(10 ILCS 5/Art. 6A heading)
(10 ILCS 5/6A-1) (from Ch. 46, par. 6A-1)
Sec. 6A-1. (a) Any county in which there is no city, village or incorporated town with a board of election commissioners may establish a county board of election commissioners either (1) by ordinance of the county board or (2) by vote of the electors of the county in accordance with subsection (a) of Section 6A-2.
The fact that some territory in a county is within the corporate limits of a city, village or incorporated town with a board of election commissioners does not prevent that county from establishing a county board of election commissioners in accordance with this Article if no portion of such city, village or incorporated town was within the county at the time of the establishment of the board of election commissioners for such city, village or incorporated town. If such a county establishes a county board of election commissioners pursuant to this Article, the county board of election commissioners shall, with respect to the territory in the county within the corporate limits of the city, village or incorporated town, supersede the board of election commissioners of that city, village or incorporated town.
(b) Any county with a population of more than 700,000 persons as of the 2010 federal decennial census that borders another state and borders no more than 2 other Illinois counties, shall be subject to a county board of election commissioners beginning 90 days after the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 98th General Assembly.
(c) Any county with a population of less than 200,000 but more than 175,000 persons as of the 2010 federal decennial census in which a city, village, or incorporated town with a board of election commissioners is located may establish a county board of election commissioners by vote of the electors of the county in accordance with subsection (b) of Section 6A-2. If such a county establishes a county board of election commissioners, the county board of election commissioners, with respect to the territory in the county within the corporate limits of the city, village, or incorporated town, shall supersede the board of election commissioners of that city, village, or incorporated town.
(Source: P.A. 98-115, eff. 7-29-13.)
(10 ILCS 5/6A-2) (from Ch. 46, par. 6A-2)
Sec. 6A-2. Submission to voters.
(a) Whenever registered voters in a county described in subsection (a) of Section 6A-1, numbering at least 1,000 or 1/8 of the number voting at the last preceding general election in the county, whichever is less, petition the circuit court to submit to the electors of the county a proposition to establish a county board of election commissioners, the circuit court shall cause such proposition to be submitted to the electors of the county at the next succeeding general election.
(b) If the county board of a county described in subsection (c) of Section 6A-1 passes an ordinance or resolution establishing a county board of election commissioners, then the proposition to establish a county board of election commissioners shall be submitted to the electors of that county at the next possible general election. The board shall certify the ordinance or resolution and the proposition to the proper election officials who shall submit the proposition at the next general election in accordance with the general election law.
(c) The proposition shall be submitted in the same manner as provided in Article 6 for the adoption of Articles 6, 14 and 18 by cities, villages and incorporated towns, except that the question shall be stated: "Shall a board of election commissioners be established for .... County?"
(Source: P.A. 98-115, eff. 7-29-13.)
(10 ILCS 5/6A-3) (from Ch. 46, par. 6A-3)
Sec. 6A-3. Commissioners; filling vacancies.
(a) If the county board adopts an ordinance providing for the establishment of a county board of election commissioners, or if a majority of the votes cast on a proposition submitted in accordance with Section 6A-2(a) are in favor of a county board of election commissioners, a county board of election commissioners shall be appointed in the same manner as is provided in Article 6 for boards of election commissioners in cities, villages and incorporated towns, except that the county board of election commissioners shall be appointed by the chair of the county board rather than the circuit court. However, before any appointments are made, the appointing authority shall ascertain whether the county clerk desires to be a member of the county board of election commissioners. If the county clerk so desires, he shall be one of the members of the county board of election commissioners, and the appointing authority shall appoint only 2 other members.
(b) For any county board of election commissioners established under subsection (b) of Section 6A-1, within 30 days after July 29, 2013 (the effective date of Public Act 98-115), the chief judge of the circuit court of the county shall appoint 5 commissioners. At least 4 of those commissioners shall be selected from the 2 major established political parties of the State, with at least 2 from each of those parties. Such appointment shall be entered of record in the office of the County Clerk and the State Board of Elections. Those first appointed shall hold their offices for the period of one, 2, and 3 years respectively, and the judge appointing them shall designate the term for which each commissioner shall hold his or her office, whether for one, 2 or 3 years except that no more than one commissioner from each major established political party may be designated the same term. After the initial term, each commissioner or his or her successor shall be appointed to a 3-year term. No elected official or former elected official who has been out of elected office for less than 2 years may be appointed to the board. Vacancies shall be filled by the chief judge of the circuit court within 30 days of the vacancy in a manner that maintains the foregoing political party representation.
