103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2023 and 2024
SB1652

 

Introduced 2/8/2023, by Sen. Rachel Ventura

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
10 ILCS 5/10-8  from Ch. 46, par. 10-8
10 ILCS 5/10-10  from Ch. 46, par. 10-10

    Amends the Election Code. In provisions concerning petitions for nomination and submission of public questions, provides that by signing an objector's petition, the objector certifies that the petition is not being presented for any improper purpose, the objections are warranted by existing law or by a nonfrivolous argument for extending, modifying, or reversing existing law or for establishing new law, and the factual contentions have evidentiary support. Provides that the electoral board that hears the objection may impose an appropriate sanction on the objectors or their legal counsel for any false certification, including a monetary sanction payable to the county clerk, the opposing parties, or both the county clerk and the opposing parties. In provisions concerning electoral board review of petitions, provides that the nomination papers of a candidate shall be deemed invalid and a candidate's name shall not appear on the ballot if he or she is found to have personally engaged in material fraud or a pattern of fraud in connection with the nominating papers.


LRB103 25886 BMS 52237 b

 

 

A BILL FOR

 

SB1652LRB103 25886 BMS 52237 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 10-8 and 10-10 as follows:
 
6    (10 ILCS 5/10-8)  (from Ch. 46, par. 10-8)
7    Sec. 10-8. Except as otherwise provided in this Code,
8certificates of nomination and nomination papers, and
9petitions to submit public questions to a referendum, being
10filed as required by this Code, and being in apparent
11conformity with the provisions of this Act, shall be deemed to
12be valid unless objection thereto is duly made in writing
13within 5 business days after the last day for filing the
14certificate of nomination or nomination papers or petition for
15a public question, with the following exceptions:
16        A. In the case of petitions to amend Article IV of the
17    Constitution of the State of Illinois, there shall be a
18    period of 35 business days after the last day for the
19    filing of such petitions in which objections can be filed.
20        B. In the case of petitions for advisory questions of
21    public policy to be submitted to the voters of the entire
22    State, there shall be a period of 35 business days after
23    the last day for the filing of such petitions in which

 

 

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1    objections can be filed.
2    Any legal voter of the political subdivision or district
3in which the candidate or public question is to be voted on, or
4any legal voter in the State in the case of a proposed
5amendment to Article IV of the Constitution or an advisory
6public question to be submitted to the voters of the entire
7State, having objections to any certificate of nomination or
8nomination papers or petitions filed, shall file an objector's
9petition together with 2 copies thereof in the principal
10office or the permanent branch office of the State Board of
11Elections, or in the office of the election authority or local
12election official with whom the certificate of nomination,
13nomination papers or petitions are on file. Objection
14petitions that do not include 2 copies thereof, shall not be
15accepted. In the case of nomination papers or certificates of
16nomination, the State Board of Elections, election authority
17or local election official shall note the day and hour upon
18which such objector's petition is filed, and shall, not later
19than 12:00 noon on the second business day after receipt of the
20petition, transmit by registered mail or receipted personal
21delivery the certificate of nomination or nomination papers
22and the original objector's petition to the chair of the
23proper electoral board designated in Section 10-9 hereof, or
24his authorized agent, and shall transmit a copy by registered
25mail or receipted personal delivery of the objector's
26petition, to the candidate whose certificate of nomination or

 

 

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1nomination papers are objected to, addressed to the place of
2residence designated in said certificate of nomination or
3nomination papers. In the case of objections to a petition for
4a proposed amendment to Article IV of the Constitution or for
5an advisory public question to be submitted to the voters of
6the entire State, the State Board of Elections shall note the
7day and hour upon which such objector's petition is filed and
8shall transmit a copy of the objector's petition by registered
9mail or receipted personal delivery to the person designated
10on a certificate attached to the petition as the principal
11proponent of such proposed amendment or public question, or as
12the proponents' attorney, for the purpose of receiving notice
13of objections. In the case of objections to a petition for a
14public question, to be submitted to the voters of a political
15subdivision, or district thereof, the election authority or
16local election official with whom such petition is filed shall
17note the day and hour upon which such objector's petition was
18filed, and shall, not later than 12:00 noon on the second
19business day after receipt of the petition, transmit by
20registered mail or receipted personal delivery the petition
21for the public question and the original objector's petition
22to the chair of the proper electoral board designated in
23Section 10-9 hereof, or his authorized agent, and shall
24transmit a copy by registered mail or receipted personal
25delivery, of the objector's petition to the person designated
26on a certificate attached to the petition as the principal

