Illinois Statutes § 5/24B-6 Ballot Information; Arrangement; Electronic Precinct Tabulation Optical Scan Technology Voting System; Vote by Mail Ballots; Spoiled Ballots

The ballot information, shall, as far as practicable, be in the order of arrangement provided for paper ballots, except that the information may be in vertical or horizontal rows, or on a number of separate pages or displays on the marking device. Ballots for all questions or propositions to be voted on should be provided in a similar manner and must be arranged on the ballot sheet or marking device in the places provided for such purposes. Ballots shall be of white paper unless provided otherwise by administrative rule of the State Board of Elections or otherwise specified.

All propositions, including but not limited to propositions calling for a constitutional convention, constitutional amendment, judicial retention, and public measures to be voted upon shall be placed on separate portions of the ballot sheet or marking device by utilizing borders or grey screens. Candidates shall be listed on a separate portion of the ballot sheet or marking device by utilizing borders or grey screens. Whenever a person has submitted a declaration of intent to be a write-in candidate as required in Sections 17-16.1 and 18-9.1, a line or lines on which the voter may select a write-in candidate shall be printed below the name of the last candidate nominated for such office. Such line or lines shall be proximate to an area provided for marking votes for the write-in candidate or candidates. The number of write-in lines for an office shall equal the number of persons who have filed declarations of intent to be write-in candidates plus an additional line or lines for write-in candidates who qualify to file declarations to be write-in candidates under Sections 17-16.1 and 18-9.1 when the certification of ballot contains the words "OBJECTION PENDING" next to the name of that candidate, up to the number of candidates for which a voter may vote. In the case of write-in lines for the offices of Governor and Lieutenant Governor, 2 lines shall be printed within a bracket and a single square shall be printed in front of the bracket. More than one amendment to the constitution may be placed on the same portion of the ballot sheet or marking device. Constitutional convention or constitutional amendment propositions shall be printed or displayed on a separate portion of the ballot sheet or marking device and designated by borders or grey screens, unless otherwise provided by administrative rule of the State Board of Elections. More than one public measure or proposition may be placed on the same portion of the ballot sheet or marking device. More than one proposition for retention of judges in office may be placed on the same portion of the ballot sheet or marking device. Names of candidates shall be printed in black. The party affiliation of each candidate or the word "independent" shall appear near or under the candidate's name, and the names of candidates for the same office shall be listed vertically under the title of that office, on separate pages of the marking device, or as otherwise approved by the State Board of Elections. If no candidate or candidates file for an office and if no person or persons file a declaration as a write-in candidate for that office, then below the title of that office the election authority instead shall print "No Candidate". In the case of nonpartisan elections for officers of political subdivisions, unless the statute or an ordinance adopted pursuant to Article VII of the Constitution requires otherwise, the listing of nonpartisan candidates shall not include any party or "independent" designation. Judicial retention questions and ballot questions for all public measures and other propositions shall be designated by borders or grey screens on the ballot or marking device. In primary elections, a separate ballot, or displays on the marking device, shall be used for each political party holding a primary, with the ballot or marking device arranged to include names of the candidates of the party and public measures and other propositions to be voted upon on the day of the primary election.

If the ballot includes both candidates for office and public measures or propositions to be voted on, the election official in charge of the election shall divide the ballot or displays on the marking device in sections for "Candidates" and "Propositions", or separate ballots may be used.

Vote by Mail [Absentee] ballots may consist of envelopes, paper ballots , or ballot sheets [voted in person in the office of the election official in charge of the election or voted by mail] . Where a Precinct Tabulation Optical Scan Technology ballot is used for voting by mail it must be accompanied by voter instructions.

Any voter who spoils his or her ballot, makes an error, or has a ballot returned by the automatic tabulating equipment may return the ballot to the judges of election and get another ballot.