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92_HB3026
LRB9205076JMmb
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 Section 16-3 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
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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 election elections may be
15 printed 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
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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. A ballot may not
6 position the square, or the area to be punched or otherwise
7 marked when using a punch card or electronic voting system,
8 in any location other than at the beginning of and on the
9 same line as the name or bracketed names for which the
10 square, or area for punching or marking, is designated. The
11 list of candidates of the several parties and any such list
12 of independent candidates shall be placed in separate columns
13 on the ballot in such order as the election authorities
14 charged with the printing of the ballots shall decide;
15 provided, that the names of the candidates of the several
16 political parties, certified by the State Board of Elections
17 to the several county clerks shall be printed by the county
18 clerk of the proper county on the official ballot in the
19 order certified by the State Board of Elections. Any county
20 clerk refusing, neglecting or failing to print on the
21 official ballot the names of candidates of the several
22 political parties in the order certified by the State Board
23 of Elections, and any county clerk who prints or causes to be
24 printed upon the official ballot the name of a candidate, for
25 an office to be filled by the Electors of the entire State,
26 whose name has not been duly certified to him upon a
27 certificate signed by the State Board of Elections shall be
28 guilty of a Class C misdemeanor.
29 When an electronic voting system is used which utilizes a
30 ballot card, on the inside flap of each ballot card envelope
31 there shall be printed a form for write-in voting which shall
32 be substantially as follows:
33 WRITE-IN VOTES
34 (See card of instructions for specific information.
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1 Duplicate form below by hand for additional write-in votes.)
2 _____________________________
3 Title of Office
4 ( ) ____________________________
5 Name of Candidate
6 When an electronic voting system is used which uses a
7 ballot sheet, the instructions to voters on the ballot sheet
8 shall refer the voter to the card of instructions for
9 specific information on write-in voting. Below each office
10 appearing on such ballot sheet there shall be a provision for
11 the casting of a write-in vote.
12 When such electronic system is used, there shall be
13 printed on the back of each ballot card, each ballot card
14 envelope, and the first page of the ballot label when a
15 ballot label is used, the words "Official Ballot," followed
16 by the number of the precinct or other precinct
17 identification, which may be stamped, in lieu thereof and, as
18 applicable, the number and name of the township, ward or
19 other election district for which the ballot card, ballot
20 card envelope, and ballot label are prepared, the date of the
21 election and a facsimile of the signature of the election
22 authority who has caused the ballots to be printed. The back
23 of the ballot card shall also include a method of identifying
24 the ballot configuration such as a listing of the political
25 subdivisions and districts for which votes may be cast on
26 that ballot, or a number code identifying the ballot
27 configuration or color coded ballots, except that where there
28 is only one ballot configuration in a precinct, the precinct
29 identification, and any applicable ward identification, shall
30 be sufficient. Ballot card envelopes used in punch card
31 systems shall be of paper through which no writing or punches
32 may be discerned and shall be of sufficient length to enclose
33 all voting positions. However, the election authority may
34 provide ballot card envelopes on which no precinct number or
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1 township, ward or other election district designation, or
2 election date are preprinted, if space and a preprinted form
3 are provided below the space provided for the names of
4 write-in candidates where such information may be entered by
5 the judges of election. Whenever an election authority
6 utilizes ballot card envelopes on which the election date and
7 precinct is not preprinted, a judge of election shall mark
8 such information for the particular precinct and election on
9 the envelope in ink before tallying and counting any write-in
10 vote written thereon. If some method of insuring ballot
11 secrecy other than an envelope is used, such information must
12 be provided on the ballot itself.
13 In the designation of the name of a candidate on the
14 ballot, the candidate's given name or names, initial or
15 initials, a nickname by which the candidate is commonly
16 known, or a combination thereof, may be used in addition to
17 the candidate's surname. No other designation such as a title
18 or degree or nickname suggesting or implying possession of a
19 title, degree or professional status, or similar information
20 may be used in connection with the candidate's surname,
21 except that the title "Mrs." may be used in the case of a
22 married woman.
23 Where voting machines or electronic voting systems are
24 used, the provisions of this Section may be modified as
25 required or authorized by Article 24 or Article 24A,
26 whichever is applicable.
27 Nothing in this Section shall prohibit election
28 authorities from using or reusing ballot card envelopes which
29 were printed before the effective date of this amendatory Act
30 of 1985.
31 (Source: P.A. 84-1308.)