Article 12

10 ILCS 5/12-1 — Public Notice.

At least 60 days prior to each general and consolidated election, the election authority shall provide public notice, calculated to reach elderly voters and voters with disabilities, of the availability of registration and voting aids under the Federal Voting Accessibility for the Elderly and Handicapped Act, of the availability of assistance in marking the ballot, procedures for voting by vote by mail ballot, and procedures for voting early by personal appearance.

At least 30 days before any general election, and at least 20 days before any special congressional election, the county clerk shall publish a notice of the election in 2 or more newspapers published in the county, city, village, incorporated town or town, as the case may be, or if there is no such newspaper, then in any 2 or more newspapers published in the county and having a general circulation throughout the community. The notice may be substantially as follows:

10 ILCS 5/12-3 — Timely Notice.

In any city, village or incorporated town operating under Article 6 of this Act, the Board of Election Commissioners shall give timely notice through the press of the time and place of election in each precinct or consolidated area of such city, village or incorporated town.

10 ILCS 5/12-4 — Consolidated and Nonpartisan Elections Notices.

Not more than 30 nor less than 10 days prior to the date of the consolidated and nonpartisan elections, each election authority shall publish notice of the election of officers of each political subdivision to be conducted in his or its jurisdiction on such election date. The notice of election shall be published once in one or more newspapers published in each political subdivision, and if there is no such newspaper, then published once in a local, community newspaper having general circulation in the subdivision, and also once in a newspaper published in the county wherein the political subdivisions or portions thereof, having such elections are situated.

The notice shall be substantially in the form prescribed in Section 12-1, and may include notice of the location of the precincts and polling places within or including part of the political subdivision in which the election is to be conducted.

Not less than 10 days before each such election, the election authority shall publish notice of the precincts and the location of the polling places where the election will be conducted for political subdivisions wholly or partially within its jurisdiction. The election authority shall cause publication in the manner heretofore prescribed for the notice of election.

If, within the 10 days before any election, an election authority changes a polling location, the election authority shall send notice by electronic mail or phone call to the township committeeperson, ward committeeperson, or precinct committeepersons, as applicable, as soon as the location of the polling place is changed.

10 ILCS 5/12-5 — Notice for Public Questions.

• (a) Except as otherwise provided in subsection (b), for all elections held after July 1, 1999, notice of public questions shall be required only as set forth in this Section or as set forth in Section 17-3 or 19-3 of the School Code. Not more than 60 days nor less than 10 days before the date of a regular election at which a public question is to be submitted to the voters of a political or governmental subdivision, and at least 20 days before an emergency referendum, the election authority shall publish notice of the referendum. The notice shall be published once in a local, community newspaper having general circulation in the political or governmental subdivision. The notice shall also be given at least 10 days before the date of the election by posting a copy of the notice at the principal office of the election authority. The local election official shall also post a copy of the notice at the principal office of the political or governmental subdivision, or if there is no principal office at the building in which the governing body of the political or governmental subdivision held its first meeting of the calendar year in which the referendum is being held. The election authority and the political or governmental subdivision may, but are not required to, post the notice electronically on their World Wide Web pages. The notice, which shall appear over the name or title of the election authority, shall be substantially in the following form:

  NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that at the election to be held on (insert day of the week), (insert date of election), the following proposition will be submitted to the voters of (name of political or governmental subdivision):

  (insert the public question as it will appear on the ballot)

  The polls at the election will be open at 6:00o'clock A.M. and will continue to be open until 7:00 o'clock P.M. of that day.

  Dated (date of notice)

  (Name or title of the election authority)

  The notice shall also include any additional information required by the statute authorizing the public question. The notice may include an explanation, in neutral and plain language, of the question and its purposes supplied by the governing body of the political or governmental subdivision to whose voters the question is to be submitted. The notice shall set forth the precincts and polling places at which the referendum will be conducted only in the case of emergency referenda.
• (b) Notice of any public question published in a local, community newspaper having general circulation in the political or governmental subdivision to which such public question relates more than 30 days but not more than 35 days prior to the general election held on November 8, 2016 that otherwise complies with the requirements of this Section is sufficient notice to satisfy the newspaper publication requirement of this Section, such notice shall for all purposes be deemed to have been given in accordance with this Section, any bonds approved by the voters at such election are hereby authorized to be issued in accordance with applicable law without further referendum approval and taxes to be levied pursuant to any limiting rate increases approved by the voters at such election are hereby authorized to be levied and extended without further referendum approval.

10 ILCS 5/12-6 — Alternative Publication Methods.

Whenever a requirement in this Code for the publication of any notice of an election cannot be complied with because of the absence of any qualified newspaper of local or general circulation in accordance with such requirements, notice shall be given by posting the required notice in 5 public places in the political subdivision. Notwithstanding any other publication of notice requirement, notice of municipal elections and referenda in municipalities with a population of less than 500 persons may be given by posting the required notice in 5 public places in the municipality in lieu of publication.