Chapter 3. Who Are the People In the Polling Place?

3.I. Police Officers

In some Polling Places, a uniformed police officer may be assigned to the Polling Place.

The police officer shall follow the lawful  instructions of the Election Judges.

A police officer should not require identification from a person who is in line waiting to vote or to register to vote.

A police officer on duty in the Polling Place is not the concern of the poll watcher, UNLESS  the officer interferes with a person voting or registering to vote.

In that case, the poll watcher cannot take action other than reporting it to an Election Judge and to the poll watcher team.

looking  What the Poll Watcher Is Looking For

If a person is in line to vote or register to vote, they stay in line until they have voted.

A person who is waiting to vote or to register to vote must be allowed to complete that process before being removed from the Polling Place.

People who are not in line to vote or to register to vote — such as those accompanying a voter or someone pestering voters — may be directed to leave the Polling Place.

The police officer must allow the person to register to vote and vote before taking further action, unless there is an immediate safety concern.

Exception: If the person is an immediate threat to the safety of others, the police officer may act immediately.
This determination is made by the police officer, not the poll watcher.

Relevant Illinois State Law

Uniformed police officers assigned to polling place duty shall follow all lawful instructions of the judges of election.

10 ILCS 5/7-34
Primaries.

10 ILCS 5/17-23
General, municipal, special,
and consolidated elections.

As soon as the poll of an election shall have been finally closed... The judges of election shall have the right to station one or more police officers or officers of the peace, at such entrance to the room where such canvass is begun, or about to take place, to exclude disorderly persons, and to keep the peace.

10 ILCS 5/18-8

Any peace officer attending such election may call to his aid a sufficient number of citizens to arrest any disorderly person or suppress any riot or disorder during the election. Whoever conducts himself in a riotous or disorderly manner at any election, and persists in such conduct after being warned to desist, may be arrested without warrant.

10 ILCS 5/13-16

"Peace officer" means
  • (i) any person who by virtue of the person's office or public employment is vested by law with a duty to maintain public order or to make arrests for offenses, whether that duty extends to all offenses or is limited to specific offenses, or
  • (ii) any person who, by statute, is granted and authorized to exercise powers similar to those conferred upon any police officer employed by a law enforcement agency of this State.

720 ILCS 5/2-13

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.

10 ILCS 5/29-4

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.

10 ILCS 5/29-11

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