103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY State of Illinois 2023 and 2024 HB3657 Introduced , by Rep. Ryan Spain SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED: 5 ILCS 140/2.23 new 10 ILCS 5/19-6 from Ch. 46, par. 19-6 Amends the Election Code. Provides that collection sites for vote by mail ballots shall be established only on the grounds of a public building in which a unit of local government conducts its ordinary business and in which there are no residential dwelling units. Provides that those collection sites shall be recorded by security cameras, and the security camera recordings shall be retained by the election authority for a period of 90-days after each election. Provides that the State's Attorney shall confirm that the security cameras are working at least once per week until election day starting when the first vote by mail ballots have been mailed. Amends the Freedom of Information Act to provide that those recordings are public records subject to inspection and copying by the public during that 90-day period. Effective immediately. LRB103 05872 AWJ 50893 b A BILL FOR 103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY State of Illinois 2023 and 2024 HB3657 Introduced , by Rep. Ryan Spain SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED: 5 ILCS 140/2.23 new 10 ILCS 5/19-6 from Ch. 46, par. 19-6 5 ILCS 140/2.23 new 10 ILCS 5/19-6 from Ch. 46, par. 19-6 Amends the Election Code. Provides that collection sites for vote by mail ballots shall be established only on the grounds of a public building in which a unit of local government conducts its ordinary business and in which there are no residential dwelling units. Provides that those collection sites shall be recorded by security cameras, and the security camera recordings shall be retained by the election authority for a period of 90-days after each election. Provides that the State's Attorney shall confirm that the security cameras are working at least once per week until election day starting when the first vote by mail ballots have been mailed. Amends the Freedom of Information Act to provide that those recordings are public records subject to inspection and copying by the public during that 90-day period. Effective immediately. LRB103 05872 AWJ 50893 b LRB103 05872 AWJ 50893 b A BILL FOR 103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY State of Illinois 2023 and 2024 HB3657 Introduced , by Rep. Ryan Spain SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED: 5 ILCS 140/2.23 new 10 ILCS 5/19-6 from Ch. 46, par. 19-6 5 ILCS 140/2.23 new 10 ILCS 5/19-6 from Ch. 46, par. 19-6 5 ILCS 140/2.23 new 10 ILCS 5/19-6 from Ch. 46, par. 19-6 Amends the Election Code. Provides that collection sites for vote by mail ballots shall be established only on the grounds of a public building in which a unit of local government conducts its ordinary business and in which there are no residential dwelling units. Provides that those collection sites shall be recorded by security cameras, and the security camera recordings shall be retained by the election authority for a period of 90-days after each election. Provides that the State's Attorney shall confirm that the security cameras are working at least once per week until election day starting when the first vote by mail ballots have been mailed. Amends the Freedom of Information Act to provide that those recordings are public records subject to inspection and copying by the public during that 90-day period. Effective immediately. LRB103 05872 AWJ 50893 b LRB103 05872 AWJ 50893 b LRB103 05872 AWJ 50893 b A BILL FOR HB3657LRB103 05872 AWJ 50893 b HB3657 LRB103 05872 AWJ 50893 b HB3657 LRB103 05872 AWJ 50893 b 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 5. The Freedom of Information Act is amended by 5 adding Section 2.23 as follows: 6 (5 ILCS 140/2.23 new) 7 Sec. 2.23. Ballot box recordings. Recordings of collection 8 sites for vote by mail ballots are public records subject to 9 inspection and copying by the public as provided in Section 10 19-6 of the Election Code. 11 Section 10. The Election Code is amended by changing 12 Section 19-6 as follows: 13 (10 ILCS 5/19-6) (from Ch. 46, par. 19-6) 14 Sec. 19-6. Such vote by mail voter shall make and 15 subscribe to the certifications provided for in the 16 application and on the return envelope for the ballot, and 17 such ballot or ballots shall be folded by such voter in the 18 manner required to be folded before depositing the same in the 19 ballot box, and be deposited in such envelope and the envelope 20 securely sealed. The voter shall then endorse his certificate 21 upon the back of the envelope and the envelope shall be mailed 103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY State of Illinois 2023 and 2024 HB3657 Introduced , by Rep. Ryan Spain SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED: 5 ILCS 140/2.23 new 10 ILCS 5/19-6 from Ch. 46, par. 19-6 5 ILCS 140/2.23 new 10 ILCS 5/19-6 from Ch. 46, par. 19-6 5 ILCS 140/2.23 new 10 ILCS 5/19-6 from Ch. 46, par. 19-6 Amends the Election Code. Provides that collection sites for vote by mail ballots shall be established only on the grounds