 

 

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1proponent of the public question, or as the proponent's
2attorney, for the purposes of receiving notice of objections.
3    The objector's petition shall give the objector's name and
4residence address, and shall state fully the nature of the
5objections to the certificate of nomination or nomination
6papers or petitions in question, and shall state the interest
7of the objector and shall state what relief is requested of the
8electoral board. By signing the objector's petition, the
9objector certifies that: (1) the petition is not being
10presented for any improper purpose, such as to harass; (2) the
11objections are warranted by existing law or by a nonfrivolous
12argument for extending, modifying, or reversing existing law
13or for establishing new law; and (3) the factual contentions
14have evidentiary support. The electoral board that hears the
15objection may impose an appropriate sanction on the objectors
16or their legal counsel for any false certification, including
17a monetary sanction payable to the county clerk, the opposing
18parties, or both the county clerk and the opposing parties.
19    The provisions of this Section and of Sections 10-9, 10-10
20and 10-10.1 shall also apply to and govern objections to
21petitions for nomination filed under Article 7 or Article 8,
22except as otherwise provided in Section 7-13 for cases to
23which it is applicable, and also apply to and govern petitions
24for the submission of public questions under Article 28.
25(Source: P.A. 102-15, eff. 6-17-21.)
 

 

 

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1    (10 ILCS 5/10-10)  (from Ch. 46, par. 10-10)
2    Sec. 10-10. Within 24 hours after the receipt of the
3certificate of nomination or nomination papers or proposed
4question of public policy, as the case may be, and the
5objector's petition, the chair of the electoral board other
6than the State Board of Elections shall send a call by
7registered or certified mail to each of the members of the
8electoral board, and to the objector who filed the objector's
9petition, and either to the candidate whose certificate of
10nomination or nomination papers are objected to or to the
11principal proponent or attorney for proponents of a question
12of public policy, as the case may be, whose petitions are
13objected to, and shall also cause the sheriff of the county or
14counties in which such officers and persons reside to serve a
15copy of such call upon each of such officers and persons, which
16call shall set out the fact that the electoral board is
17required to meet to hear and pass upon the objections to
18nominations made for the office, designating it, and shall
19state the day, hour and place at which the electoral board
20shall meet for the purpose, which place shall be in the county
21court house in the county in the case of the County Officers
22Electoral Board, the Municipal Officers Electoral Board, the
23Township Officers Electoral Board or the Education Officers
24Electoral Board, except that the Municipal Officers Electoral
25Board, the Township Officers Electoral Board, and the
26Education Officers Electoral Board may meet at the location

 

 

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1where the governing body of the municipality, township, or
2community college district, respectively, holds its regularly
3scheduled meetings, if that location is available; provided
4that voter records may be removed from the offices of an
5election authority only at the discretion and under the
6supervision of the election authority. In those cases where
7the State Board of Elections is the electoral board designated
8under Section 10-9, the chair of the State Board of Elections
9shall, within 24 hours after the receipt of the certificate of
10nomination or nomination papers or petitions for a proposed
11amendment to Article IV of the Constitution or proposed
12statewide question of public policy, send a call by registered
13or certified mail to the objector who files the objector's
14petition, and either to the candidate whose certificate of
15nomination or nomination papers are objected to or to the
16principal proponent or attorney for proponents of the proposed
17Constitutional amendment or statewide question of public
18policy and shall state the day, hour, and place at which the
19electoral board shall meet for the purpose, which place may be
20in the Capitol Building or in the principal or permanent
21branch office of the State Board. The day of the meeting shall
22not be less than 3 nor more than 5 days after the receipt of
23the certificate of nomination or nomination papers and the
24objector's petition by the chair of the electoral board.
25    The electoral board shall have the power to administer
26oaths and to subpoena and examine witnesses and, at the

 

 

