10 ILCS 5/4-8 — Illinois Code / Chapter 10 / Act 5 / Section 4-8
Section 4-8
Status: in_force

(10 ILCS 5/4-8) (from Ch. 46, par. 4-8) Sec. 4-8. The county clerk shall provide a sufficient number of blank forms for the registration of electors, which shall be known as registration record cards and which shall consist of loose leaf sheets or cards, of suitable size to contain in plain writing and figures the data hereinafter required thereon or shall consist of computer cards of suitable nature to contain the data required thereon. The registration record cards, which shall include an affidavit of registration as hereinafter provided, shall be executed in duplicate. The registration record card shall contain the following and such other information as the county clerk may think it proper to require for the identification of the applicant for registration: Name. The name of the applicant, giving surname and first or Christian name in full, and the middle name or the initial for such middle name, if any. Sex. Residence. The name and number of the street, avenue, or other location of the dwelling, including the apartment, unit or room number, if any, and in the case of a mobile home the lot number, and such additional clear and definite description as may be necessary to determine the exact location of the dwelling of the applicant. Where the location cannot be determined by street and number, then the section, congressional township and range number may be used, or such other description as may be necessary, including post-office mailing address. In the case of a homeless individual, the individual's voting residence that is his or her mailing address shall be included on his or her registration record card. Term of residence in the State of Illinois and precinct. This information shall be furnished by the applicant stating the place or places where he resided and the dates during which he resided in such place or places during the year next preceding the date of the next ensuing election. Nativity. The state or country in which the applicant was born. Citizenship. Whether the applicant is native born or naturalized. If naturalized, the court, place, and date of naturalization. Date of application for registration, i.e., the day, month and year when applicant presented himself for registration. Age. Date of birth, by month, day and year. Physical disability of the applicant, if any, at the time of registration, which would require assistance in voting. The county and state in which the applicant was last registered. Electronic mail address, if any. Signature of voter. The applicant, after the registration and in the presence of a deputy registrar or other officer of registration shall be required to sign his or her name in ink or digitized form to the affidavit on both the original and duplicate registration record cards. Signature of deputy registrar or officer of registration. In case applicant is unable to sign his name, he may affix his mark to the affidavit. In such case the officer empowered to give the registration oath shall write a detailed description of the applicant in the space provided on the back or at the bottom of the card or sheet; and shall ask the following questions and record the answers thereto: Father's first name. Mother's first name. From what address did the applicant last register? Reason for inability to sign name. Each applicant for registration shall make an affidavit in substantially the following form: AFFIDAVIT OF REGISTRATION STATE OF ILLINOIS COUNTY OF ....... I hereby swear (or affirm) that I am a citizen of the United States; that on the date of the next election I shall have resided in the State of Illinois and in the election precinct in which I reside 30 days and that I intend that this location shall be my residence; that I am fully qualified to vote, and that the above statements are true. .............................. (His or her signature or mark) Subscribed and sworn to before me on (insert date). .................................. Signature of registration officer. (To be signed in presence of registrant.) Space shall be provided upon the face of each registration record card for the notation of the voting record of the person registered thereon. Each registration record card shall be numbered according to precincts, and may be serially or otherwise marked for identification in such manner as the county clerk may determine. The registration cards shall be deemed public records and shall be open to inspection during regular business hours, except during the 27 days immediately preceding any election. On written request of any candidate or objector or any person intending to object to a petition, the election authority shall extend its hours for inspection of registration cards and other records of the election authority during the period beginning with the filing of petitions under Sections 7-10, 8-8, 10-6 or 28-3 and continuing through the termination of electoral board hearings on any objections to petitions containing signatures of registered voters in the jurisdiction of the election authority. The extension shall be for a period of hours sufficient to allow adequate opportunity for examination of the records but the election authority is not required to extend its hours beyond the period beginning at its normal opening for business and ending at midnight. If the business hours are so extended, the election authority shall post a public notice of such extended hours. Registration record cards may also be inspected, upon approval of the officer in charge of the cards, during the 27 days immediately preceding any election. Registration record cards shall also be open to inspection by certified judges and poll watchers and challengers at the polling place on election day, but only to the extent necessary to determine the question of the right of a person