Chapter 12 The Central Counting Facility

J. Contested Vote by Mail Review Panel

Vote by Mail
Election Judge Panel

Number of Pollwatchers
per election judge panel

per Party

per Candidate

per Civic Organization

Statute

10 ILCS 5/19-10
10 ILCS 5/20-10

The central counting location has its own number of observers, who may or may not be poll watchers.

The number of poll watchers attending the Contested Vote by Mail Election Judge Review Panel are in addition to those observers and do not reduce the number of observers in the central counting location.

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1. The Election Judge Panel

The Contested Vote by Mail Review Panel is conducted the same way any other election judge panel at the central counting location.

For further discussion on the conduct of the election judge panel and the poll watcher's role in the panel, see:
Election Judge Panels at the Central Counting Location

Poll watchers are permitted to be present when the vote by mail ballots are cast.

Pollwatchers may be appointed to observe early voting procedures and view all reasonably requested records relating to the conduct of the election, provided the secrecy of the ballot is not impinged, at the office of the election authority as well as at municipal, township or road district clerks' offices where such early voting is conducted.

10 ILCS 5/19-10

Pollwatchers shall be permitted to be present during the casting of the vote by mail voters' ballots, each political party, candidate and qualified civic organization shall be entitled to have present one pollwatcher for each panel of election judges therein assigned.

10 ILCS 5/20-10

Each political party, candidate, and qualified civic organization shall be entitled to have present one pollwatcher for each panel of election judges therein assigned

10 ILCS 5/19-8(h)

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2. The Scope of the Contested Vote by Mail Election Judge Review Panel

The contested vote by mail election judge panel is a continuation of the election judge vote by mail panel.

A voter has from the time they receive notification that their vote by mail ballot was rejected until approximately 14 days after the election

2a. Applications

According to 10 ILCS 5/9-8(g-5), this election judge panel shall review rejected vote by mail applications.

90 days before the election, when vote by mail applications are accepted; until
As soon as possible to 6 days before the election when vote by mail applications end.

2b. Certification Envelope

The panel reviews rejected by mail certificate/security envelopes.

As early as 40 days before the election, until
14 days after the election, just before the last provisional ballot panel election judges meets.

2c. Ballot

10 ILCS 5/19-8(f) gives control of the vote by mail ballots to the election judges until the ballot is counted.

10 ILCS 5/9-8(g-5) reiterates that if the ballot is rejected by the tabulator/ballot box, it is the election judge who mitigates the rejection.

10 ILCS 5/20-10 permits poll watchers to be present when the vote by mail ballots are cast.

The election authority shall appoint a panel of 3 election judges to review the contested ballot, application, and certification envelope, as well as any evidence submitted by the vote by mail voter. No more than 2 election judges on the reviewing panel shall be of the same political party. The reviewing panel of election judges shall make a final determination as to the validity of the contested vote by mail ballot. The judges' determination shall not be reviewable either administratively or judicially.

A vote by mail ballot subject to this subsection that is determined to be valid shall be counted before the close of the period for counting provisional ballots.

— 10 ILCS 5/9-8(g-5)

Counting required under this Section to begin on election day after the closing of the polls shall commence no later than 8:00 p.m. and shall be conducted by a panel or panels of election judges appointed in the manner provided by law. The counting shall continue until all vote by mail voters' ballots and special write-in vote by mail voter's blank ballots required to be counted on election day have been counted.

— 10 ILCS 5/19-8(f)