[ Search ] [ PDF text ] [ Legislation ]
[ Home ] [ Back ] [ Bottom ]
92_SB0353
LRB9205517JMmb
1 AN ACT concerning elections.
2 Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3 represented in the General Assembly:
4 Section 5. The Election Code is amended by changing
5 Sections 16-3 and 16-6.1 as follows:
6 (10 ILCS 5/16-3) (from Ch. 46, par. 16-3)
7 Sec. 16-3. The names of all candidates to be voted for
8 in each election district or precinct shall be printed on one
9 ballot, except as is provided in Sections 16-6.1 and 21-1.01
10 of this Act and except as otherwise provided in this Act with
11 respect to the odd year regular elections and the emergency
12 referenda; all nominations of any political party being
13 placed under the party appellation or title of such party as
14 designated in the certificates of nomination or petitions.
15 The names of all independent candidates shall be printed upon
16 the ballot in a column or columns under the heading
17 "independent" arranged under the names or titles of the
18 respective offices for which such independent candidates
19 shall have been nominated and so far as practicable, the name
20 or names of any independent candidate or candidates for any
21 office shall be printed upon the ballot opposite the name or
22 names of any candidate or candidates for the same office
23 contained in any party column or columns upon said ballot.
24 The ballot shall contain no other names, except that in cases
25 of electors for President and Vice-President of the United
26 States, the names of the candidates for President and
27 Vice-President may be added to the party designation and
28 words calculated to aid the voter in his choice of candidates
29 may be added, such as "Vote for one," "Vote for three." When
30 an electronic voting system is used which utilizes a ballot
31 label booklet, the candidates and questions shall appear on
-2- LRB9205517JMmb
1 the pages of such booklet in the order provided by this Code;
2 and, in any case where candidates for an office appear on a
3 page which does not contain the name of any candidate for
4 another office, and where less than 50% of the page is
5 utilized, the name of no candidate shall be printed on the
6 lowest 25% of such page. On the back or outside of the
7 ballot, so as to appear when folded, shall be printed the
8 words "Official Ballot", followed by the designation of the
9 polling place for which the ballot is prepared, the date of
10 the election and a facsimile of the signature of the election
11 authority who has caused the ballots to be printed. The
12 ballots shall be of plain white paper, through which the
13 printing or writing cannot be read. However, ballots for use
14 at the nonpartisan and consolidated elections may be printed
15 on different color paper, except blue paper, whenever
16 necessary or desirable to facilitate distinguishing between
17 ballots for different political subdivisions. In the case of
18 nonpartisan elections for officers of a political
19 subdivision, unless the statute or an ordinance adopted
20 pursuant to Article VII of the Constitution providing the
21 form of government therefor requires otherwise, the column
22 listing such nonpartisan candidates shall be printed with no
23 appellation or circle at its head. The party appellation or
24 title, or the word "independent" at the head of any column
25 provided for independent candidates, shall be printed in
26 capital letters not less than one-fourth of an inch in height
27 and a circle one-half inch in diameter shall be printed at
28 the beginning of the line in which such appellation or title
29 is printed, provided, however, that no such circle shall be
30 printed at the head of any column or columns provided for
31 such independent candidates. The names of candidates shall be
32 printed in capital letters not less than one-eighth nor more
33 than one-fourth of an inch in height, and at the beginning of
34 each line in which a name of a candidate is printed a square
-3- LRB9205517JMmb
1 shall be printed, the sides of which shall be not less than
2 one-fourth of an inch in length. However, the names of the
3 candidates for Governor and Lieutenant Governor on the same
4 ticket shall be printed within a bracket and a single square
5 shall be printed in front of the bracket. The list of
6 candidates of the several parties and any such list of
7 independent candidates shall be placed in separate columns on
8 the ballot in such order as the election authorities charged
9 with the printing of the ballots shall decide; provided, that
10 the names of the candidates of the several political parties,
11 certified by the State Board of Elections to the several
12 county clerks shall be printed by the county clerk of the
13 proper county on the official ballot in the order certified
14 by the State Board of Elections. Any county clerk refusing,
15 neglecting or failing to print on the official ballot the
16 names of candidates of the several political parties in the
17 order certified by the State Board of Elections, and any
18 county clerk who prints or causes to be printed upon the
19 official ballot the name of a candidate, for an office to be
20 filled by the Electors of the entire State, whose name has
21 not been duly certified to him upon a certificate signed by
22 the State Board of Elections shall be guilty of a Class C
23 misdemeanor.
