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ELECTIONS
(10 ILCS 5/) Election Code.

10 ILCS 5/28-13

    (10 ILCS 5/28-13) (from Ch. 46, par. 28-13)
    Sec. 28-13. Each political party and civic organization as well as the registered proponents and opponents of a proposed statewide advisory public question shall be entitled to one watcher in the office of the election authority to observe the conduct of the sample signature verification. However, in those election jurisdictions where a 10% sample is required, the proponents and opponents may appoint no more than 5 assistant watchers in addition to the 1 principal watcher permitted herein.
    Within 7 days following the last day for filing of the original petition, the proponents and opponents shall certify in writing to the Board that they publicly support or oppose the proposed statewide advisory public question. The proponents and opponents of such questions shall register the name and address of its group and the name and address of its chair and designated agent for acceptance of service of notices with the Board. Thereupon, the Board shall prepare a list of the registered proponents and opponents and shall adopt a standard proponents' and opponents' watcher credential form. A copy of such list and sufficient copies of such credentials shall be transmitted with the list for the sample signature verification to the appropriate election authorities. Those election authorities shall issue credentials to the permissible number of watchers for each proponent and opponent group; provided, however, that a prospective watcher shall first present to the election authority a letter of authorization signed by the chair of the proponent or opponent group he or she represents.
    Political party and qualified civic organization watcher credentials shall be substantially in the form and shall be authorized in the manner prescribed in Section 7-34 of this Code.
    The rights and limitations of pollwatchers as prescribed by Section 7-34 of this Code, insofar as they may be made applicable, shall be applicable to watchers at the conduct of the sample signature verification.
    The principal watcher for the proponents and opponents may make signed written objections to the Board relating to procedures observed during the conduct of the sample signature verification which could materially affect the results of the sample. Such written objections shall be presented to the election authority and a copy mailed to the Board and shall be attached to the certificate of sample results transmitted by the election authority to the Board.
(Source: P.A. 100-1027, eff. 1-1-19.)

10 ILCS 5/Art. 29

 
    (10 ILCS 5/Art. 29 heading)
ARTICLE 29. PROHIBITIONS AND PENALTIES.

10 ILCS 5/29-1

    (10 ILCS 5/29-1) (from Ch. 46, par. 29-1)
    Sec. 29-1. Vote buying.
    Any person who knowingly gives, lends or promises to give or lend any money or other valuable consideration to any other person to influence such other person to vote or to register to vote or to influence such other person to vote for or against any candidate or public question to be voted upon at any election shall be guilty of a Class 4 felony.
(Source: P.A. 78-887.)

10 ILCS 5/29-2

    (10 ILCS 5/29-2) (from Ch. 46, par. 29-2)
    Sec. 29-2. Promise for vote. Any person who, in order to influence any other person to vote or register to vote or to vote for or against any candidate or public question to be voted upon at any election, knowingly promises to (a) cause or support the employment or appointment of any other person to any public office or public position or (b) perform or refrain from performing any official act, shall be guilty of a Class 4 felony.
(Source: P.A. 78-887.)

10 ILCS 5/29-3

    (10 ILCS 5/29-3) (from Ch. 46, par. 29-3)
    Sec. 29-3. Selling of vote. Any person who votes for or against any candidate or public question in consideration of any gift or loan of money or for any other valuable consideration, or for any promise to cause or support the employment or appointment of any person to any public office or public position, shall be guilty of a Class 4 felony.
(Source: P.A. 78-887.)

10 ILCS 5/29-4

    (10 ILCS 5/29-4) (from Ch. 46, par. 29-4)
    Sec. 29-4. Prevention of voting or candidate support. Any person who, by force, intimidation, threat, deception or forgery, knowingly prevents any other person from (a) registering to vote, or (b) lawfully voting, supporting or opposing the nomination or election of any person for public office or any public question voted upon at any election, shall be guilty of a Class 4 felony.
(Source: P.A. 78-887.)