to vote or to serve as a judge of election. At no time shall poll watchers or challengers be allowed to physically handle the registration record cards. Updated copies of computer tapes or computer discs or other electronic data processing information containing voter registration information shall be furnished by the county clerk within 10 days after December 15 and May 15 each year and within 10 days after each registration period is closed to the State Board of Elections in a form prescribed by the Board. For the purposes of this Section, a registration period is closed 27 days before the date of any regular or special election. Registration information shall include, but not be limited to, the following information: name, sex, residence, telephone number, if any, age, party affiliation, if applicable, precinct, ward, township, county, and representative, legislative and congressional districts. In the event of noncompliance, the State Board of Elections is directed to obtain compliance forthwith with this nondiscretionary duty of the election authority by instituting legal proceedings in the circuit court of the county in which the election authority maintains the registration information. The costs of furnishing updated copies of tapes or discs shall be paid at a rate of $.00034 per name of registered voters in the election jurisdiction, but not less than $50 per tape or disc and shall be paid from appropriations made to the State Board of Elections for reimbursement to the election authority for such purpose. The State Board shall furnish copies of such tapes, discs, other electronic data or compilations thereof to state political committees registered pursuant to the Illinois Campaign Finance Act or the Federal Election Campaign Act and to governmental entities, at their request and at a reasonable cost. To protect the privacy and confidentiality of voter registration information, the disclosure of electronic voter registration records to any person or entity other than to a State or local political committee and other than to a governmental entity for a governmental purpose is specifically prohibited except as follows: subject to security measures adopted by the State Board of Elections which, at a minimum, shall include the keeping of a catalog or database, available for public view, including the name, address, and telephone number of the person viewing the list as well as the time of that viewing, any person may view the centralized statewide voter registration list on a computer screen at the Springfield office of the State Board of Elections, during normal business hours other than during the 27 days before an election, but the person viewing the list under this exception may not print, duplicate, transmit, or alter the list. Copies of the tapes, discs, or other electronic data shall be furnished by the county clerk to local political committees and governmental entities at their request and at a reasonable cost. Reasonable cost of the tapes, discs, et cetera for this purpose would be the cost of duplication plus 15% for administration. The individual representing a political committee requesting copies of such tapes shall make a sworn affidavit that the information shall be used only for bona fide political purposes, including by or for candidates for office or incumbent office holders. Such tapes, discs or other electronic data shall not be used under any circumstances by any political committee or individuals for purposes of commercial solicitation or other business purposes. If such tapes contain information on county residents related to the operations of county government in addition to registration information, that information shall not be used under any circumstances for commercial solicitation or other business purposes. The prohibition in this Section against using the computer tapes or computer discs or other electronic data processing information containing voter registration information for purposes of commercial solicitation or other business purposes shall be prospective only from the effective date of this amended Act of 1979. Any person who violates this provision shall be guilty of a Class 4 felony. The State Board of Elections shall promulgate, by October 1, 1987, such regulations as may be necessary to ensure uniformity throughout the State in electronic data processing of voter registration information. The regulations shall include, but need not be limited to, specifications for uniform medium, communications protocol and file structure to be employed by the election authorities of this State in the electronic data processing of voter registration information. Each election authority utilizing electronic data processing of voter registration information shall comply with such regulations on and after May 15, 1988. If the applicant for registration was last registered in another county within this State, he shall also sign a certificate authorizing cancellation of the former registration. The certificate shall be in substantially the following form: To the County Clerk of.... County, Illinois. (or) To the Election Commission of the City of ...., Illinois. This is to certify that I am registered in your (county) (city) and that my residence was . . . . . Having moved out of your (county) (city), I hereby authorize you to cancel said registration in your office. Dated at ...., Illinois, on (insert date). ................................. (Signature of Voter) Attest: ................, County Clerk, ............. County, Illinois. The cancellation certificate shall be mailed immediately by the County Clerk to the County Clerk (or election commission as the case may be) where the applicant was formerly registered. Receipt of such certificate shall be full authority for cancellation of any previous registration. (Source: P.A. 98-115, eff. 10-1-13; 99-522, eff. 6-30-16.)