24 When an electronic voting system is used which utilizes a
25 ballot card, on the inside flap of each ballot card envelope
26 there shall be printed a form for write-in voting which shall
27 be substantially as follows:
28 WRITE-IN VOTES
29 (See card of instructions for specific information.
30 Duplicate form below by hand for additional write-in votes.)
31 _____________________________
32 Title of Office
33 ( ) ____________________________
34 Name of Candidate
-4- LRB9205517JMmb
1 When an electronic voting system is used which uses a
2 ballot sheet, the instructions to voters on the ballot sheet
3 shall refer the voter to the card of instructions for
4 specific information on write-in voting. Below each office
5 appearing on such ballot sheet there shall be a provision for
6 the casting of a write-in vote.
7 When such electronic system is used, there shall be
8 printed on the back of each ballot card, each ballot card
9 envelope, and the first page of the ballot label when a
10 ballot label is used, the words "Official Ballot," followed
11 by the number of the precinct or other precinct
12 identification, which may be stamped, in lieu thereof and, as
13 applicable, the number and name of the township, ward or
14 other election district for which the ballot card, ballot
15 card envelope, and ballot label are prepared, the date of the
16 election and a facsimile of the signature of the election
17 authority who has caused the ballots to be printed. The back
18 of the ballot card shall also include a method of identifying
19 the ballot configuration such as a listing of the political
20 subdivisions and districts for which votes may be cast on
21 that ballot, or a number code identifying the ballot
22 configuration or color coded ballots, except that where there
23 is only one ballot configuration in a precinct, the precinct
24 identification, and any applicable ward identification, shall
25 be sufficient. Ballot card envelopes used in punch card
26 systems shall be of paper through which no writing or punches
27 may be discerned and shall be of sufficient length to enclose
28 all voting positions. However, the election authority may
29 provide ballot card envelopes on which no precinct number or
30 township, ward or other election district designation, or
31 election date are preprinted, if space and a preprinted form
32 are provided below the space provided for the names of
33 write-in candidates where such information may be entered by
34 the judges of election. Whenever an election authority
-5- LRB9205517JMmb
1 utilizes ballot card envelopes on which the election date and
2 precinct is not preprinted, a judge of election shall mark
3 such information for the particular precinct and election on
4 the envelope in ink before tallying and counting any write-in
5 vote written thereon. If some method of insuring ballot
6 secrecy other than an envelope is used, such information must
7 be provided on the ballot itself.
8 In the designation of the name of a candidate on the
9 ballot, the candidate's given name or names, initial or
10 initials, a nickname by which the candidate is commonly
11 known, or a combination thereof, may be used in addition to
12 the candidate's surname. No other designation such as a title
13 or degree or nickname suggesting or implying possession of a
14 title, degree or professional status, or similar information
15 may be used in connection with the candidate's surname,
16 except that the title "Mrs." may be used in the case of a
17 married woman.
18 Where voting machines or electronic voting systems are
19 used, the provisions of this Section may be modified as
20 required or authorized by Article 24 or Article 24A,
21 whichever is applicable.
22 Nothing in this Section shall prohibit election
23 authorities from using or reusing ballot card envelopes which
24 were printed before the effective date of this amendatory Act
25 of 1985.
26 (Source: P.A. 84-1308.)
