Chapter 4. Places

4.D. Voter Booth Area

4.D.1. Poll Watcher Access to Voter Booths.

Poll watchers, who have, by law, extraordinary access within the Polling Place, have limited access to the voting booth area.

One restriction a poll watcher has to free movement within the Polling Place is to be near the voting booths while the booths are occupied by voters.

blue thumb Rule of Thumb

Stay out of the voting booth area if there are ANY voters voting.

Relevant Illinois State Law

Such booths shall be within plain view of the election officers and both they and the ballot boxes shall be within plain view of those within the proximity of the voting booths.

10 ILCS 5/7-41(a)
Primaries.

They [voting booths] shall be within plain view of election officers, and both they and the ballot boxes shall be within plain view of those within the proximity of the voting booths.

10 ILCS 5/17-8
General, municipal, special,
and consolidated elections.

No person other than the election officers and the challengers allowed by law, and those admitted for the purpose of voting as herein provided, shall be permitted within the proximity of the voting booths,

  • (i) except by authority of the election officers to keep order and enforce the law and
  • (ii) except that one or more children under the age of 18 may accompany their parent or guardian into the voting booth as long as a request to do so is made to the election officers and, in the sole discretion of the election officers, the child or children are not likely to disrupt or interfere with the voting process or influence the casting of a vote.

10 ILCS 5/7-41(a)
Primaries.

10 ILCS 5/17-8
General, municipal, special,
and consolidated elections.

Pollwatchers as provided in Sections 7-34 and 17-23 of this Code shall be permitted to accompany the judges and observe the above procedure.

10 ILCS 5/17-13

Pollwatchers shall be permitted to observe all proceedings and view all reasonably requested records relating to the conduct of the election, provided the secrecy of the ballot is not impinged,...

10 ILCS 5/7-34
Primaries

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

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