Illinois Statutes § 5/24A-9 Public test of equipment and program prior to election day

Prior to the public test, the election authority shall conduct an errorless pre-test of the automatic tabulating equipment and program to ascertain that they will correctly count the votes cast for all offices and all measures. On any day not less than 5 days prior to the election day, the election authority shall publicly test the automatic tabulating equipment and program to ascertain that they will correctly count the votes cast for all offices and on all measures. Public notice of the time and place of the test shall be given at least 48 hours prior thereto by publication once in one or more newspapers published within the election jurisdiction of the election authority if a newspaper is published therein, otherwise in a newspaper of general circulation therein. Timely written notice stating the date, time and location of the public test shall also be provided to the State Board of Elections. The test shall be open to representatives of the political parties, the press, representatives of the State Board of Elections, and the public. The test shall be conducted by processing a preaudited group of ballots so punched or marked as to record a predetermined number of valid votes for each candidate and on each measure, and shall include for each office one or more ballots which have votes in excess of the number allowed by law in order to test the ability of the automatic tabulating equipment to reject such votes. Such test shall also include the use of precinct header cards and may include the production of an edit listing. In those election jurisdictions where in-precinct counting equipment is utilized, a public test of both such equipment and program shall be conducted as nearly as possible in the manner prescribed above. The State Board of Elections may select as many election jurisdictions as the Board deems advisable in the interests of the election process of this State in which to order a special test of the automatic tabulating equipment and program prior to any regular election. The Board may order a special test in any election jurisdiction where, during the preceding twelve months, computer programming errors or other errors in the use of electronic voting systems resulted in vote tabulation errors. Not less than 30 days prior to any election, the State Board of Elections shall provide written notice to those selected jurisdictions of their intent to conduct a test. Within 5 days of receipt of the State Board of Elections' written notice of intent to conduct a test, the selected jurisdictions shall forward to the principal office of the State Board of Elections a copy of all specimen ballots. The State Board of Elections' tests shall be conducted and completed not less than 2 days prior to the public test and under the supervision of the Board. The vendor, person, or other private entity shall be solely responsible for the production and cost of: all ballots; additional temporary workers; and other equipment or facilities needed and used in the testing of the vendor's, person's, or other private entity's respective equipment and software. After an errorless test, materials used in the public test, including the program, if appropriate, shall be sealed and remain so until the test is run again on election day. If any error is detected, the cause therefor shall be ascertained and corrected and an errorless public test shall be made before the automatic tabulating equipment is approved. Each election authority shall file a sealed copy of each tested program to be used within its jurisdiction at an election with the State Board of Elections prior to the election. The Board shall secure the program or programs of each election jurisdiction so filed in its office until the next election of the same type (general primary, general election, consolidated primary, or consolidated election) for which the program or programs were filed . Upon the expiration of that time, if no election contest or appeal therefrom is pending in an election jurisdiction, the Board shall destroy the sealed program or programs . Except where in-precinct counting equipment is utilized, the test shall be repeated immediately before the start of the official count of the ballots, in the same manner as set forth above. After the completion of the count, the test shall be re-run using the same program. An election jurisdiction that was employing, as of January 1, 1983, an electronic voting system that, because of its design, is not technically capable of compliance with such a post-tabulation testing requirement shall satisfy the post-tabulation testing requirement by conducting the post-tabulation test on a duplicate program until such electronic voting system is replaced or until November 1, 1992, whichever is earlier. Immediately thereafter the ballots, all material employed in testing the program and the program shall be sealed and retained under the custody of the election authority for a period of 60 days. At the expiration of that time the election authority shall destroy the voted ballot cards, together with all unused ballots returned from the precincts. Provided, if any contest of election is pending at such time in which such ballots may be required as evidence and such election authority has notice thereof, the same shall not be destroyed until after such contest is finally determined. If the use of back-up equipment becomes necessary, the same testing required for the original equipment shall be conducted.