27 (10 ILCS 5/16-6.1) (from Ch. 46, par. 16-6.1)
28 Sec. 16-6.1. In elections held pursuant to the
29 provisions of Section 12 of Article VI of the Constitution
30 relating to retention of judges in office, the form of the
31 proposition to be submitted for each candidate shall be as
32 provided in paragraph (1) or (2), as the election authority
33 may choose.
-6- LRB9205517JMmb
1 (1) The names of all persons seeking retention in
2 the same office shall be listed, in the order provided in
3 this Section, with one proposition that reads
4 substantially as follows: "Shall each of the persons
5 listed be retained in office as (insert name of office
6 and court)?". To the right of each candidate's name must
7 be places for the voter to mark "Yes" or "No". If the
8 list of candidates for retention in the same office
9 exceeds one page of the ballot, the proposition must
10 appear on each page upon which the list of candidates
11 continues.
12 (2) The form of the proposition for each candidate
13 shall be substantially as follows:
14 ___________________________________________________
15 Shall ....... (insert name YES
16 of candidate) be retained in
17 office as ..... (insert name
18 of office and Court)? NO
19 ___________________________________________________
20 The names of all candidates thus submitting their names
21 for retention in office in any particular judicial district
22 or circuit shall appear on the same ballot which shall be
23 separate from all other ballots voted on at the general
24 election.
25 Propositions on Supreme Court judges, if any are seeking
26 retention, shall appear on the ballot in the first group, for
27 judges of the Appellate Court in the second group immediately
28 under the first, and for circuit judges in the last group.
29 The grouping of candidates for the same office shall be
30 preceded by a heading describing the office and the court.
31 If there are two or more candidates for each office, the
32 names of such candidates in each group shall be listed in the
33 order determined as follows: The name of the person with the
34 greatest length of time served in the specified office of the
-7- LRB9205517JMmb
1 specified court shall be listed first in each group. The
2 rest of the names shall be listed in the appropriate order
3 based on the same seniority standard. If two or more
4 candidates for each office have served identical periods of
5 time in the specified office, such candidates shall be listed
6 alphabetically at the appropriate place in the order of names
7 based on seniority in the office as described. Circuit
8 judges shall be credited for the purposes of this section
9 with service as associate judges prior to July 1, 1971 and
10 with service on any court the judges of which were made
11 associate judges on January 1, 1964 by virtue of Paragraph 4,
12 subparagraphs (c) and (d) of the Schedule to Article VI of
13 the former Illinois Constitution.
14 At the top of the ballot on the same side as the
15 propositions on the candidates are listed shall be printed an
16 explanation to read substantially as follows: "Vote on the
17 proposition with respect to all or any of the judges listed
18 on this ballot. No judge listed is running against any other
19 judge. The sole question is whether each judge shall be
20 retained in his present office".
21 Such separate ballot shall be printed on paper of
22 sufficient size so that when folded once it shall be large
23 enough to contain the following words, which shall be printed
24 on the back, "Ballot for judicial candidates seeking
25 retention in office". Such ballot shall be handed to the
26 elector at the same time as the ballot containing the names
27 of other candidates for the general election and shall be
28 returned therewith by the elector to the proper officer in
29 the manner designated by this Act. All provisions of this
30 Act relating to ballots shall apply to such separate ballot,
31 except as otherwise specifically provided in this section.
32 Such separate ballot shall be printed upon paper of a green
33 color. No other ballot at the same election shall be green
34 in color.
-8- LRB9205517JMmb
1 In precincts in which voting machines are used, the
2 special ballot containing the propositions on the retention
3 of judges may be placed on the voting machines if such voting
4 machines permit the casting of votes on such propositions.
5 An electronic voting system authorized by Article 24A may
6 be used in voting and tabulating the judicial retention
7 ballots. When an electronic voting system is used which
8 utilizes a ballot label booklet and ballot card, there shall
9 be used in the label booklet a separate ballot label page or
10 pages as required for such proposition, which page or pages
11 for such proposition shall be of a green color separate and
12 distinct from the ballot label page or pages used for any
13 other proposition or candidates.
14 (Source: P.A. 79-201.)