Bill Text: IL SB2303 | 2023-2024 | 103rd General Assembly | Introduced

---

Bill Title: Amends the Election Code. Provides that voting by physically incapacitated electors who have made proper application to the election authority not later than 5 days before the regular primary and general election shall be conducted either through vote by mail procedures or on specified premises (rather than only on specified premises). Effective Immediately.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Introduced) 2023-03-31 - Rule 3-9(a) / Re-referred to Assignments [SB2303 Detail]

Download: Illinois-2023-SB2303-Introduced.html

---

103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY State of Illinois 2023 and 2024 SB2303 Introduced 2/10/2023, by Sen. Julie A. Morrison SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
10 ILCS 5/19-12.2 from Ch. 46, par. 19-12.2
Amends the Election Code. Provides that voting by physically incapacitated electors who have made proper application to the election authority not later than 5 days before the regular primary and general election shall be conducted either through vote by mail procedures or on specified premises (rather than only on specified premises). Effective Immediately.
LRB103 26252 BMS 52612 b
A BILL FOR
SB2303 LRB103 26252 BMS 52612 b
AN ACT concerning elections.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
represented in the General Assembly:
Section 5. The Election Code is amended by changing
Section 19-12.2 as follows:
(10 ILCS 5/19-12.2) (from Ch. 46, par. 19-12.2)
Sec. 19-12.2. Voting by physically incapacitated electors
who have made proper application to the election authority not
later than 5 days before the regular primary and general
election of 1980 and before each election thereafter shall be
conducted either through the vote by mail procedures as
detailed in this Article or on the premises of (i) federally
operated veterans' homes, hospitals, and facilities located in
Illinois or (ii) facilities licensed or certified pursuant to
the Nursing Home Care Act, the Specialized Mental Health
Rehabilitation Act of 2013, the ID/DD Community Care Act, or
the MC/DD Act for the sole benefit of residents of such homes,
hospitals, and facilities. For the purposes of this Section,
"federally operated veterans' home, hospital, or facility"
means the long-term care facilities at the Jesse Brown VA
Medical Center, Illiana Health Care System, Edward Hines, Jr.
VA Hospital, Marion VA Medical Center, and Captain James A.
Lovell Federal Health Care Center. Such voting shall be

SB2303 - 2 - LRB103 26252 BMS 52612 b
conducted during any continuous period sufficient to allow all
applicants to cast their ballots between the hours of 9 a.m.
and 7 p.m. either on the Friday, Saturday, Sunday or Monday
immediately preceding the regular election. This vote by mail
voting on one of said days designated by the election
authority shall be supervised by two election judges who must
be selected by the election authority in the following order
of priority: (1) from the panel of judges appointed for the
precinct in which such home, hospital, or facility is located,
or from a panel of judges appointed for any other precinct
within the jurisdiction of the election authority in the same
ward or township, as the case may be, in which the home,
hospital, or facility is located or, only in the case where a
judge or judges from the precinct, township or ward are
unavailable to serve, (3) from a panel of judges appointed for
any other precinct within the jurisdiction of the election
authority. The two judges shall be from different political
parties. Not less than 30 days before each regular election,
the election authority shall have arranged with the chief
administrative officer of each home, hospital, or facility in
his or its election jurisdiction a mutually convenient time
period on the Friday, Saturday, Sunday or Monday immediately
preceding the election for such voting on the premises of the
home, hospital, or facility and shall post in a prominent
place in his or its office a notice of the agreed day and time
period for conducting such voting at each home, hospital, or

SB2303 - 3 - LRB103 26252 BMS 52612 b
facility; provided that the election authority shall not later
than noon on the Thursday before the election also post the
names and addresses of those homes, hospitals, and facilities
from which no applications were received and in which no
supervised vote by mail voting will be conducted. All
provisions of this Code applicable to pollwatchers shall be
applicable herein. To the maximum extent feasible, voting
booths or screens shall be provided to insure the privacy of
the voter. Voting procedures shall be as described in Article
17 of this Code, except that ballots shall be treated as vote
by mail ballots and shall not be counted until the close of the
polls on the following day. After the last voter has concluded
voting, the judges shall seal the ballots in an envelope and
affix their signatures across the flap of the envelope.
Immediately thereafter, the judges shall bring the sealed
envelope to the office of the election authority who shall
deliver such ballots to the election authority's central
ballot counting location prior to the closing of the polls on
the day of election. The judges of election shall also report
to the election authority the name of any applicant in the
home, hospital, or facility who, due to unforeseen
circumstance or condition or because of a religious holiday,
was unable to vote. In this event, the election authority may
appoint a qualified person from his or its staff to deliver the
ballot to such applicant on the day of election. This staff
person shall follow the same procedures prescribed for judges

SB2303 - 4 - LRB103 26252 BMS 52612 b
conducting vote by mail voting in such homes, hospitals, or
facilities and shall return the ballot to the central ballot
counting location before the polls close. However, if the
home, hospital, or facility from which the application was
made is also used as a regular precinct polling place for that
voter, voting procedures heretofore prescribed may be
implemented by 2 of the election judges of opposite party
affiliation assigned to that polling place during the hours of
voting on the day of the election. Judges of election shall be
compensated not less than $25.00 for conducting vote by mail
voting in such homes, hospitals, or facilities.
Not less than 120 days before each regular election, the
Department of Public Health shall certify to the State Board
of Elections a list of the facilities licensed or certified
pursuant to the Nursing Home Care Act, the Specialized Mental
Health Rehabilitation Act of 2013, the ID/DD Community Care
Act, or the MC/DD Act. The lists shall indicate the approved
bed capacity and the name of the chief administrative officer
of each such home, hospital, or facility, and the State Board
of Elections shall certify the same to the appropriate
election authority within 20 days thereafter.
(Source: P.A. 98-104, eff. 7-22-13; 98-1171, eff. 6-1-15;
99-180, eff. 7-29-15.)
Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
becoming law.