prec. Sec. 21-24 - Nonpartisan Elections


      (65 ILCS 20/prec. Sec. 21‑24 heading)
NONPARTISAN ELECTIONS

    (65 ILCS 20/21‑24) (from Ch. 24, par. 21‑24)
    Sec. 21‑24. Application ‑ Recall elections. The provisions of this Article shall apply to all elections for aldermen in the city of Chicago. The name of no person shall be printed upon the official ballot as a candidate for alderman, unless the terms of this Article shall have been complied with. If recall elections are provided for, to be held within the city of Chicago, the provisions of this Article shall apply to such elections, except to the extent that provisions inconsistent herewith are made by the law providing for such recall elections.
(Source: Laws 1941, vol. 2, p. 19.)

    (65 ILCS 20/21‑25) (from Ch. 24, par. 21‑25)
    Sec. 21‑25. Times for elections.) General elections for aldermen shall be held in the year or years fixed by law for holding the same, on the last Tuesday of February of such year. Any supplementary election for aldermen held under the provisions of this article shall be held on the first Tuesday of April next following the holding of such general aldermanic election.
(Source: P.A. 80‑1469.)

    (65 ILCS 20/21‑26) (from Ch. 24, par. 21‑26)
    Sec. 21‑26. Candidates receiving majority elected ‑ Supplementary elections.
    The candidate receiving a majority of the votes cast for alderman in each ward at any general or special election shall be declared elected. In the event that no candidate receives a majority of such votes in any ward or wards a supplementary election shall be held at the time prescribed in Section 21‑25. At such supplementary election the names of the candidates in each of such wards receiving the highest and second highest number of votes at the preceding general or special election and no others shall be placed on the official ballot: Provided, however, that if there be any candidate who, under the provisions of this Section would have been entitled to a place on the ballot at the supplementary election except for the fact that some other candidate received an equal number of votes, then all such candidates receiving such equal number of votes shall have their names printed on the ballot as candidates at such succeeding supplementary election. The candidate receiving the highest number of votes at such supplementary election shall be declared elected. Such supplementary election shall be deemed a special election under the election and ballot laws in force in the city of Chicago and shall be governed thereby except in so far as such laws are inconsistent with the provisions of this article.
(Source: Laws 1941, vol. 2, p. 19.)

    (65 ILCS 20/21‑27) (from Ch. 24, par. 21‑27)
    Sec. 21‑27. Election contest‑Complaint. Any candidate whose name appears on the ballots used in any ward of the city at any election for alderman, may contest the election of the candidate who appears to be elected from such ward on the face of the returns, or may contest the right of the candidates who appear to have received the highest and second highest number of votes to places on the official ballot at any supplementary election, by filing within 5 days after such election with the Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County, a complaint in writing, verified by the candidate making the contest, setting forth the grounds of the contest. The contestant in each contest shall also serve notice on all persons who were candidates for alderman of such ward at the election, within such 5 days, informing them that such complaint has been or will be filed. The Circuit Court of Cook County shall have jurisdiction to hear and determine such contest. All proceedings in relation to such contest after the filing of such complaint shall be the same, as near as may be, as provided for in the case of a contest at a primary election in such city. In case the court shall decide that the complaint is insufficient in law, or that the candidate who appears to have been elected on the face of the return has been duly elected, the complaint shall be dismissed. If it shall appear to the satisfaction of the court that the face of the returns are not correct, and that the candidate who appears thereby to have been elected was not in fact elected, then the candidates having the highest and second highest number of votes as determined by such contest shall be candidates at the subsequent supplementary election as provided for in section 21‑26.
(Source: P.A. 83‑334.)

    (65 ILCS 20/21‑28)(from Ch. 24, par. 21‑28)
    Sec. 21‑28. Nomination by petition.
    (a) All nominations for alderman of any ward in the city shall be by petition. All petitions for nominations of candidates shall be signed by such a number of legal voters of the ward as will aggregate not less than two per cent of all the votes cast for alderman in such ward at the last preceding general election. For the election following the redistricting of wards petitions for nominations of candidates shall be signed by the number of legal voters of the ward as will aggregate not less than 2% of the total number of votes cast for mayor at the last preceding municipal election divided by the number of wards.
    (b) All nominations for mayor, city clerk, and city treasurer in the city shall be by petition. Each petition for nomination of a candidate must be signed by at least 12,500 legal voters of the city.
    (c) All such petitions, and procedure with respect thereto, shall conform in other respects to the provisions of the election and ballot laws then in force in the city of Chicago concerning the nomination of independent candidates for public office by petition. The method of nomination herein provided is exclusive of and replaces all other methods heretofore provided by law.
(Source: P.A. 94‑645, eff. 8‑22‑05.)

    (65 ILCS 20/21‑29)(from Ch. 24, par. 21‑29)
    Sec. 21‑29. Withdrawals and substitution of candidates.
    Any candidate for alderman under the provisions of this article may withdraw his name as a candidate by filing with the board of election commissioners of the city of Chicago not later than the date of certification of the ballot his written request signed by him and duly acknowledged before an officer qualified to take acknowledgements of deeds, whereupon his name shall not be printed as a candidate upon the official ballot.
    If any candidate at an aldermanic election who was not elected as provided for in this article but who shall have received sufficient votes to entitle him to a place on the official ballot at the ensuing supplementary election shall die or withdraw his candidacy before such supplementary election, the name of the candidate who shall receive the next highest number of votes shall be printed on the ballot in lieu of the name of the candidate who shall have died or withdrawn his candidacy.
(Source: P.A. 96‑1008, eff. 7‑6‑10.)