10 ILCS 5/29-5

    (10 ILCS 5/29-5) (from Ch. 46, par. 29-5)
    Sec. 29-5. Voting more than once. Any person who, having voted once, knowingly during any election where the ballot or machine lists any of the same candidates and issues listed on the ballot or machine previously used for voting by that person, (a) files an application to vote in the same or another polling place, or (b) accepts a ballot or enters a voting machine (except to legally give assistance pursuant to the provisions of this Code), shall be guilty of a Class 3 felony; however, if a person has delivered a ballot or ballots to an election authority as a vote by mail voter and due to a change of circumstances is able to and does vote in the precinct of his residence on election day, shall not be deemed to be in violation of this Code.
(Source: P.A. 98-1171, eff. 6-1-15; 99-522, eff. 6-30-16.)

10 ILCS 5/29-6

    (10 ILCS 5/29-6) (from Ch. 46, par. 29-6)
    Sec. 29-6. Mutilation of election materials. Any person who knowingly destroys, mutilates, defaces, falsifies, forges, conceals or removes any record, register of voters, affidavit, return or statement of votes, certificate, tally sheet, ballot, or any other document or computer program which (a) is used or to be preserved for use in connection with registration, or (b) is used or to be preserved for use in connection with any election pursuant to this Code, except as permitted by provisions of this Code, shall be guilty of a Class 4 felony and shall also be ineligible for public employment for a period of 5 years immediately following the completion of his or her sentence.
(Source: P.A. 83-757.)

10 ILCS 5/29-7

    (10 ILCS 5/29-7) (from Ch. 46, par. 29-7)
    Sec. 29-7. Tampering with voting machines. Any person who tampers with any machine or device used in connection with voting or the counting of votes, or who knowingly allows another to tamper with such a machine or device, so as (a) to interfere with the proper operation of such machine or device, (b) to alter the results recorded on such machine or device or intended to be recorded thereon, or (c) to place votes on a machine which are not legally cast, shall be guilty of a Class 4 felony.
(Source: P.A. 78-887.)

10 ILCS 5/29-8

    (10 ILCS 5/29-8) (from Ch. 46, par. 29-8)
    Sec. 29-8. Ballot box stuffing. Any person who, prior to, during, or after the counting of ballots or prior to, during, or after the final certification of the vote of any election, knowingly (a) places anything other than a ballot in a ballot box, (b) adds or mixes a forged ballot with other ballots, or (c) adds or mixes a forged application to vote with other applications to vote, shall be guilty of a Class 4 felony.
(Source: P.A. 78-887.)

10 ILCS 5/29-9

    (10 ILCS 5/29-9) (from Ch. 46, par. 29-9)
    Sec. 29-9. Unlawful observation of voting. Except as permitted by this Code, any person who knowingly marks his ballot or casts his vote on a voting machine or voting device so that it can be observed by another person, and any person who knowingly observes another person lawfully marking a ballot or lawfully casting his vote on a voting machine or voting device, shall be guilty of a Class 4 felony.
(Source: P.A. 78-887.)

10 ILCS 5/29-10

    (10 ILCS 5/29-10) (from Ch. 46, par. 29-10)
    Sec. 29-10. Perjury. (a) Any person who makes a false statement, material to the issue or point in question, which he does not believe to be true, in any affidavit, certificate or sworn oral declaration required by any provision of this Code shall be guilty of a Class 3 felony.
    (b) Any person who is convicted of violating this Section shall be ineligible for public employment for a period of 5 years immediately following the completion of his sentence. For the purpose of this subsection, "public employment" shall mean any elected or appointed office created by the Constitution or laws of this State, or any ordinance of a unit of local government. "Public employment" shall also include any position as an employee of the State of Illinois, or a unit of local government or school district.
(Source: P.A. 83-1097.)

10 ILCS 5/29-11

    (10 ILCS 5/29-11) (from Ch. 46, par. 29-11)
    Sec. 29-11. Failure to comply with order of election authority. Any person who knowingly fails or refuses to comply with any lawful order of an election authority issued by the election authority in the performance of the duties of the election authority, shall be guilty of a Class A misdemeanor.
(Source: P.A. 78-887.)

