Illinois 2023-2024 Regular Session

Illinois House Bill HB2807 Latest Draft

Bill / Introduced Version Filed 02/16/2023

                            103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY State of Illinois 2023 and 2024 HB2807 Introduced , by Rep. Maurice A. West, II SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:  New Act  Creates the Ranked Choice Voting for Presidential Primaries Act. Provides that any State-administered primary election for the President of the United States shall be conducted using ranked choice voting. Sets forth provisions concerning form of ballot, tabulation, inactive ballots and undervotes, and ties for ranked choice voting. Provides that at least 150 days before the date of the presidential primary election, the State committee of each political party that intends to use the State-administered presidential primary in its nomination process shall inform the State Board of Elections in writing of its intention. Provides that the State committee's written notice shall indicate whether the party prefers tabulation to occur on a winner-take-all basis or on a proportional basis. Provides that if a party's notice fails to specify how to tabulate ballots, the State-administered presidential primary election for that party shall be tabulated on a statewide winner-take-all basis. Provides that the State Board of Elections shall adopt rules or guidance to facilitate the release of unofficial preliminary round-by-round results and unofficial preliminary cast vote records as soon as feasible after the polls close and at regular intervals thereafter until the counting of ballots is complete. Sets forth information that the State Board of Elections shall make public. Provides that the State Board of Elections shall have the authority to adopt any rules necessary to implement the provisions. Defines terms.  LRB103 30230 BMS 56658 b   A BILL FOR 103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY State of Illinois 2023 and 2024 HB2807 Introduced , by Rep. Maurice A. West, II SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:  New Act New Act  Creates the Ranked Choice Voting for Presidential Primaries Act. Provides that any State-administered primary election for the President of the United States shall be conducted using ranked choice voting. Sets forth provisions concerning form of ballot, tabulation, inactive ballots and undervotes, and ties for ranked choice voting. Provides that at least 150 days before the date of the presidential primary election, the State committee of each political party that intends to use the State-administered presidential primary in its nomination process shall inform the State Board of Elections in writing of its intention. Provides that the State committee's written notice shall indicate whether the party prefers tabulation to occur on a winner-take-all basis or on a proportional basis. Provides that if a party's notice fails to specify how to tabulate ballots, the State-administered presidential primary election for that party shall be tabulated on a statewide winner-take-all basis. Provides that the State Board of Elections shall adopt rules or guidance to facilitate the release of unofficial preliminary round-by-round results and unofficial preliminary cast vote records as soon as feasible after the polls close and at regular intervals thereafter until the counting of ballots is complete. Sets forth information that the State Board of Elections shall make public. Provides that the State Board of Elections shall have the authority to adopt any rules necessary to implement the provisions. Defines terms.  LRB103 30230 BMS 56658 b     LRB103 30230 BMS 56658 b   A BILL FOR
103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY State of Illinois 2023 and 2024 HB2807 Introduced , by Rep. Maurice A. West, II SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
New Act New Act
New Act
Creates the Ranked Choice Voting for Presidential Primaries Act. Provides that any State-administered primary election for the President of the United States shall be conducted using ranked choice voting. Sets forth provisions concerning form of ballot, tabulation, inactive ballots and undervotes, and ties for ranked choice voting. Provides that at least 150 days before the date of the presidential primary election, the State committee of each political party that intends to use the State-administered presidential primary in its nomination process shall inform the State Board of Elections in writing of its intention. Provides that the State committee's written notice shall indicate whether the party prefers tabulation to occur on a winner-take-all basis or on a proportional basis. Provides that if a party's notice fails to specify how to tabulate ballots, the State-administered presidential primary election for that party shall be tabulated on a statewide winner-take-all basis. Provides that the State Board of Elections shall adopt rules or guidance to facilitate the release of unofficial preliminary round-by-round results and unofficial preliminary cast vote records as soon as feasible after the polls close and at regular intervals thereafter until the counting of ballots is complete. Sets forth information that the State Board of Elections shall make public. Provides that the State Board of Elections shall have the authority to adopt any rules necessary to implement the provisions. Defines terms.
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A BILL FOR
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1  AN ACT concerning elections.
2  Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3  represented in the General Assembly:
4  Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the Ranked
5  Choice Voting for Presidential Primaries Act.
6  Section 5. Definitions.
7  As used in this Act:
8  "Active candidate" means any candidate who has not been
9  eliminated during tabulation or is not a withdrawn candidate.
10  "Highest-ranked active candidate" means the active
11  candidate assigned to a higher ranking than any other active
12  candidates on a ballot.
13  "Inactive ballot" means a ballot that does not count for
14  any candidate for any of the reasons set forth in subsection
15  (a) of Section 25.
16  "Overvote" means an instance in which a voter has ranked
17  more than one candidate at the same ranking order.
18  "Ranking order" means the number available to be assigned
19  by a voter to a candidate to express the voter's choice for
20  that candidate; the number "1" is the highest ranking order,
21  followed by "2", and then "3" and so on in ascending numerical
22  order.
23  "Round" means an instance of the sequence of voting

