Article 18A

Provisional Voting

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10 ILCS 5/18A-02 — Application of Article

In addition to and notwithstanding any other law to the contrary, the procedures in this Article shall govern provisional voting.

10 ILCS 5/18A-05 — General Provisions

10 ILCS 5/18A-10 — Sealing and Transporting Ballots

10 ILCS 5/18A-15 — Validating and Counting of Provisional Ballots

All provisional ballot envelopes for provisional voters who have been determined not to be registered to vote shall remain sealed.

The county clerk or board of election commissioners shall treat the provisional ballot envelope containing the written affidavit as a voter registration application for that person for the next election and process that application.

The election judges or election officials shall then securely seal each envelope or bag, initial the envelope or bag, and plainly mark on the outside of the envelope or bag in ink the precinct in which the provisional ballots were cast.

The election judges or election officials shall then place each sealed envelope or bag into a box, secure and seal it in the same manner as described in item (6) of subsection (b) of Section 18A-5.

Each election judge or election official shall take and subscribe an oath before the county clerk or board of election commissioners that the election judge or election official securely kept the ballots and papers in the box, did not permit any person to open the box or otherwise touch or tamper with the ballots and papers in the box, and has no knowledge of any other person opening the box.

For purposes of this Section, the term "election official" means the county clerk, a member of the board of election commissioners, as the case may be, and their respective employees.

10 ILCS 5/18A-20 — Provisional Voting Verification System

In conjunction with each county clerk or board of election commissioners, the State Board of Elections shall establish a uniform free access information system by which a person casting a provisional ballot may ascertain whether the provisional vote was counted in the official canvass of votes for that election and, if the vote was not counted, the reason that the vote was not counted. Nothing in this Section shall prohibit a county clerk or a board of election commissioner from establishing a free access information system described in this Section so long as that system is consistent with the federal Help America Vote Act.

10 ILCS 5/18A-218 — Interpretation of Article 18A

The Sections of this Article following this Section shall be supplemental to all other provisions of this Article and are intended to provide procedural requirements for the implementation of the provisions of this Article. In the case of a conflict between the Sections following this Section and the Sections preceding this Section, the Sections preceding this Section shall prevail.

10 ILCS 5/18A-218.10 — Definitions Relating to Provisional Ballots

10 ILCS 5/18A-218.20 — Counting procedures for provisional ballots cast in an incorrect precinct within the same election authority's jurisdiction.

10 ILCS 5/18A-218.30 —Counting Procedures for Provisional Ballots Cast In an Incorrect Precinct Within a Different Election Authority's Jurisdiction.

10 ILCS 5/18A-218.40 — Follow-Up Procedures for Provisional Ballots.

The original provisional ballot cast by the voter shall be stored separately from other ballots voted in the election and shall be preserved in the same manner as original ballots that had to be remade for other reasons, such as a damaged ballot or as a result of a voter over-voting an office.

How To Use This Guide.

This is a guide to the Illinois Compiled Statutes Election Code (ILCS) as it regards to poll watchers. Not all election code statutes are included.

This guide is not intended to be a comprehensive guide to Illinois election law; it includes only those sections which are of interest to poll watchers.

The election code is copied verbatim from the ILCS website. There are no changes to the wording of the statutes, but formatting decisions were made which include:

Each page will include when the page was last updated & a link to the original ILCS website for that statute.

This guide will be maintained through the 2024 election cycle. Maintenance of this guide will end on Election Day, November 5, 2024.

Every effort has been made to keep the information up to date.