10 ILCS 5/29-12

    (10 ILCS 5/29-12) (from Ch. 46, par. 29-12)
    Sec. 29-12. Disregard of Election Code. Except with respect to Article 9 of this Code, any person who knowingly (a) does any act prohibited by or declared unlawful by, or (b) fails to do any act required by, this Code, shall, unless a different punishment is prescribed by this Code, be guilty of a Class A misdemeanor.
(Source: P.A. 96-832, eff. 1-1-11.)

10 ILCS 5/29-13

    (10 ILCS 5/29-13) (from Ch. 46, par. 29-13)
    Sec. 29-13. Attempt, solicitation and conspiracy. Each violation of this Code shall be an offense within the meaning of Section 2-12 of the Illinois Criminal Code of 2012, so that the inchoate offenses of solicitation, conspiracy and attempt, and the punishment therefor, as provided in such Criminal Code shall apply to solicitation, conspiracy and attempt to violate the provisions of this Code.
(Source: P.A. 97-1150, eff. 1-25-13.)

10 ILCS 5/29-14

    (10 ILCS 5/29-14) (from Ch. 46, par. 29-14)
    Sec. 29-14. (Repealed).
(Source: P.A. 81-1433. Repealed by 90-737, eff. 1-1-99.)

10 ILCS 5/29-15

    (10 ILCS 5/29-15) (from Ch. 46, par. 29-15)
    Sec. 29-15. Conviction deemed infamous. Any person convicted of an infamous crime as such term is defined in Section 124-1 of the Code of Criminal Procedure of 1963, as amended, shall thereafter be prohibited from holding any office of honor, trust, or profit, unless such person is again restored to such rights by the terms of a pardon for the offense, has received a restoration of rights by the Governor, or otherwise according to law. Any time after a judgment of conviction is rendered, a person convicted of an infamous crime may petition the Governor for a restoration of rights.
    The changes made to this Section by this amendatory Act of the 102nd General Assembly are declarative of existing law.
(Source: P.A. 102-15, eff. 6-17-21.)

10 ILCS 5/29-16

    (10 ILCS 5/29-16) (from Ch. 46, par. 29-16)
    Sec. 29-16. Contempt - Removal from office. Any person who is an officer of the Court pursuant to any provisions of this Code who does any act prohibited by, or fails to do any act required by, any provision of this Code may be punished for contempt by the Court in a summary proceeding and removed from office. Any person who violates any court order entered under any provision of this Code with actual knowledge of the existence and substance of such order may be punished for contempt by the appropriate court. Such punishment for contempt and removal from office shall not bar prosecution and punishment for any criminal offense committed.
(Source: P.A. 78-887.)

10 ILCS 5/29-17

    (10 ILCS 5/29-17) (from Ch. 46, par. 29-17)
    Sec. 29-17. Deprivation of Constitutional Rights - Liability). Any person who subjects, or causes to be subjected, a citizen of the State of Illinois or other person within the jurisdiction thereof to the deprivation of any rights, privileges, or immunities secured by the Constitution or laws of the United States or of the State of Illinois, relating to registration to vote, the conduct of elections, voting, or the nomination or election of candidates for public or political party office, shall be liable to the party injured or any person affected, in any action or proceeding for redress.
(Source: P.A. 79-1363.)

10 ILCS 5/29-18

    (10 ILCS 5/29-18) (from Ch. 46, par. 29-18)
    Sec. 29-18. Conspiracy to prevent vote - Liability). If 2 or more persons conspire to prevent by force, intimidation, threat, deception, forgery or bribery any person from registering to vote, or preventing any person lawfully entitled to vote from voting, or preventing any person from supporting or opposing, in a legal manner, the nomination or election of any person for public or political party office, or a proposition voted upon at any election, or to injure any person or such person's property on account of such vote, support or advocacy, and if one or more persons so conspiring do, attempt or cause to be done, any act in furtherance of the object of such conspiracy, whereby another is injured in his person or property or deprived of having or exercising any right, privilege or immunity secured by the Constitution or laws of the United States or the State of Illinois relating to the conduct of elections, voting, or the nomination or election of candidates for public or political party office, all persons engaged in such conspiracy shall be liable to the party injured or any person affected, in any action or proceeding for redress.
(Source: P.A. 79-1363.)