 

103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY State of Illinois 2023 and 2024 HB2807 Introduced , by Rep. Maurice A. West, II SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
New Act New Act
New Act
Creates the Ranked Choice Voting for Presidential Primaries Act. Provides that any State-administered primary election for the President of the United States shall be conducted using ranked choice voting. Sets forth provisions concerning form of ballot, tabulation, inactive ballots and undervotes, and ties for ranked choice voting. Provides that at least 150 days before the date of the presidential primary election, the State committee of each political party that intends to use the State-administered presidential primary in its nomination process shall inform the State Board of Elections in writing of its intention. Provides that the State committee's written notice shall indicate whether the party prefers tabulation to occur on a winner-take-all basis or on a proportional basis. Provides that if a party's notice fails to specify how to tabulate ballots, the State-administered presidential primary election for that party shall be tabulated on a statewide winner-take-all basis. Provides that the State Board of Elections shall adopt rules or guidance to facilitate the release of unofficial preliminary round-by-round results and unofficial preliminary cast vote records as soon as feasible after the polls close and at regular intervals thereafter until the counting of ballots is complete. Sets forth information that the State Board of Elections shall make public. Provides that the State Board of Elections shall have the authority to adopt any rules necessary to implement the provisions. Defines terms.
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A BILL FOR

 

 

New Act



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1  tabulation conducted in accordance with subsection (b) of
2  Section 20 for winner-take-all selection of delegates or
3  subsection (c) of Section 20 for proportional selection of
4  delegates.
5  "Skipped ranking" means a voter has left a ranking order
6  unassigned but ranks a candidate at a subsequent ranking
7  order.
8  "Threshold for receiving delegates" means the amount of
9  votes necessary for a candidate to receive delegates in
10  primary elections conducted in accordance with subsection (c)
11  of Section 20.
12  "Undervote" means a ballot that does not contain any
13  candidates at any ranking in a particular contest.
14  "Withdrawn candidate" means any candidate who:
15  (1) has filed a signed letter of withdrawal with the
16  national and State party chairs in compliance with any
17  applicable party rules that may exist governing the
18  timing, procedures, or substance of candidate withdrawals
19  or suspensions; and
20  (2) has filed a signed letter of withdrawal before
21  election day with the State election official designated
22  to receive the letter.
23  Section 10. Ranked choice voting for presidential primary
24  elections. Any State-administered primary election for the
25  President of the United States shall be conducted using ranked

 

 

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1  choice voting as set forth in this Act.
2  Section 15. Ranked choice voting; form of ballot.
3  (a) Any ballot used to conduct ranked choice voting shall
4  allow voters to rank candidates in order of choice.
5  (b) Any ballot used to conduct ranked choice voting shall
6  allow voters to rank up to 5 qualified candidates. If voting
7  equipment cannot accommodate 5 rankings, the State Board of
8  Elections may limit the number of choices a voter may rank on
9  the ballot to the maximum number allowed by the equipment,
10  however, the number of rankings allowed shall be no fewer than
11  3 and shall be uniform across the State.
12  (c) Nothing in subsection (b) shall be construed to allow
13  a voter to vote for candidates of any party in a primary in
14  which the voter is not eligible to vote.
15  Section 20. Ranked choice voting; tabulation.
16  (a) In any State-administered primary election for
17  President of the United States conducted using ranked choice
18  voting, each ballot shall count as one vote for the
19  highest-ranked active candidate on that ballot. Ranking orders
20  containing withdrawn candidates shall be treated the same as
21  ranking orders containing candidates who have been eliminated
22  from tabulation. Otherwise, each round proceeds sequentially
23  as described in subsection (b) or (c), as applicable.
24  (b) If a party awards delegates to a single candidate on a

 

 

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1  winner-take-all basis, tabulation shall proceed as follows:
2  (1) If 2 or fewer active candidates remain, then
3  tabulation is complete; otherwise, tabulation proceeds
4  pursuant to paragraph (2) of this subsection.
5  (2) If tabulation is not complete, then the active
6  candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated, votes for
7  the eliminated candidate are transferred to each ballot's
8  next-ranked active candidate, and a new round begins
9  pursuant to paragraph (1).
10  (c) If a party awards delegates to multiple candidates on
11  a proportional basis, tabulation shall proceed as follows:
12  (1) If the vote total of every active candidate is
13  above the party's threshold for receiving delegates, then
14  tabulation is complete; otherwise, tabulation proceeds
15  pursuant to paragraph (2) of this subsection.
16  (2) If tabulation is not complete, then the active
17  candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated, votes for
18  the eliminated candidate are transferred to each ballot's
19  next-ranked active candidate, and a new round begins
20  pursuant to paragraph (1).
21  (d) When the State Board of Elections certifies the
22  results of the election, the official shall certify the
23  results of each round tabulated pursuant to subsection (b) or
24  (c) and any other information required under Section 40 to the
25  State chairperson and the national committee of each political
26  party that had at least one candidate on the