of a public building in which a unit of local government conducts its ordinary business and in which there are no residential dwelling units. Provides that those collection sites shall be recorded by security cameras, and the security camera recordings shall be retained by the election authority for a period of 90-days after each election. Provides that the State's Attorney shall confirm that the security cameras are working at least once per week until election day starting when the first vote by mail ballots have been mailed. Amends the Freedom of Information Act to provide that those recordings are public records subject to inspection and copying by the public during that 90-day period. Effective immediately. LRB103 05872 AWJ 50893 b LRB103 05872 AWJ 50893 b LRB103 05872 AWJ 50893 b A BILL FOR 5 ILCS 140/2.23 new 10 ILCS 5/19-6 from Ch. 46, par. 19-6 LRB103 05872 AWJ 50893 b HB3657 LRB103 05872 AWJ 50893 b HB3657- 2 -LRB103 05872 AWJ 50893 b HB3657 - 2 - LRB103 05872 AWJ 50893 b HB3657 - 2 - LRB103 05872 AWJ 50893 b 1 in person by such voter, postage prepaid, to the election 2 authority issuing the ballot or, if more convenient, it may be 3 delivered in person, by either the voter or by any person 4 authorized by the voter, or by a company licensed as a motor 5 carrier of property by the Illinois Commerce Commission under 6 the Illinois Commercial Transportation Law, which is engaged 7 in the business of making deliveries. 8 Election authorities shall accept any vote by mail ballot 9 returned, including ballots returned with insufficient or no 10 postage. Election authorities may maintain one or more secure 11 collection sites for the postage-free return of vote by mail 12 ballots. Any election authority with collection sites shall 13 collect all ballots returned each day and process them as 14 required by this Code, including noting the day on which the 15 ballot was collected. Ballots returned to such collection 16 sites after close of business shall be dated as delivered the 17 next day, with the exception of ballots delivered on election 18 day, which shall be dated as received on election day. 19 Election authorities shall permit electors to return vote by 20 mail ballots at any collection site it has established through 21 the close of polls on election day. Collection sites shall be 22 established only on the grounds of a public building in which a 23 unit of local government conducts its ordinary business and in 24 which there are no residential dwelling units. All collection 25 sites shall be secured by locks that may be opened only by 26 election authority personnel. All collection sites shall be HB3657 - 2 - LRB103 05872 AWJ 50893 b HB3657- 3 -LRB103 05872 AWJ 50893 b HB3657 - 3 - LRB103 05872 AWJ 50893 b HB3657 - 3 - LRB103 05872 AWJ 50893 b 1 recorded by security cameras. The security camera recordings 2 shall be retained by the election authority for 90 days after 3 each election and shall be available for inspection and 4 copying under the Freedom of Information Act during that 5 90-day period. The State's Attorney shall confirm that the 6 security cameras are working at least once per week until 7 election day starting when the first vote by mail ballots have 8 been mailed. The State Board of Elections shall establish 9 additional guidelines for the security of collection sites. 10 It shall be unlawful for any person not the voter or a 11 person authorized by the voter to take the ballot and ballot 12 envelope of a voter for deposit into the mail unless the ballot 13 has been issued pursuant to application by a physically 14 incapacitated elector under Section 3-3 or a hospitalized 15 voter under Section 19-13, in which case any employee or 16 person under the direction of the facility in which the 17 elector or voter is located may deposit the ballot and ballot 18 envelope into the mail. If the voter authorized a person to 19 deliver the ballot to the election authority, the voter and 20 the person authorized to deliver the ballot shall complete the 21 authorization printed on the exterior envelope supplied by an 22 election authority for the return of the vote by mail ballot. 23 The exterior of the envelope supplied by an election authority 24 for the return of the vote by mail ballot shall include an 25 authorization in substantially the following form: HB3657 - 3 - LRB103 05872 AWJ 50893 b HB3657- 4 -LRB103 05872 AWJ 50893 b HB3657 - 4 - LRB103 05872 AWJ 50893 b HB3657 - 4 - LRB103 05872 AWJ 50893 b 1 I ............ (voter) authorize ............... to take 2 the necessary steps to have this ballot delivered promptly to 3 the office of the election authority. 4 ....................... ........................ 5 Date Signature of voter 6 ............................................... 7 Printed Name of Authorized Delivery Agent 8 ............................................... 9 Signature of Authorized Delivery Agency 10 ............................................... 11 Date Delivered to the Election Authority 12 (Source: P.A. 102-1, eff. 4-2-21; 102-668, eff. 11-15-21.) 13 Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon 14 becoming law. HB3657 - 4 - LRB103 05872 AWJ 50893 b