10 ILCS 5/29-19

    (10 ILCS 5/29-19) (from Ch. 46, par. 29-19)
    Sec. 29-19. False information - liability). Whoever knowingly or willfully gives false information as to his name, address, or period of residence in the voting district for the purpose of establishing his eligibility to register to vote, or conspires with another individual for the purpose of encouraging his false registration to vote or illegal voting, or pays or offers to pay or accepts payment either for registration to vote or for voting shall be liable to the party injured or any other person affected, in an action or proceeding for redress.
(Source: P.A. 79-1363.)

10 ILCS 5/29-20

    (10 ILCS 5/29-20) (from Ch. 46, par. 29-20)
    Sec. 29-20. Vote by Mail ballots - violations. A person is guilty of a Class 3 felony who knowingly:
        (1) Solicits another person, knowing that the person
    
is not legally qualified to vote as a vote by mail voter, to apply for a vote by mail ballot;
        (2) Solicits another person, knowing that the person
    
is not legally qualified to vote as a vote by mail voter, to cast a ballot as a vote by mail voter;
        (3) Intimidates or unduly influences another person
    
to cast a vote by mail ballot in a manner inconsistent with the voter's intent; or
        (4) Marks or tampers with a vote by mail ballot of
    
another person or takes a vote by mail ballot of another person in violation of Section 19-6 so that an opportunity for fraudulent marking or tampering is created.
(Source: P.A. 98-1171, eff. 6-1-15.)

10 ILCS 5/Art. 29B

 
    (10 ILCS 5/Art. 29B heading)
ARTICLE 29B. FAIR CAMPAIGN PRACTICES

10 ILCS 5/29B-5

    (10 ILCS 5/29B-5) (from Ch. 46, par. 29B-5; formerly Ch. 46, par. 1102)
    Sec. 29B-5. Purpose. The Legislature hereby declares that the purpose of this Article is to encourage every candidate for public office in this State to subscribe to the Code of Fair Campaign Practices. It is the intent of the Legislature that every candidate for public office in this State who subscribes to the Code of Fair Campaign Practices will follow the basic principles of decency, honesty and fair play in order to encourage healthy competition and open discussion of issues and candidate qualifications and discourage practices that cloud the issues or unfairly attack opponents.
(Source: P.A. 86-873; 87-1052.)

10 ILCS 5/29B-10

    (10 ILCS 5/29B-10) (from Ch. 46, par. 29B-10; formerly Ch. 46, par. 1103)
    Sec. 29B-10. Code of Fair Campaign Practices. At the time a political committee, as defined in Article 9, files its statements of organization, the State Board of Elections, in the case of a state political committee or a political committee acting as both a state political committee and a local political committee, or the county clerk, in the case of a local political committee, shall give the political committee a blank form of the Code of Fair Campaign Practices and a copy of the provisions of this Article. The State Board of Elections or county clerk shall inform each political committee that subscription to the Code is voluntary. The text of the Code shall read as follows:
CODE OF FAIR CAMPAIGN PRACTICES
    There are basic principles of decency, honesty, and fair play that every candidate for public office in the State of Illinois has a moral obligation to observe and uphold, in order that, after vigorously contested but fairly conducted campaigns, our citizens may exercise their constitutional right to a free and untrammeled choice and the will of the people may be fully and clearly expressed on the issues.
    THEREFORE:
    (1) I will conduct my campaign openly and publicly, and limit attacks on my opponent to legitimate challenges to his record.
    (2) I will not use or permit the use of character defamation, whispering campaigns, libel, slander, or scurrilous attacks on any candidate or his personal or family life.
    (3) I will not use or permit any appeal to negative prejudice based on race, sex, sexual orientation, religion or national origin.
    (4) I will not use campaign material of any sort that misrepresents, distorts, or otherwise falsifies the facts, nor will I use malicious or unfounded accusations that aim at creating or exploiting doubts, without justification, as to the personal integrity or patriotism of my opposition.
    (5) I will not undertake or condone any dishonest or unethical practice that tends to corrupt or undermine our American system of free elections or that hampers or prevents the full and free expression of the will of the voters.
    (6) I will defend and uphold the right of every qualified American voter to full and equal participation in the electoral process.
    (7) I will immediately and publicly repudiate methods and tactics that may come from others that I have pledged not to use or condone. I shall take firm action against any subordinate who violates any provision of this Code or the laws governing elections.
    I, the undersigned, candidate for election to public office in the State of Illinois or chair of a political committee in support of or opposition to a question of public policy, hereby voluntarily endorse, subscribe to, and solemnly pledge myself to conduct my campaign in accordance with the above principles and practices.
 