    (65 ILCS 20/21‑30) (from Ch. 24, par. 21‑30)
    Sec. 21‑30. Form of ballot. Ballots to be used at any general, supplementary or special election for aldermen held under the provisions of this article, in addition to other requirements of law, shall conform to the following requirements:
    (1) At the top of the ballots shall be printed in capital letters the words designating the ballot. If a general aldermanic election the words shall be "Official aldermanic election ballot"; if a supplementary election the designating words shall be "Official supplementary aldermanic election ballot"; if a special aldermanic election, the words shall be "Special aldermanic election ballot."
    (2) Beginning not less than one inch below such designating words and extending across the face of the ballot, the title of each office to be filled shall be printed in capital letters.
    (3) The names of candidates for different terms of service therein (if any there be), shall be arranged and printed in groups according to the length of such terms.
    (4) Immediately below the title of each office or group heading indicating the term of office, shall be printed in small letters the directions to voters, "Vote for one."
    (5) Following thereupon shall be printed the names of the candidates for such office according to the title and the term thereof and below the name of each candidate shall be printed his place of residence, stating the street and number (if any). The names of candidates shall be printed in capital letters not less than one‑eighth nor more than one‑quarter of an inch in height, and immediately at the left of the name of each candidate shall be printed a square, the sides of which shall not be less than one‑quarter of an inch in length. The names of all the candidates for each office shall be printed in a column and arranged in the order hereinafter designated; all names of candidates shall be printed in uniform type; the places of residence of such candidates shall be printed in uniform type; and squares upon said ballots shall be of uniform size; and spaces between the names of the candidates for the same office shall be of uniform size.
    (6) The names of the candidates for alderman shall appear upon the ballot in the order in which petitions for nomination have been filed in the office of the board of election commissioners. Where 2 or more petitions are received simultaneously, the board of election commissioners shall break ties and determine the order of filing by means of a lottery or other fair and impartial method of random selection approved by the board of election commissioners. Such lottery shall be conducted within 9 days following the last day for petition filing and shall be open to the public. Seven days written notice of the time and place of conducting such random selection shall be given, by the board of election commissioners, to the Chairman of each political party and to each organization of citizens within the city which was entitled, under The Election Code, at the next preceding election, to have pollwatchers present on the day of election. The board of election commissioners shall post in a conspicuous, open and public place, at the entrance of the office, notice of the time and place of such lottery. The board of election commissioners shall adopt rules and regulations governing the procedures for the conduct of such lottery.
(Source: P.A. 86‑867.)

    (65 ILCS 20/21‑31) (from Ch. 24, par. 21‑31)
    Sec. 21‑31. Allotment of ballots by precincts. Each precinct of any ward shall be allotted at least ten per cent more ballots than there are registered voters in such precinct.
    On the back or outside of the ballot of each precinct so as to appear when folded shall be printed the appropriate words designating said ballot, followed by the designation of said precinct, the date of the election, and a facsimile of the signature of the proper election official.
(Source: P.A. 86‑867.)

    (65 ILCS 20/21‑32) (from Ch. 24, par. 21‑32)
    Sec. 21‑32. Party designations prohibited ‑ Ballot to be separate from other ballots.
    No party name, party initial, party circle platform, principle, appellation or distinguishing mark of any kind shall be printed upon any election ballot used at any aldermanic election held under the provisions of this article.
    If any party primary election or any election for any office other than aldermanic shall be held at the same time with any aldermanic election, the ballots for aldermen shall be separate from all other ballots, except that any question of public policy not required by law to be submitted on a separate ballot from that containing names of persons to be voted for may be submitted in the manner provided by law upon the same ballot as that used for an aldermanic election: Provided, that the polls shall be opened and closed for any aldermanic election at the same time as is provided for the opening and closing of any party primary election for any office other than alderman held at the same time.
(Source: Laws 1941, vol. 2, p. 19.)

    (65 ILCS 20/21‑33) (from Ch. 24, par. 21‑33)
    Sec. 21‑33. Challengers and watchers.
    Any candidate for alderman under the terms of this article may appoint in writing over his signature not more than one representative for each place of voting, who shall have the right to act as challenger and watcher for such candidate at any election at which his name is being voted upon. Such challenger and watcher shall have the same powers and privileges as a challenger and watcher under the election laws of this State applicable to Chicago. No political party shall have the right to keep any challenger or watcher at any polling place at any election held under the provisions of this article unless candidates for some office other than alderman are to be voted for at the same time.
(Source: Laws 1941, vol. 2, p. 19.)

    (65 ILCS 20/21‑34) (from Ch. 24, par. 21‑34)
    Sec. 21‑34. Certificate of election.
    No certificate of election shall be given to any candidate who shall be declared elected at any general aldermanic election until after the date fixed by this Article for the holding of the supplementary election provided for in this Article.
(Source: Laws 1941, vol. 2, p. 19.)

    (65 ILCS 20/21‑35) (from Ch. 24, par. 21‑35)
    Sec. 21‑35. Election laws apply when consistent. All laws in force in the city of Chicago governing elections for municipal offices or applicable thereto and not inconsistent with the provisions of this article, shall apply to and govern all elections held under the terms of this article.
(Source: Laws 1941, vol. 2, p. 19.)