From the Huntley Tea Party:

“One of the penalties for refusing to participate in politics is that you end up being governed by your inferiors.” Plato

Election Judges Needed 

Gov. Pritzker Signs Legislation to Expand Vote by Mail (VBM) in the 2020 Election

Now why should that be alarming?

It is Illinois and the Democrats have passed a Bill that makes changes for ONLY the 2020 election.

YES!

Where and how do you fit into this?

“Sending vote by mail applications to residents who have participated in recent elections will allow more people to exercise that right from the safety of their own homes and help reduce the spread of COVID-19 in our communities……………”

There will still be polling places. 

Under the new law, local election offices must mail or email vote by mail ballot applications and the VBM timeline to voters who cast a ballot in the 2018 general election, the 2019 consolidated election or the 2020 general primary election, including voters who registered or changed addresses after the primary election.

Voters who submit their application for a VBM ballot by October 1 will receive their VBM ballot by October 6. 

To improve the signature verification process, the legislation raises the standard for rejecting a VBM ballot.

The election authority will be required to appoint a bipartisan panel of three election judges (2 of the 3 have to be from the same party) to verify voters’ signature and the validity of the ballot.

Currently, only a single election judge makes this determination.

10 ILCS 5/2B-20 New Law For Mail In Ballot Election Judges

The part of the Act that talks about election judges is right here:

(c) Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary, within 2 days after a vote by mail ballot is received, but in all cases before the close of the period for counting provisional ballots, the election authority shall appoint panels as needed of 3 election judges, of which no more than 2 shall be from the same political party, from the list of election judges submitted by the county parties for this specific purpose to compare the voter’s signature on the certification envelope of the vote by mail ballot with the signature of the voter on file in the office of the election authority.

The signature shall be presumed to match unless 3 out of 3 election judges determine that the 2 signatures do not match.

A vote by mail ballot may only be rejected by a vote of 3 of 3 election judges and only for the following reasons:

(1) the signature on the certification envelope and the signature used by the election authority for verification purposes do not match or the certification envelope contains no signature;

(2) the ballot envelope was delivered opened;

(3) the voter has already cast a ballot;(

4) if the voter voted in person on election day; or

(5) the voter is not a duly registered voter in the precinct.

If 3 of 3 election judges determine the ballot should be rejected for any reasons stated in this subsection (c), the judges shall mark across the face of the certification envelope the word “rejected” and the date and names of the judges voting to reject the ballot.

Here’s a link to the entire Public Act that this comes from: https://ilga.gov/legislation/publicacts/fulltext.asp?Name=101-0642&GA=101 

Requirements to be an Election Judge

ELECTION JUDGES DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES 10 ILCS 5/13, 5/14 WHAT ARE JUDGES OF ELECTION? 

Judges of elections are responsible for the administration of election procedures in the polling place on Election Day.

They are in the position of ensuring that the election process is administered fairly and in accordance with the law. 

WHAT ARE THE QUALIFICATIONS NECESSARY TO BE AN ELECTION JUDGE?

·Be a citizen of the United States;

·Be of good repute and character and not subject to the registration requirement of the Sex Offender Registration Act;

·Be able to speak, read, and write the English language; 

·Be skilled in the four fundamental rules of mathematics;

·Be of good understanding and capable;

·Not be a candidate for any office in the election and not be elected committeeman; and

·Reside in and be entitled to vote in the precinct where selected to serve as judge.

However, in each precinct one judge of each party may be appointed from outside the precinct, but from within the county.

All judges must be electors within the county WHAT

ARE SOME OF THE DUTIES OF THE JUDGES OF ELECTION?

·To open and close the polls;

·To be responsible for all election materials;

·To ensure that only qualified voters are permitted to vote and that each qualified voter is permitted to vote once and only once;

·To ensure that all votes are cast in secret;

·To give instructions in the method of voting when requested by a voter;

·To give assistance to illiterate and physically disabled voters;

·To maintain order in the polling place throughout the day;

·To tally the vote after the polls are closed; and

· to certify the election results in that precinct.