   ..............           ...............................
      Date                            Signature
(Source: P.A. 100-1027, eff. 1-1-19.)

10 ILCS 5/29B-15

    (10 ILCS 5/29B-15) (from Ch. 46, par. 29B-15; formerly Ch. 46, par. 1104)
    Sec. 29B-15. Responsibility of State Board of Elections for printing and supplying of forms. The State Board of Elections shall print, or cause to be printed, copies of the Code of Fair Campaign Practices. The State Board of Elections shall supply the forms to the county clerks in quantities and at times requested by the clerks.
(Source: P.A. 86-873; 87-1052.)

10 ILCS 5/29B-20

    (10 ILCS 5/29B-20) (from Ch. 46, par. 29B-20; formerly Ch. 46, par. 1105)
    Sec. 29B-20. Acceptance of completed forms; retentions for public inspection. The State Board of Elections and the county clerks shall accept, at all times prior to an election, all completed copies of the Code of Fair Campaign Practices that are properly subscribed to by a candidate or the chair of a political committee in support of or opposition to a question of public policy, and shall retain them for public inspection until 30 days after the election.
(Source: P.A. 100-1027, eff. 1-1-19.)

10 ILCS 5/29B-25

    (10 ILCS 5/29B-25) (from Ch. 46, par. 29B-25; formerly Ch. 46, par. 1106)
    Sec. 29B-25. Subscribed forms as public records. Every copy of the Code of Fair Campaign Practices subscribed to by a candidate or the chair of a political committee in support of or opposition to a question of public policy under this Article is a public record open for public inspection.
(Source: P.A. 100-1027, eff. 1-1-19.)

10 ILCS 5/29B-30

    (10 ILCS 5/29B-30) (from Ch. 46, par. 29B-30; formerly Ch. 46, par. 1107)
    Sec. 29B-30. Subscription to Code voluntary. The subscription by a candidate or the chair of a political committee in support of or opposition to a question of public policy is voluntary.
    A candidate, or the chair of a political committee, who has filed a copy of the Code of Fair Campaign Practices may so indicate on any campaign literature or advertising in a form to be determined by the State Board of Elections.
(Source: P.A. 100-1027, eff. 1-1-19.)

10 ILCS 5/29B-35

    (10 ILCS 5/29B-35) (from Ch. 46, par. 29B-35; formerly Ch. 46, par. 1108)
    Sec. 29B-35. Failure to comply. Any candidate or chairman of a political committee who subscribes to the Code of Fair Campaign Practices and fails to comply with any provision of the Code shall not be guilty of a criminal offense and nothing in this Article or any other law shall be construed to impose any criminal penalty for noncompliance with this Article.
(Source: P.A. 86-1435; 87-1052.)

