(10 ILCS 5/17‑1) (from Ch. 46, par. 17‑1) Sec. 17‑1. The polls shall be opened at the hour of 6:00 a.m. and continued open until 7:00 p.m. of the same day, at which time the polls shall be closed; but if the judges shall not attend at the hour of six o'clock in the morning, or if it shall be necessary for the electors present to appoint judges to conduct the election, as herein prescribed, the polls may, in that case, be opened at any hour before the time for closing the same shall arrive, as the case may require. (Source: P.A. 81‑850; 81‑1149.) |
(10 ILCS 5/17‑2) (from Ch. 46, par. 17‑2) Sec. 17‑2. Upon opening the polls one of the judges of election shall make proclamation of the same, and at least 30 minutes before the closing of the polls proclamation shall be made in like manner that the polls will be closed in half an hour. (Source: Laws 1957, p. 1450.) |
(10 ILCS 5/17‑3) (from Ch. 46, par. 17‑3) Sec. 17‑3. (a) Before voting begins, the ballot box shall be publicly opened and exhibited, and the judges shall see that no ballot is in such box; after which the box shall be locked and the key delivered to one of the judges, and shall not be again opened until the close of the polls. This paragraph (a) applies whenever permanent type ballot boxes are used, and does not apply when non‑permanent type ballot boxes are used in accordance with section 15‑1, paragraph (b). (b) When non‑permanent type ballot boxes are used in accordance with section 15‑1, paragraph (b), prior to the commencement of voting and before any ballots are deposited therein, the judges shall examine each sealed ballot box, show it to those present and insure that it is in fact sealed and empty; the sealed slot shall be broken open before those present and the box inspected to insure that it is empty and such ballot box shall not be removed from public view from the time it is so inspected until after the close of the polls. The sealed opening on the side of the box shall not be unsealed or opened until after the close of the polls. (Source: P. A. 77‑6.) |
(10 ILCS 5/17‑4) (from Ch. 46, par. 17‑4) Sec. 17‑4. Each of 2 judges of the election shall keep a poll list, which shall contain a column headed "number", and another headed "names of voters". The name of each elector voting shall be entered upon each of the poll books by such judges, in regular succession, under the proper headings, and the number of such voter placed opposite his name in the column headed "number". This section shall not apply where Articles 4, 5 or 6 of this Act make provision for the use of an official poll record in lieu of poll books. (Source: Laws 1957, p. 1452.) |
(10 ILCS 5/17‑5) (from Ch. 46, par. 17‑5) Sec. 17‑5. The manner of voting shall be by ballot. The ballot shall be printed or written, or partly printed and partly written, and shall be, except as otherwise provided in Article 8A, in form as prescribed in Article 16 of this Act. (Source: Laws 1964, 1st S.S., p. 711.) |
(10 ILCS 5/17‑6) (from Ch. 46, par. 17‑6) Sec. 17‑6. The names of all candidates for which the elector intends to vote shall be written or printed upon the same ballot, and the office to which he or she desires each to be elected shall be designated upon the ballot in the manner prescribed in Article 16 of this Act. (Source: P.A. 83‑333.) |
(10 ILCS 5/17‑7) (from Ch. 46, par. 17‑7) Sec. 17‑7. The judges of election of their respective election precincts or election districts shall have charge of the ballots and furnish them to the voter as herein set forth. (Source: Laws 1943, vol. 2, p. 1.) |
(10 ILCS 5/17‑12) (from Ch. 46, par. 17‑12) Sec. 17‑12. The ballot shall be folded by the voter and delivered to one of the judges of election; and if the judge be satisfied, that the person offering the vote is a legal voter, the judges of election shall enter the name of the voter, and his number, under the proper heading in the poll books, (except as otherwise provided in Articles 4, 5 or 6) and shall immediately put the ballot into the ballot box. The voter shall in like manner fold and deliver the separate blue ballot or ballots pertaining to a proposal or proposals for constitutional amendments or the calling of a constitutional convention, if such proposal or proposals have been submitted to a vote of the people at such election and shall also in like manner fold and deliver the separate representative ballot provided for in Article 8A in cases where that Article is applicable. The judge of election to whom the voter delivers his ballots shall not accept the same unless all of the ballots given to the voter are returned by him. If a voter delivers less than all of the ballots given to him, the judge to whom the same are offered shall advise him in a voice clearly audible to the other judges of election that the voter must return the remainder of the ballots. The statement of the judge to the voter shall clearly express the fact that the voter is not required to vote such remaining ballots but that whether or not he votes them he must fold and deliver them to the judge. In making such statement the judge of election shall not indicate by word, gesture or intonation of voice that the unreturned ballots shall be voted in any particular manner. No new voter shall be permitted to enter the voting booth of a voter who has failed to deliver the total number of ballots received by him until such voter has returned to the voting booth pursuant to the judge's request and again quit the booth with all of the ballots required to be returned by him. Upon receipt of all such ballots the judges of election shall enter the name of the voter, and his number, as above provided in this section, and the judge to whom the ballots are delivered shall immediately put the ballots into the ballot box but, in the case of an election for Representatives in the General Assembly pursuant to Article 8A, the official representative ballot shall be placed in the separate ballot box provided for such purpose. If any voter who has failed to deliver all the ballots