97TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2011 and 2012
HB5177

 

Introduced 2/8/2012, by Rep. Deborah Mell, Kelly M. Cassidy and Robyn Gabel

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
10 ILCS 5/4-50
10 ILCS 5/5-50
10 ILCS 5/6-100
10 ILCS 5/19A-15

    Amends the Election Code. Extends the grace period for the registration of voters to until the 3rd day (now, the 7th day) before the primary or election. Provides that the period for early voting by personal appearance begins the 18th day (now, the 22nd day) before the election and extends through the 3rd day (now, the 5th day) before the election. Effective immediately.


LRB097 18973 PJG 64212 b

 

 

A BILL FOR

 

HB5177LRB097 18973 PJG 64212 b

1    AN ACT concerning elections.
 
2    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3represented in the General Assembly:
 
4    Section 5. The Election Code is amended by changing
5Sections 4-50, 5-50, 6-100, and 19A-15 as follows:
 
6    (10 ILCS 5/4-50)
7    Sec. 4-50. Grace period. Notwithstanding any other
8provision of this Code to the contrary, each election authority
9shall establish procedures for the registration of voters and
10for change of address during the period from the close of
11registration for a primary or election and until the 3rd 7th
12day before the primary or election. During this grace period,
13an unregistered qualified elector may register to vote, and a
14registered voter may submit a change of address form, in person
15in the office of the election authority or at a voter
16registration location specifically designated for this purpose
17by the election authority. The election authority shall
18register that individual, or change a registered voter's
19address, in the same manner as otherwise provided by this
20Article for registration and change of address.
21    If a voter who registers or changes address during this
22grace period wishes to vote at the first election or primary
23occurring after the grace period, he or she must do so by grace

 

 

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1period voting, either in person in the office of the election
2authority or at a location specifically designated for this
3purpose by the election authority, or by mail, at the
4discretion of the election authority. Grace period voting shall
5be in a manner substantially similar to voting under Article
619.
7    Within one day after a voter casts a grace period ballot,
8the election authority shall transmit the voter's name, street
9address, and precinct, ward, township, and district numbers, as
10the case may be, to the State Board of Elections, which shall
11maintain those names and that information in an electronic
12format on its website, arranged by county and accessible to
13State and local political committees. The name of each person
14issued a grace period ballot shall also be placed on the
15appropriate precinct list of persons to whom absentee and early
16ballots have been issued, for use as provided in Sections 17-9
17and 18-5.
18    A person who casts a grace period ballot shall not be
19permitted to revoke that ballot and vote another ballot with
20respect to that primary or election. Ballots cast by persons
21who register or change address during the grace period must be
22transmitted to and counted at the election authority's central
23ballot counting location and shall not be transmitted to and
24counted at precinct polling places. The grace period ballots
25determined to be valid shall be added to the vote totals for
26the precincts for which they were cast in the order in which

 

 

HB5177- 3 -LRB097 18973 PJG 64212 b

1the ballots were opened.
2(Source: P.A. 96-441, eff. 1-1-10.)
 
3    (10 ILCS 5/5-50)
4    Sec. 5-50. Grace period. Notwithstanding any other
5provision of this Code to the contrary, each election authority
6shall establish procedures for the registration of voters and
7for change of address during the period from the close of
8registration for a primary or election and until the 3rd 7th
9day before the primary or election. During this grace period,
10an unregistered qualified elector may register to vote, and a
11registered voter may submit a change of address form, in person
12in the office of the election authority or at a voter
13registration location specifically designated for this purpose
14by the election authority. The election authority shall
15register that individual, or change a registered voter's
16address, in the same manner as otherwise provided by this
17Article for registration and change of address.
18     If a voter who registers or changes address during this
19grace period wishes to vote at the first election or primary
20occurring after the grace period, he or she must do so by grace
21period voting, either in person in the office of the election
22authority or at a location specifically designated for this
23purpose by the election authority, or by mail, at the
24discretion of the election authority. Grace period voting shall
25be in a manner substantially similar to voting under Article

 

 