10 ILCS 5/Art. 29C

 
    (10 ILCS 5/Art. 29C heading)
ARTICLE 29C. DIVISION OF LEGISLATIVE DISTRICTS

10 ILCS 5/29C-5

    (10 ILCS 5/29C-5) (from Ch. 46, par. 29C-5; formerly Ch. 46, par. 811)
    Sec. 29C-5. Three Groups of Legislative Districts.
    The 59 legislative districts of this State are divided into 3 groups for the purpose of establishing the terms of Senators elected from each group. The districts in each group are distributed substantially equally over the State. The 3 groups shall consist of 20, 20 and 19 legislative districts, respectively, with each group having as its first district number, one of the numbers 1, 2 or 3, and shall be comprised of other district numbers, as follows:
    1      2      3
    4      5      6
    7      8      9
    10     11     12
    13     14     15
    16     17     18
    19     20     21
    22     23     24
    25     26     27
    28     29     30
    31     32     33
    34     35     36
    37     38     39
    40     41     42
    43     44     45
    46     47     48
    49     50     51
    52     53     54
    55     56     57
    58     59
(Source: P.A. 87-1052.)

10 ILCS 5/29C-10

    (10 ILCS 5/29C-10) (from Ch. 46, par. 29C-10)
    Sec. 29C-10. Terms of Senators in each group. Senators shall be elected from districts in each group of legislative districts on the dates and for terms as follows:
    First group - 2022 and 2026 for 4 years each, and in 2030 for 2 years;
    Second group - 2022 for 4 years, 2026 for 2 years, and in 2028 for 4 years; and
    Third group - 2022 for 2 years, and in 2024 and 2028 for 4 years each.
    All 59 Senators, one from each of the 59 districts, shall be elected at the first general election of representatives next occurring after each decennial redistricting.
(Source: P.A. 102-10, eff. 6-4-21.)

10 ILCS 5/29C-15

    (10 ILCS 5/29C-15) (from Ch. 46, par. 29C-15; formerly Ch. 46, par. 813)
    Sec. 29C-15. Determination of groups.
    To determine which group of Legislative Districts shall be the "First group", "Second group", or "Third group" for the purpose of establishing the terms for which Senators shall be elected in each group until the next decennial redistricting, as provided in Section 3 of Article IV of the Illinois Constitution of 1970, the Secretary of State, in the presence of the President and Minority Leader of the Senate, after due notice to them, shall, as soon as practicable after each redistricting finalized according to law, draw one card at random, from 3 cards bearing the numbers 1, 2 and 3, and then draw one card at random from the 2 remaining cards. The first number so drawn shall be the first number of the "First group" and Senators shall be elected from districts in that group for terms as provided in Section 29C-10 for that group. The second number so drawn shall be the first number of the "Second group" and Senators shall be elected from districts in that group for terms as provided in Section 29C-10 for that group. The number on the remaining card shall be the first number of the "Third group" and Senators shall be elected from districts in that group for terms as provided in Section 29C-10 for that group.
(Source: P.A. 97-6, eff. 6-3-11.)

10 ILCS 5/Art. 30

 
    (10 ILCS 5/Art. 30 heading)
ARTICLE 30. REPEAL AND SAVING

10 ILCS 5/30-2

    (10 ILCS 5/30-2) (from Ch. 46, par. 30-2)
    Sec. 30-2. The provisions for repeal in this article shall not in any way:
    (1) Affect any offense committed, an act done, a penalty, punishment or forfeiture incurred, or a claim, right, power or remedy accrued under any law in force prior to the effective date of this Act:
    (2) Invalidate any act or proceeding that has been validated by any former law;
    (3) Affect the adoption by any city, village, incorporated town or other governmental unit of any act in force prior to the effective date of this Act;
    (4) Increase the penalty or punishment for any offense committed prior to the effective date hereof.
(Source: Laws 1943, Vol. 2, p. 253.)

10 ILCS 5/30-3

    (10 ILCS 5/30-3) (from Ch. 46, par. 30-3)
    Sec. 30-3. If any section, subdivision, sentence or clause of this Act is for any reason held invalid or to be unconstitutional, such decision shall not affect the validity of the remaining portions of this Act.
(Source: Laws 1943, Vol. 2, p. 253.)