast an absentee ballot, such applicant or other  is  subject
33    to  penalties  pursuant to Section 29-10 and Section 29-20 of
34    the Election Code.  Each election authority shall maintain  a
                            -3-               LRB9010233JMmgA
 1    list  of  the  name,  street  address,  ward and precinct, or
 2    township and district number, as the  case  may  be,  of  all
 3    applicants   who  have  returned  absentee  ballots  to  such
 4    authority, and the name of such absent voter shall  be  added
 5    to  such  list  within  one business day from receipt of such
 6    ballot. If the absentee ballot envelope  indicates  that  the
 7    voter  was  assisted  in  casting the ballot, the name of the
 8    person so assisting shall be included on the list. The  list,
 9    the pages of which are to be numbered consecutively, shall be
10    kept  by  each election authority in a conspicuous, open, and
11    public place accessible to the public at the entrance of  the
12    office  of  the  election  authority and in a manner that the
13    list may be viewed without necessity of requesting permission
14    for viewing.
15        Each election authority shall maintain a  list  for  each
16    election  of  the  voters  to  whom  it  has  issued absentee
17    ballots. The list  shall  be  maintained  for  each  precinct
18    within  the  jurisdiction of the election authority. Prior to
19    the opening of  the  polls  on  election  day,  the  election
20    authority  shall  deliver  to  the judges of election in each
21    precinct the list of registered voters in  that  precinct  to
22    whom absentee ballots have been issued by mail.
23        Each  election  authority  shall maintain a list for each
24    election of voters to whom it has issued  temporarily  absent
25    student  ballots.   The  list  shall  be  maintained for each
26    election jurisdiction within which  such  voters  temporarily
27    abide.   Immediately  after  the  close  of the period during
28    which application may be  made by mail for absentee  ballots,
29    each  election  authority  shall  mail to each other election
30    authority within the State  a  certified  list  of  all  such
31    voters  temporarily  abiding  within  the jurisdiction of the
32    other election authority.
33        In the event that the return address  of  an  application
34    for ballot by a physically incapacitated elector is that of a
                            -4-               LRB9010233JMmgA
 1    facility  licensed  or  certified under the Nursing Home Care
 2    Act, within the jurisdiction of the election  authority,  and
 3    the  applicant is a registered voter in the precinct in which
 4    such facility is located, the ballots shall be  prepared  and
 5    transmitted  to a responsible judge of election no later than
 6    9  a.m.  on  the  Saturday,  Sunday  or  Monday   immediately
 7    preceding   the   election  as  designated  by  the  election
 8    authority under Section 19-12.2. Such judge shall deliver  in
 9    person  on  the designated day the ballot to the applicant on
10    the premises of the facility from which application was made.
11    The election authority shall by mail notify the applicant  in
12    such facility that the ballot will be delivered by a judge of
13    election on the designated day.
14        All  applications for absentee ballots shall be available
15    at the office of the election authority for public inspection
16    upon request from the time of receipt thereof by the election
17    authority until 30 days after the election, except during the
18    time such applications are kept in the office of the election
19    authority pursuant to Section 19-7,  and  except  during  the
20    time such applications are in the possession of the judges of
21    election.
22    (Source: P.A. 89-653, eff. 8-14-96; 90-101, eff. 7-11-97.)

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