Bill Text: IL HB2716 | 2025-2026 | 104th General Assembly | Introduced

---

Bill Title: Amends the Election Code. Provides that, in counties under township organization, an election authority may combine a township with another township to constitute one election precinct if the townships are contiguous and 2 or more specified conditions are satisfied. Provides that the election authority shall consider voter convenience and election integrity when determining whether to combine a township with another township to constitute one election precinct.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Introduced) 2025-02-06 - Referred to Rules Committee [HB2716 Detail]

Download: Illinois-2025-HB2716-Introduced.html

---

104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY State of Illinois 2025 and 2026 HB2716 Introduced , by Rep. Maurice A. West, II SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
10 ILCS 5/11-1 from Ch. 46, par. 11-1
Amends the Election Code. Provides that, in counties under township organization, an election authority may combine a township with another township to constitute one election precinct if the townships are contiguous and 2 or more specified conditions are satisfied. Provides that the election authority shall consider voter convenience and election integrity when determining whether to combine a township with another township to constitute one election precinct.
LRB104 10412 SPS 20487 b
A BILL FOR
HB2716 LRB104 10412 SPS 20487 b
AN ACT concerning elections.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
represented in the General Assembly:
Section 5. The Election Code is amended by changing
Section 11-1 as follows:
(10 ILCS 5/11-1) (from Ch. 46, par. 11-1)
Sec. 11-1. In counties not under township organization,
the election precincts shall remain as now established until
changed by the Board of County Commissioners, but said County
Board may, from time to time, change the boundaries of
election precincts and establish new ones. In counties under
township organization, an election authority may combine a
township with another township to constitute one election
precinct if the townships are contiguous and 2 or more of the
following conditions are satisfied:
(1) the election authority certifies to the State
Board of Elections that the townships have been combined
into one election precinct for the 2 preceding general
elections;
(2) there are no more than 1,800 registered voters in
the townships combined;
(3) there are no more than 500 registered voters in a
precinct within either township; or

HB2716 - 2 - LRB104 10412 SPS 20487 b
(4) the majority of the board of township trustees for
both townships vote to combine the townships into one
election precinct and inform the election authority of
that decision.
The election authority shall consider voter convenience
and election integrity when determining whether to combine a
township with another township to constitute one election
precinct. In counties under township organization, each town
shall constitute at least one election precinct.
Insofar as is practicable, each precinct shall be
situated within a single congressional, legislative and
representative district and within a single municipal ward. In
order to situate each precinct within a single district or
ward, the County Board shall change the boundaries of election
precincts after each decennial census as soon as is
practicable following the completion of congressional and
legislative redistricting.
At any consolidated primary or consolidated election at
which municipal officers are to be elected, and at any
emergency referendum at which a public question relating to a
municipality is to be voted on, notwithstanding any other
provision of this Code, the election authority shall establish
a polling place within such municipality upon the request of
the municipal council or board of trustees at least 60 days
before the election and provided that the municipality
provides a suitable polling place. To accomplish this purpose,

HB2716 - 3 - LRB104 10412 SPS 20487 b
the election authority may establish an election precinct
constituting a single municipality of under 500 population for
all elections, notwithstanding the minimum precinct size
otherwise specified herein.
Notwithstanding the above, when there are not more than 50
registered voters in a precinct who are entitled to vote in a
local government or school district election, the election
authority having jurisdiction over the precinct is authorized
to reassign such voters to one or more polling places in
adjacent precincts, within or without the election authority's
jurisdiction, for that election. For the purposes of such
local government or school district election only, the votes
of the reassigned voters shall be tallied and canvassed as
votes from the precinct of the polling place to which such
voters have been reassigned. The election authority having
jurisdiction over the precinct shall approve all
administrative and polling place procedures. Such procedures
shall take into account voter convenience, and ensure that the
integrity of the election process is maintained and that the
secrecy of the ballot is not violated.
Except in the event of a fire, flood or total loss of heat
in a place fixed or established by any election authority
pursuant to this Section as a polling place for an election, no
election authority shall change the location of a polling
place so established for any precinct after notice of the
place of holding the election for that precinct has been given

HB2716 - 4 - LRB104 10412 SPS 20487 b
as required under Article 12 unless the election authority
notifies all registered voters in the precinct of the change
in location by first class mail in sufficient time for such
notice to be received by the registered voters in the precinct
at least one day prior to the date of the election.
The provisions of this Section apply to all precincts,
including those where voting machines or electronic voting
systems are used.
If, as a result of the redistricting of legislative,
representative, or congressional districts following a
decennial census, there exists a census block with only one
voter that is the only census block in a precinct that is in a
legislative, representative, or congressional district, then
the county board, at any meeting of the county board, may
change the precinct boundaries so that the census block is
within a precinct that has more than one voter in the
legislative, representative, or congressional district.
(Source: P.A. 88-525.)