93RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2003 and 2004
HB4579

 

Introduced 02/04/04, by Tom Cross

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
10 ILCS 5/7-9  from Ch. 46, par. 7-9

    Amends the Election Code. Changes the date of the county convention from the second Monday after the general primary election to the 29th day after the general primary election. Requires that the convention be held within the county (now, at the county seat). Effective immediately.


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A BILL FOR

 

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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 7-9 as follows:
 
6     (10 ILCS 5/7-9)   (from Ch. 46, par. 7-9)
7     Sec. 7-9. County central committee; county and State
8 conventions.
9     (a) On the 29th day second Monday next succeeding the
10 primary at which committeemen are elected, the county central
11 committee of each political party shall meet within at the
12 county seat of the proper county and proceed to organize by
13 electing from its own number a chairman and either from its own
14 number, or otherwise, such other officers as such committee may
15 deem necessary or expedient. Such meeting of the county central
16 committee shall be known as the county convention.
17     The chairman of each county committee shall within 10 days
18 after the organization, forward to the State Board of
19 Elections, the names and post office addresses of the officers,
20 precinct committeemen and representative committeemen elected
21 by his political party.
22     The county convention of each political party shall choose
23 delegates to the State convention of its party; but in any
24 county having within its limits any city having a population of
25 200,000, or over the delegates from such city shall be chosen
26 by wards, the ward committeemen from the respective wards
27 choosing the number of delegates to which such ward is entitled
28 on the basis prescribed in paragraph (e) of this Section such
29 delegates to be members of the delegation to the State
30 convention from such county. In all counties containing a
31 population of 2,000,000 or more outside of cities having a
32 population of 200,000 or more, the delegates from each of the

 

 

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1 townships or parts of townships as the case may be shall be
2 chosen by townships or parts of townships as the case may be,
3 the township committeemen from the respective townships or
4 parts of townships as the case may be choosing the number of
5 delegates to which such townships or parts of townships as the
6 case may be are entitled, on the basis prescribed in paragraph
7 (e) of this Section such delegates to be members of the
8 delegation to the State convention from such county.
9     Each member of the State Central Committee of a political
10 party which elects its members by Alternative B under paragraph
11 (a) of Section 7-8 shall be a delegate to the State Convention,
12 ex officio.
13     Each member of the State Central Committee of a political
14 party which elects its members by Alternative B under paragraph
15 (a) of Section 7-8 may appoint 2 delegates to the State
16 Convention who must be residents of the member's Congressional
17 District.
18     (b) State conventions shall be held within 180 days after
19 the general primary in the year 2000 and every 4 years
20 thereafter. In the year 1998, and every 4 years thereafter, the
21 chairman of a State central committee may issue a call for a
22 State convention within 180 days after the general primary.
23     The State convention of each political party has power to
24 make nominations of candidates of its political party for the
25 electors of President and Vice President of the United States,
26 and to adopt any party platform, and, to the extent determined
27 by the State central committee as provided in Section 7-14, to
28 choose and select delegates and alternate delegates at large to
29 national nominating conventions. The State Central Committee
30 may adopt rules to provide for and govern the procedures of the
31 State convention.
32     (c) The chairman and secretary of each State convention
33 shall, within 2 days thereafter, transmit to the State Board of
34 Elections of this State a certificate setting forth the names
35 and addresses of all persons nominated by such State convention
36 for electors of President and Vice President of the United

 

 

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1 States, and of any persons selected by the State convention for
2 delegates and alternate delegates at large to national
3 nominating conventions; and the names of such candidates so
4 chosen by such State convention for electors of President and
5 Vice President of the United States, shall be caused by the
6 State Board of Elections to be printed upon the official ballot
7 at the general election, in the manner required by law, and
8 shall be certified to the various county clerks of the proper
9 counties in the manner as provided in Section 7-60 of this
10 Article 7 for the certifying of the names of persons nominated
11 by any party for State offices. If and as long as this Act
12 prescribes that the names of such electors be not printed on
13 the ballot, then the names of such electors shall be certified
14 in such manner as may be prescribed by the parts of this Act
15 applicable thereto.
16     (d) Each convention may perform all other functions
17 inherent to such political organization and not inconsistent
18 with this Article.
19     (e) At least 33 days before the date of a State convention,
20 the chairman of the State central committee of each political
21 party shall file in the principal office of the State Board of
22 Elections a call for the State convention. Such call shall
23 state, among other things, the time and place (designating the
24 building or hall) for holding the State convention. Such call
25 shall be signed by the chairman and attested by the secretary
26 of the committee. In such convention each county shall be
27 entitled to one delegate for each 500 ballots voted by the
28 primary electors of the party in such county at the primary to
29 be held next after the issuance of such call; and if in such
30 county, less than 500 ballots are so voted or if the number of
31 ballots so voted is not exactly a multiple of 500, there shall
32 be one delegate for such group which is less than 500, or for
33 such group representing the number of votes over the multiple
34 of 500, which delegate shall have 1/500 of one vote for each
35 primary vote so represented by him. The call for such
36 convention shall set forth this paragraph (e) of Section 7-9 in

 

 

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1 full and shall direct that the number of delegates to be chosen
2 be calculated in compliance herewith and that such number of
3 delegates be chosen.
4     (f) All precinct, township and ward committeemen when
5 elected as provided in this Section shall serve as though
6 elected at large irrespective of any changes that may be made
7 in precinct, township or ward boundaries and the voting
8 strength of each committeeman shall remain as provided in this
9 Section for the entire time for which he is elected.
10     (g) The officers elected at any convention provided for in
11 this Section shall serve until their successors are elected as
12 provided in this Act.
13     (h) A special meeting of any central committee may be
14 called by the chairman, or by not less than 25% of the members
15 of such committee, by giving 5 days notice to members of such
16 committee in writing designating the time and place at which
17 such special meeting is to be held and the business which it is
18 proposed to present at such special meeting.
19     (i) Except as otherwise provided in this Act, whenever a
20 vacancy exists in the office of precinct committeeman because
21 no one was elected to that office or because the precinct
22 committeeman ceases to reside in the precinct or for any other
23 reason, the chairman of the county central committee of the
24 appropriate political party may fill the vacancy in such office
25 by appointment of a qualified resident of the county and the
26 appointed precinct committeeman shall serve as though elected;
27 however, no such appointment may be made between the general
28 primary election and the 14th day after the general primary
29 election.
30     (j) If the number of Congressional Districts in the State
31 of Illinois is reduced as a result of reapportionment of
32 Congressional Districts following a federal decennial census,
33 the State Central Committeemen and Committeewomen of a
34 political party which elects its State Central Committee by
35 either Alternative A or by Alternative B under paragraph (a) of
36 Section 7-8 who were previously elected shall continue to serve

 

 

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1 as if no reapportionment had occurred until the expiration of
2 their terms.
3 (Source: P.A. 89-5, eff. 1-1-96; 90-627, eff. 7-10-98.)
 
4     Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
5 becoming law.