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1request of either party and only upon a vote by a majority of
2its members, may authorize the chair to issue subpoenas
3requiring the attendance of witnesses and subpoenas duces
4tecum requiring the production of such books, papers, records
5and documents as may be evidence of any matter under inquiry
6before the electoral board, in the same manner as witnesses
7are subpoenaed in the Circuit Court.
8    Service of such subpoenas shall be made by any sheriff or
9other person in the same manner as in cases in such court and
10the fees of such sheriff shall be the same as is provided by
11law, and shall be paid by the objector or candidate who causes
12the issuance of the subpoena. In case any person so served
13shall knowingly neglect or refuse to obey any such subpoena,
14or to testify, the electoral board shall at once file a
15petition in the circuit court of the county in which such
16hearing is to be heard, or has been attempted to be heard,
17setting forth the facts, of such knowing refusal or neglect,
18and accompanying the petition with a copy of the citation and
19the answer, if one has been filed, together with a copy of the
20subpoena and the return of service thereon, and shall apply
21for an order of court requiring such person to attend and
22testify, and forthwith produce books and papers, before the
23electoral board. Any circuit court of the state, excluding the
24judge who is sitting on the electoral board, upon such showing
25shall order such person to appear and testify, and to
26forthwith produce such books and papers, before the electoral

 

 

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1board at a place to be fixed by the court. If such person shall
2knowingly fail or refuse to obey such order of the court
3without lawful excuse, the court shall punish him or her by
4fine and imprisonment, as the nature of the case may require
5and may be lawful in cases of contempt of court.
6    The electoral board on the first day of its meeting shall
7adopt rules of procedure for the introduction of evidence and
8the presentation of arguments and may, in its discretion,
9provide for the filing of briefs by the parties to the
10objection or by other interested persons.
11    In the event of a State Electoral Board hearing on
12objections to a petition for an amendment to Article IV of the
13Constitution pursuant to Section 3 of Article XIV of the
14Constitution, or to a petition for a question of public policy
15to be submitted to the voters of the entire State, the
16certificates of the county clerks and boards of election
17commissioners showing the results of the random sample of
18signatures on the petition shall be prima facie valid and
19accurate, and shall be presumed to establish the number of
20valid and invalid signatures on the petition sheets reviewed
21in the random sample, as prescribed in Section 28-11 and 28-12
22of this Code. Either party, however, may introduce evidence at
23such hearing to dispute the findings as to particular
24signatures. In addition to the foregoing, in the absence of
25competent evidence presented at such hearing by a party
26substantially challenging the results of a random sample, or

 

 

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1showing a different result obtained by an additional sample,
2this certificate of a county clerk or board of election
3commissioners shall be presumed to establish the ratio of
4valid to invalid signatures within the particular election
5jurisdiction.
6    The electoral board shall take up the question as to
7whether or not the certificate of nomination or nomination
8papers or petitions are in proper form, and whether or not they
9were filed within the time and under the conditions required
10by law, and whether or not they are the genuine certificate of
11nomination or nomination papers or petitions which they
12purport to be, and whether or not in the case of the
13certificate of nomination in question it represents accurately
14the decision of the caucus or convention issuing it, and in
15general shall decide whether or not the certificate of
16nomination or nominating papers or petitions on file are valid
17or whether the objections thereto should be sustained and the
18decision of a majority of the electoral board shall be final
19subject to judicial review as provided in Section 10-10.1. The
20nomination papers of a candidate shall be deemed invalid and a
21candidate's name shall not appear on the ballot if he or she is
22found to have personally engaged in material fraud or a
23pattern of fraud in connection with the nominating papers. The
24electoral board must state its findings in writing and must
25state in writing which objections, if any, it has sustained. A
26copy of the decision shall be served upon the parties to the

 

 

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1proceedings in open proceedings before the electoral board. If
2a party does not appear for receipt of the decision, the
3decision shall be deemed to have been served on the absent
4party on the date when a copy of the decision is personally
5delivered or on the date when a copy of the decision is
6deposited in the United States mail, in a sealed envelope or
7package, with postage prepaid, addressed to each party
8affected by the decision or to such party's attorney of
9record, if any, at the address on record for such person in the
10files of the electoral board.
11    Upon the expiration of the period within which a
12proceeding for judicial review must be commenced under Section
1310-10.1, the electoral board shall, unless a proceeding for
14judicial review has been commenced within such period,
15transmit, by registered or certified mail, a certified copy of
16its ruling, together with the original certificate of
17nomination or nomination papers or petitions and the original
18objector's petition, to the officer or board with whom the
19certificate of nomination or nomination papers or petitions,
20as objected to, were on file, and such officer or board shall
21abide by and comply with the ruling so made to all intents and
22purposes.
23(Source: P.A. 99-78, eff. 7-20-15; 99-642, eff. 7-28-16;
24100-1027, eff. 1-1-19.)