 

 

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1  State-administered presidential primary election ballot to
2  allocate national delegate votes in accordance with the
3  party's State and national rules.
4  (e) Nothing in this Act shall be construed to preclude a
5  political party from allocating delegates according to its own
6  rules for allocating such delegates.
7  Section 25. Ranked choice voting; inactive ballots and
8  undervotes.
9  (a) An inactive ballot does not count for any candidate. A
10  ballot is inactive if any of the following is true:
11  (1) The ballot does not contain any active candidates
12  and is not an undervote.
13  (2) The ballot has reached an overvote.
14  (3) The ballot has reached 2 consecutive skipped
15  rankings.
16  (b) An undervote does not count as an active or inactive
17  ballot in any round of tabulation.
18  Section 30. Ranked choice voting; ties. If 2 or more
19  candidates are tied with the fewest votes and tabulation
20  cannot continue until the candidate with the fewest votes is
21  eliminated, then the candidate to be eliminated shall be
22  determined by lot. Election officials may resolve prospective
23  ties between candidates before tabulation after all votes are
24  cast. The result of any tie resolution must be recorded and

 

 

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1  reused in the event of a recount.
2  Section 35. Political party notice regarding participation
3  in primary, type of primary, and threshold for receiving
4  delegates.
5  (a) At least 150 days before the date of the presidential
6  primary election, the State committee of each political party
7  that intends to use the State-administered presidential
8  primary in its nomination process shall inform the State Board
9  of Elections in writing of its intention. The State
10  committee's written notice shall indicate whether the party
11  prefers tabulation to occur on a winner-take-all basis in
12  accordance with subsection (b) of Section 20 or on a
13  proportional basis in accordance with subsection (c) of
14  Section 20. If the party requests that tabulation occur on a
15  proportional basis, the party shall indicate what the
16  applicable threshold for receiving delegates will be. If a
17  party allocates any delegates by congressional district or
18  other geographical unit, then the party shall indicate the
19  geographical basis for its allocation. If a party's notice
20  fails to specify how to tabulate ballots, the
21  State-administered presidential primary election for that
22  party shall be tabulated on a statewide winner-take-all basis
23  in accordance with subsection (b) of Section 20.
24  (b) At least 120 days before the date of the presidential
25  primary election, the State Board of Elections shall confirm

 

 

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1  with the State committee of each political party that the
2  State is capable of implementing the party's preferences as
3  declared under subsection (a) or shall notify the State
4  committee of any feasibility constraints that could prevent
5  the State from implementing the party's preferences.
6  Section 40. Results reporting.
7  (a) The State Board of Elections shall adopt rules or
8  guidance to facilitate the release of unofficial preliminary
9  round-by-round results and unofficial preliminary cast vote
10  records as soon as feasible after the polls close and at
11  regular intervals thereafter until the counting of ballots is
12  complete.
13  (1) Unofficial preliminary round-by-round results
14  shall be clearly labeled as preliminary and, to the extent
15  feasible, shall include the percentage of ballots counted
16  to date.
17  (2) Unofficial preliminary cast vote records shall be:
18  (A) clearly labeled as preliminary and, to the
19  extent feasible, shall include the percentage of
20  ballots counted to date;
21  (B) published online in a publicly accessible,
22  electronic format; and
23  (C) published in a manner consistent with the need
24  to maintain voter privacy.
25  (3) In adopting rules or guidance under this

 

 

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1  subsection, the State Board of Elections shall consult
2  with and allow for input from county clerks, local
3  election officials, and national and State party
4  representatives.
5  (b) In addition to any other information required by law
6  to be reported with final results, the State Board of
7  Elections shall make public:
8  (1) the total number of votes each candidate received
9  in each round of the official tabulation, including votes
10  for withdrawn candidates;
11  (2) the total number of ballots that became inactive
12  in each round because they did not contain any active
13  candidates, reached an overvote, or reached 2 consecutive
14  skipped rankings, reported as separate figures; and
15  (3) the cast vote records in a publicly accessible,
16  electronic format and by precinct, published in a manner
17  consistent with the need to maintain voter privacy.
18  (c) If a party allocates delegates by congressional
19  district or other geographical unit, the State Board of
20  Elections shall provide round-by-round results by
21  congressional district or other geographical unit in addition
22  to providing statewide results.
23  Section 45. Rulemaking. The State Board of Elections shall
24  have the authority to adopt any rules necessary to implement
25  this Act.

 

 

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1  Section 97. Severability. The provisions of this Act are
2  severable under Section 1.31 of the Statute on Statutes.

 

 

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