HB5177- 4 -LRB097 18973 PJG 64212 b

119.
2    Within one day after a voter casts a grace period ballot,
3the election authority shall transmit the voter's name, street
4address, and precinct, ward, township, and district numbers, as
5the case may be, to the State Board of Elections, which shall
6maintain those names and that information in an electronic
7format on its website, arranged by county and accessible to
8State and local political committees. The name of each person
9issued a grace period ballot shall also be placed on the
10appropriate precinct list of persons to whom absentee and early
11ballots have been issued, for use as provided in Sections 17-9
12and 18-5.
13    A person who casts a grace period ballot shall not be
14permitted to revoke that ballot and vote another ballot with
15respect to that primary or election. Ballots cast by persons
16who register or change address during the grace period must be
17transmitted to and counted at the election authority's central
18ballot counting location and shall not be transmitted to and
19counted at precinct polling places. The grace period ballots
20determined to be valid shall be added to the vote totals for
21the precincts for which they were cast in the order in which
22the ballots were opened.
23(Source: P.A. 96-441, eff. 1-1-10.)
 
24    (10 ILCS 5/6-100)
25    Sec. 6-100. Grace period. Notwithstanding any other

 

 

HB5177- 5 -LRB097 18973 PJG 64212 b

1provision of this Code to the contrary, each election authority
2shall establish procedures for the registration of voters and
3for change of address during the period from the close of
4registration for a primary or election and until the 3rd 7th
5day before the primary or election. During this grace period,
6an unregistered qualified elector may register to vote, and a
7registered voter may submit a change of address form, in person
8in the office of the election authority or at a voter
9registration location specifically designated for this purpose
10by the election authority. The election authority shall
11register that individual, or change a registered voter's
12address, in the same manner as otherwise provided by this
13Article for registration and change of address.
14    If a voter who registers or changes address during this
15grace period wishes to vote at the first election or primary
16occurring after the grace period, he or she must do so by grace
17period voting, either in person in the office of the election
18authority or at a location specifically designated for this
19purpose by the election authority, or by mail, at the
20discretion of the election authority. Grace period voting shall
21be in a manner substantially similar to voting under Article
2219.
23    Within one day after a voter casts a grace period ballot,
24the election authority shall transmit the voter's name, street
25address, and precinct, ward, township, and district numbers, as
26the case may be, to the State Board of Elections, which shall

 

 

HB5177- 6 -LRB097 18973 PJG 64212 b

1maintain those names and that information in an electronic
2format on its website, arranged by county and accessible to
3State and local political committees. The name of each person
4issued a grace period ballot shall also be placed on the
5appropriate precinct list of persons to whom absentee and early
6ballots have been issued, for use as provided in Sections 17-9
7and 18-5.
8    A person who casts a grace period ballot shall not be
9permitted to revoke that ballot and vote another ballot with
10respect to that primary or election. Ballots cast by persons
11who register or change address during the grace period must be
12transmitted to and counted at the election authority's central
13ballot counting location and shall not be transmitted to and
14counted at precinct polling places. The grace period ballots
15determined to be valid shall be added to the vote totals for
16the precincts for which they were cast in the order in which
17the ballots were opened.
18(Source: P.A. 96-441, eff. 1-1-10.)
 
19    (10 ILCS 5/19A-15)
20    Sec. 19A-15. Period for early voting; hours.
21    (a) The period for early voting by personal appearance
22begins the 18th 22nd day preceding a general primary,
23consolidated primary, consolidated, or general election and
24extends through the 3rd 5th day before election day.
25    (b) A permanent polling place for early voting must remain

 

 

HB5177- 7 -LRB097 18973 PJG 64212 b

1open during the hours of 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., or 9:00 a.m.
2to 5:00 p.m., on weekdays and 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. on
3Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays; except that, in addition to
4the hours required by this subsection, a permanent early voting
5polling place designated by an election authority under
6subsection (c) of Section 19A-10 must remain open for a total
7of at least 8 hours on any holiday during the early voting
8period and a total of at least 14 hours on the final weekend
9during the early voting period.
10    (c) Notwithstanding subsections (a) and (b), an election
11authority may close an early voting polling place if the
12building in which the polling place is located has been closed
13by the State or unit of local government in response to a
14severe weather emergency. In the event of a closure, the
15election authority shall conduct early voting on the 2nd day
16before election day from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. or 9:00 a.m. to
175:00 p.m. The election authority shall notify the State Board
18of Elections of any closure and shall make reasonable efforts
19to provide notice to the public of the extended early voting
20period.
21(Source: P.A. 96-637, eff. 1-1-10; 97-81, eff. 7-5-11.)
 
22    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
23becoming law.