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 |  | 99TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2015 and 2016
HB0262   Introduced , by Rep. Joe Sosnowski  SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
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10 ILCS 5/21-1 |  from Ch. 46, par. 21-1 | 
 
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 Amends the Election Code. Provides that electors of President and
Vice-President of the United States shall be chosen by congressional district.
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| 1 |  |  AN ACT concerning elections.
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| 2 |  |  Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
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| 3 |  | represented in the General Assembly:
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| 4 |  |  Section 5. The Election Code is amended by changing Section  | 
| 5 |  | 21-1 as follows:
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| 6 |  |  (10 ILCS 5/21-1) (from Ch. 46, par. 21-1)
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| 7 |  |  Sec. 21-1. 
Choosing and election of electors of President  | 
| 8 |  | and
Vice-President of the United States shall be in the  | 
| 9 |  | following manner:
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| 10 |  |  (a) In each year in which a President and Vice-President of  | 
| 11 |  | the United
States are chosen, each political party or group in  | 
| 12 |  | this State shall choose
by its State Convention one elector  | 
| 13 |  | electors of President and Vice-President of the
United States  | 
| 14 |  | from each congressional district and such State Convention of  | 
| 15 |  | such party or group shall also
choose 2 electors at large, if  | 
| 16 |  | any are to be appointed for this State and
such State  | 
| 17 |  | Convention of such party or group shall by its chairman and
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| 18 |  | secretary certify the total list of such electors together with  | 
| 19 |  | electors at
large so chosen to the State Board of Elections.
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| 20 |  |  The filing of such certificate with the Board, of such  | 
| 21 |  | choosing of
electors shall be deemed and taken to be the  | 
| 22 |  | choosing and selection of the
electors for the individual  | 
| 23 |  | congressional districts of this State, if such party or group  | 
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| 1 |  | is successful at the polls
in the individual congressional  | 
| 2 |  | district as herein provided in choosing their candidates for  | 
| 3 |  | President and
Vice-President of the United States.
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| 4 |  |  (b) The names of the candidates of the several political  | 
| 5 |  | parties or
groups for electors of President and Vice-President  | 
| 6 |  | shall not be printed on
the official ballot to be voted in the  | 
| 7 |  | election to be held on the day in
this Act above named. In lieu  | 
| 8 |  | of the names of the candidates for such
electors of President  | 
| 9 |  | and Vice-President, immediately under the appellation
of party  | 
| 10 |  | name of a party or group in the column of its candidates on the
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| 11 |  | official ballot, to be voted at said election first above named  | 
| 12 |  | in
subsection (1) of Section 2A-1.2 and Section 2A-2, there  | 
| 13 |  | shall be printed
within a bracket the name of the candidate for
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| 14 |  | President and the name of the candidate for Vice-President of  | 
| 15 |  | such party or
group with a square to the left of such bracket.  | 
| 16 |  | Each voter in this State
from the several lists or sets of  | 
| 17 |  | electors so chosen and selected by the
said respective  | 
| 18 |  | political parties or groups, may choose and elect an elector  | 
| 19 |  | one of
such lists or sets of electors by placing a cross in the  | 
| 20 |  | square to the left
of the bracket aforesaid of one of such  | 
| 21 |  | parties or groups. Placing a cross
within the square before the  | 
| 22 |  | bracket enclosing the names of President and
Vice-President  | 
| 23 |  | shall not be deemed and taken as a direct vote for such
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| 24 |  | candidates for President and Vice-President, or either of them,  | 
| 25 |  | but shall
only be deemed and taken to be a vote for the elector  | 
| 26 |  | entire list or set of
electors chosen by that political party  | 
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| 1 |  | or group for that congressional district so certified to the  | 
| 2 |  | State
Board of Elections as herein provided. Voting by means of  | 
| 3 |  | placing a cross
in the appropriate place preceding the  | 
| 4 |  | appellation or title of the
particular political party or  | 
| 5 |  | group, shall not be deemed or taken as a
direct vote for the  | 
| 6 |  | candidates for President and Vice-President, or either
of them,  | 
| 7 |  | but instead to the Presidential vote, as a vote for the elector  | 
| 8 |  | entire
list or set of electors chosen by that political party  | 
| 9 |  | or group so
certified to the State Board of Elections as herein  | 
| 10 |  | provided.
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| 11 |  |  (c) Such certification by the respective political parties  | 
| 12 |  | or groups in
this State of electors of President and  | 
| 13 |  | Vice-President shall be made to the
State Board of Elections  | 
| 14 |  | within 2 days after such State convention.
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| 15 |  |  (d) Should more than one certificate of choice and  | 
| 16 |  | selection of electors
of the same political party or group be  | 
| 17 |  | filed by contesting conventions or
contesting groups, it shall  | 
| 18 |  | be the duty of the State Board of Elections
within 10 days  | 
| 19 |  | after the adjournment of the last of such conventions to
meet  | 
| 20 |  | and determine which set of nominees for electors of such party  | 
| 21 |  | or
group was chosen and selected by the authorized convention  | 
| 22 |  | of such party or
group. The Board, after notice to the chairman  | 
| 23 |  | and secretaries or managers
of the conventions or groups and  | 
| 24 |  | after a hearing shall determine which elector set
of electors  | 
| 25 |  | was so chosen for each congressional district by the authorized  | 
| 26 |  | convention and shall so
announce and publish the fact, and such  | 
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| 1 |  | decision shall be final and the set
of electors so determined  | 
| 2 |  | upon by the electoral board to be so chosen shall
be the list  | 
| 3 |  | or set of electors to be deemed elected if that party shall be
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| 4 |  | successful at the polls in each congressional district, as  | 
| 5 |  | herein provided.
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| 6 |  |  (e) Should a vacancy occur in the choice of an elector in a
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| 7 |  | congressional district, such vacancy may be filled by the  | 
| 8 |  | executive
committee of the party or group for such  | 
| 9 |  | congressional district, to be
certified by such committee to  | 
| 10 |  | the State Board of Elections. Should a
vacancy occur in the  | 
| 11 |  | office of elector at large, such vacancy shall be
filled by the  | 
| 12 |  | State committee of such political party or group, and
certified  | 
| 13 |  | by it to the State Board of Elections.
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| 14 |  |  (f) Each congressional district presidential elector shall  | 
| 15 |  | cast his or her ballot for the Presidential and Vice  | 
| 16 |  | Presidential candidate who received the highest number of votes  | 
| 17 |  | in his or her congressional district.  | 
| 18 |  | (Source: P.A. 84-861.)
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