Sec. 9-453a. Petition form.

      Sec. 9-453a. Petition form. Each petition for nomination for elective office shall be on a form prescribed and provided by the Secretary of the State. Such form shall include, at the top of the form and in bold print, the following:

WARNING

IT IS A CRIME TO SIGN THIS PETITION

IN THE NAME OF ANOTHER PERSON

WITHOUT LEGAL AUTHORITY TO DO SO

AND YOU MAY NOT SIGN THIS PETITION

IF YOU ARE NOT AN ELECTOR.

Such form shall provide lines for the signatures, street addresses, dates of birth and the printing of the names of signators. A signator shall print his name on said line following the signing of the signator's name. Before issuing a petition form, the secretary shall, above the space provided for signatures, type or print the name and address of the candidate, the office sought and the election and the date thereof. The secretary shall give to any person requesting such form one or more petition pages, suitable for duplication, as the secretary deems necessary. If the person is requesting the form on behalf of an indigent candidate or a group of indigent candidates listed on the same nominating petition, the secretary shall give the person the number of original pages that he requests or the number which the secretary deems sufficient. An original petition page may be duplicated by or on behalf of the candidate or candidates listed on the page and signatures may be obtained on such duplicates. The duplicates shall be filed in the same manner and shall be subject to the same requirements as original petition pages.

      (1971, P.A. 806, S. 2; P.A. 77-168; P.A. 83-391, S. 21, 24; P.A. 93-384, S. 11; P.A. 99-276, S. 13, 15; P.A. 03-241, S. 59.)

      History: P.A. 77-168 added provision for inclusion on petition of a line for printing of the name of a signator following the signature; P.A. 83-391 deleted limitation on number of petition pages given to person requesting; P.A. 93-384 required secretary to type or print candidate and election information on form before issuance, limited number of pages that secretary required to give to person requesting to "one or more petition pages, suitable for duplication, as the secretary deems necessary" unless candidate or candidates are indigent, and allowed original pages to be duplicated; P.A. 99-276 required petition forms to provide lines for the signatures, street addresses and dates of birth of signators, effective January 1, 2000; P.A. 03-241 required form to include warning, effective July 1, 2003.

      See Sec. 9-6b re assistance to blind persons in the signing of petitions.