103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2023 and 2024
HB1359

 

Introduced 1/31/2023, by Rep. Martin McLaughlin, David Friess, Joe C. Sosnowski, Dan Ugaste, Jed Davis, et al.

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
New Act

    Creates the School Board Member Recall Act. Establishes procedures under which school board members that were elected during a consolidated election may be recalled. Provides for petition requirements for recall elections. Provides for requirements for recall ballots, including requirements for replacement candidates wishing to be listed on the recall ballot.


LRB103 25615 RJT 51964 b

 

 

A BILL FOR

 

HB1359LRB103 25615 RJT 51964 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 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the School
5Board Member Recall Act.
 
6    Section 5. School board member recall elections.
7    (a) Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the
8contrary, school board members that were elected during a
9consolidated election may be recalled under this Act.
10    (b) In order to recall a school board member under this
11Act, the organizer of the petitions of the recall must reside
12within the jurisdiction that the school board member
13represents and file with the local election authority
14petitions meeting the following signature requirements of
15voters registered in that jurisdiction supporting the recall:
16(i) signatures representing 25% of the votes cast in that
17jurisdiction in the last election for Governor or (ii) 10,000
18signatures of residents of the jurisdiction, whichever is
19less.
20    Before circulating petitions for a recall election, the
21petitioner must file an intent to recall with the appropriate
22local election authority. Such filing shall contain the name
23of the petitioner requesting the recall, the school board

 

 

HB1359- 2 -LRB103 25615 RJT 51964 b

1member to be recalled, and the reason for the recall.
2Circulation of petitions may only begin after the filing of
3the intent to recall. The recall petitions shall follow the
4same general format as petitions for running for office, but
5shall include the words "RECALL PETITION" on the top of each
6form, with the reason for the recall also printed on the form.
7    An intent to recall may be filed any time after a school
8board member has been in office for more than one year. Recall
9petitions may be circulated only from 120 to 180 days before a
10consolidated election and after the intent to recall has been
11filed. Petitions may be filed anytime from 120 to 180 days
12before a consolidated election.
13    (c) All recall elections under this Act shall be conducted
14during consolidated elections. The ballot question on the
15recall shall read as follows:
16        Shall (name of school board member) be recalled from
17    (his or her) position as (title of position)? (YES/NO)
18        If (name of school board member) is recalled, whom do
19    you vote for to replace (him or her)?
20        (Name of school board member).
21        (Name of candidate).
22        (Name of candidate).
23    (d) Replacement candidates wishing to be listed on the
24recall ballot shall be certified under the same procedures as
25if they were running for the school board in a standard
26consolidated election, except that the petition circulation

 

 

HB1359- 3 -LRB103 25615 RJT 51964 b

1and filing of petitions shall be only from the time the intent
2to recall is filed to 90 days before the election. Candidates
3running to replace the recalled school board member shall
4state clearly on their petitions which school board member the
5candidates are seeking to replace.
6    (e) There shall be no primary or runoff election after a
7recall election. The person with the most votes in the recall
8election shall replace the school board member that was
9recalled.
10    (f) The procedure to be certified to run in the recall
11election shall be the same as being nominated and certified in
12the standard consolidated election for the office to be
13filled. Challenges to recall petitions shall follow the same
14procedures as challenges to petitions under the Election Code.
15    (g) If multiple school board members from the same school
16district are being recalled, each recall question must be
17asked separately. All candidates running as replacements for
18that office and the current school board members shall be on
19the ballot beneath the recall question.