Conventions Used in This Guide
This guide reflects current Illinois statutory requirements and common on-site practices.
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“Poll Watcher” or “Pollwatcher”?
Both spellings appear in Illinois materials and are acceptable.
This guide uses “poll watcher,” except when quoting a source that uses the alternative spelling.
Voting Equipment Terminology
In Illinois polling places, most votes are tabulated using optical scan paper ballot systems.
To avoid confusion, this guide does not use the general term “voting machine” to describe these systems.
They are referred to as “ballot box/tabulators” or simply “tabulators.”
Voting machines, where the where the vote is cast and tallied on electronic equipment, is referred to as “voting machine”.
Electronic voting equipment where a paper ballot is marked to later be cast in the tabulator, is most commonly used to assist voters with disabilities in Illinois.
Citing Illinois Statutes
When raising a concern, a poll watcher may need to cite the statute.
Illinois election statutes are found in 10 ILCS 5 (the Election Code). Citations follow this format:
- 10 ILCS 5 — Code and Act number
- /Article — The Article number (after the slash)
- -Section — The Section number (after the dash)
- (Subsection) — Letters and numbers in parentheses
For example, 10 ILCS 5/24B-9.1(b)(5) is read:
“Ten Illinois Compiled Statutes, Election Code, Article 24B, Section 9.1, subsection (b)(5).”
Statutory excerpts in this guide have been formatted for readability. Wording remains accurate, but paragraph breaks and headings may be added.
For official paragraph numbering, consult the original statute using the link provided on each Article page.
Gender-Neutral Pronouns
This guide uses gender-neutral pronouns whenever possible, typically preferring plural forms:
- they
- them
- themself
- themselves
Defined Concepts
Certain terms, such as “Polling Place,” “Polling Room,” “Election Judges,” and “Election Authority,” are capitalized to indicate defined concepts.
These terms are not capitalized in quoted statutes unless capitalized in the original text.
Specialized Formatting
What the Poll Watcher Is Looking For
This heading highlights specific observations the poll watcher should make.
Rule of Thumb
These practical tips are not statutory requirements but are intended to help the poll watcher avoid unnecessary conflict.
This format depicts text as it appears on a computer screen.
This format is used for quotations from Illinois statutes.
— citation