received by him refuses to return to the voting booth after being advised by the judge of election as herein provided, the judge shall inform the other judges of such refusal, and thereupon the ballot or ballots returned to the judge shall be deposited in the ballot box, the voter shall be permitted to depart from the polling place, and a new voter shall be permitted to enter the voting booth. No judge of election shall accept from any voter less than the full number of ballots received by such voter without first advising the voter in the manner above provided of the necessity of returning all of the ballots, nor shall any judge advise such voter in a manner contrary to that which is herein permitted, or in any other manner violate the provisions of this section; provided that the acceptance by a judge of election of less than the full number of ballots delivered to a voter who refuses to return to the voting booth after being properly advised by the judge shall not be a violation of this section. (Source: Laws 1964, 1st S.S., p. 711.) |
(10 ILCS 5/17‑13) (from Ch. 46, par. 17‑13) Sec. 17‑13. (a) In the case of an emergency, as determined by the State Board of Elections, or if the Board determines that all potential polling places have been surveyed by the election authority and that no accessible polling place, as defined by rule of the State Board of Elections, is available within a precinct nor is the election authority able to make a polling place within the precinct temporarily accessible, the Board, upon written application by the election authority, is authorized to grant an exemption from the accessibility requirements of the Federal Voting Accessibility for the Elderly and Handicapped Act (Public Law 98‑435). Such exemption shall be valid for a period of 2 years. (b) Any temporarily or permanently physically disabled voter who, because of structural features of the building in which the polling place is located, is unable to access or enter the polling place, may request that 2 judges of election of opposite party affiliation deliver a ballot to him or her at the point where he or she is unable to continue forward motion toward the polling place; but, in no case, shall a ballot be delivered to the voter beyond 50 feet of the entrance to the building in which the polling place is located. Such request shall be made to the election authority not later than the close of business at the election authority's office on the day before the election and on a form prescribed by the State Board of Elections. The election authority shall notify the judges of election for the appropriate precinct polling places of such requests. Weather permitting, 2 judges of election shall deliver to the disabled voter the ballot which he or she is entitled to vote, a portable voting booth or other enclosure that will allow such voter to mark his or her ballot in secrecy, and a marking device. (c) The voter must complete the entire voting process, including the application for ballot from which the judges of election shall compare the voter's signature with the signature on his or her registration record card in the precinct binder. After the voter has marked his or her ballot and placed it in the ballot envelope (or folded it in the manner prescribed for paper ballots), the 2 judges of election shall return the ballot to the polling place and give it to the judge in charge of the ballot box who shall deposit it therein. Pollwatchers as provided in Sections 7‑34 and 17‑23 of this Code shall be permitted to accompany the judges and observe the above procedure. No assistance may be given to such voter in marking his or her ballot, unless the voter requests assistance and completes the affidavit required by Section 17‑14 of this Code. (Source: P.A. 84‑808.) |
(10 ILCS 5/17‑16) (from Ch. 46, par. 17‑16) Sec. 17‑16. If the voter marks more candidates than there are persons to be elected to an office, or if for any reason it is impossible to determine the voter's choice for any office to be filled, his ballot shall not be counted for such office, provided that if the name of a candidate appears in more than one column on the ballot as authorized by this Act, and a ballot has been marked in his or her favor in more than one column and the voter's intention is otherwise ascertainable, the candidate shall receive only one vote from such ballot and the remaining votes cast for him or her on such ballot shall not be counted. No ballot without the official endorsement shall be deposited in the ballot box, and none but ballots provided in accordance with the provisions of this Act shall be counted. Ballots not counted shall be marked "defective" on the back thereof, and ballots to which objection has been made by either of the judges or challengers shall be marked "objected to" on the back thereof, and a memorandum signed by the judges stating how it was counted shall be written upon the back of each ballot so marked, and all ballots marked defective or objected to shall be enclosed in an envelope securely sealed and so marked and endorsed as to clearly disclose its contents. The envelope to be used for enclosing ballots marked "defective" or "objected to" shall bear upon its face, in large type, the legend: "This envelope is for use after 7:00 P.M. only." The envelope to be used for enclosing ballots spoiled by voters while attempting to vote shall bear upon its face, in large type, the legend: "This envelope is for use before 7:00 P.M. only." All ballots not voted, and all that have been spoiled by voters while attempting to vote, shall be returned by the judges of election to the county clerk and a receipt taken therefor, and shall be preserved 2 months; the county clerk shall keep a record of the number of ballots delivered for each polling place, the name of the person to whom and the time when delivered, and he shall also enter upon such record the number and character of ballots returned, with the time when and the person by whom they are returned. (Source: P.A. 84‑861.) |