(c) For any county board of election commissioners established under subsection (c) of Section 6A-1, within 30 days after the conclusion of the election at which the proposition to establish a county board of election commissioners is approved by the voters, the municipal board shall apply to the circuit court of the county for the chief judge of the circuit court to appoint 2 additional commissioners, one of whom shall be from each major established political party and neither of whom shall reside within the limits of the municipal board, so that 3 commissioners shall reside within the limits of the municipal board and 2 shall reside within the county but not within the municipality, as it may exist from time to time. Not more than 3 of the commissioners shall be members of the same major established political party. Vacancies shall be filled by the chief judge of the circuit court upon application of the remaining commissioners in a manner that maintains the foregoing geographical and political party representation.
(Source: P.A. 102-558, eff. 8-20-21.)
(10 ILCS 5/6A-4) (from Ch. 46, par. 6A-4)
Sec. 6A-4. Transfer of records. Upon the opening of an office of a county board of election commissioners, the county clerk and any municipal board of election commissioners in the county shall turn over to such county board all registry books, registration record cards, poll books, tally sheets and ballot boxes and all other books, forms, blanks and stationery of every description in the clerk's or municipal board's possession in any way relating to elections or the holding of elections in the county and any unused appropriations related to elections or the holding of elections in the county. Thereupon, all functions, powers and duties of the county clerk, the county board, or the municipal board relating to elections in that county are transferred to the county board of election commissioners.
(Source: P.A. 98-115, eff. 7-29-13.)
(10 ILCS 5/6A-5) (from Ch. 46, par. 6A-5)
Sec. 6A-5. The provisions of Articles 6, 14 and 18 of this Act relating to boards of election commissioners in cities, villages and incorporated towns shall, insofar as they can be made applicable, apply to and govern county boards of election commissioners established pursuant to this Article. A deputy registrar serving as such by virtue of his status as a municipal clerk, or a duly authorized deputy of a municipal clerk, of a municipality the territory of which lies in more than one county, where one such county is governed by a county board of election commissioners established pursuant to this Article, may accept the registration of any qualified resident of the municipality, regardless of which county the resident, municipal clerk or the duly authorized deputy of the municipal clerk lives in. However, the county board, in fixing the compensation of the members of the county board of election commissioners and of the executive director and assistant executive director, is not subject to the limitations of Section 6-70 and may provide for either an annual salary or a per diem compensation.
(Source: P.A. 85-958.)
(10 ILCS 5/6A-6) (from Ch. 46, par. 6A-6)
Sec. 6A-6. Any references in this Act to the county clerk or the county board with respect to the registration of voters, filing of petitions, certification of candidates, preparation of ballots, establishment of election precincts, designation of polling places, or any other matter pertaining to the conduct of elections, shall, as applied to any county having a county board of election commissioners, be construed as referring to the county board of election commissioners.
(Source: P.A. 78-465.)
(10 ILCS 5/6A-7) (from Ch. 46, par. 6A-7)
Sec. 6A-7. Dissolution.
(a) Except as provided in subsection (b), any county which has established a board of election commissioners may subsequently vote to dissolve such board in the same manner as provided in Article 6 for cities, villages, and incorporated towns, except that the petition to the circuit court to submit to the vote of the electors of the county the proposition to dissolve the board of election commissioners shall be signed by at least 10% of the registered voters of the county.
(b) A county board in a county that has established a county board of election commissioners in accordance with subsection (a) of Section 6A-1 of this Code may, by ordinance or resolution, dissolve the county board of election commissioners and transfer its functions to the county clerk.
(Source: P.A. 100-628, eff. 1-1-19; 101-81, eff. 7-12-19.)