10 ILCS 5/18-9
2021 Illinois Compiled Statutes|Chapter 10 - ELECTIONS|10 ILCS 5/ - Election Code.|Article 18 - Conduct of Elections and Making Returns (In Municipalities Under Jurisdiction of Boards of Election Commissioners)

 (from Ch. 46, par. 18-9)Sec. 18-9.         The judges of election shall first count the whole number  of ballots in the box. If the ballots shall be found to exceed the  number of applications for ballot, they shall reject the ballots, if  any, found folded inside of a ballot. And if the ballots and the  applications for ballot still do not agree after such rejection,  the  ballots shall be replaced in the box and the box closed and well shaken,  and again opened; and one of the judges shall publicly draw out  so many  ballots unopened as shall be equal to such excess.  Such excess ballots  shall be marked "Excess-Not Counted" and signed by a  majority of judges  and shall be placed in the "After 6:00 p.m. Defective Ballots Envelope".  The number of excess ballots shall be noted in the remarks section of  the Certificate of Results.  "Excess" ballots shall not  be counted in the total of "defective" ballots.  And the ballots  and  applications for ballot being made to agree in this way, the judges  shall proceed to count the votes in the following manner: The judges  shall open the ballots and place those which contain the same names  together, so that the several kinds shall be in separate piles or on  separate files. Each of the judges shall examine the separate files  which are, or are supposed to be, alike, and exclude from such files any  which may have a name or an erasure, or in any manner shall be different  from the others of such file. One of the judges shall then take one file  of the kind of ballots which contain the same names, and count them by  tens, carefully examining each name on each of the ballots. Such judge  shall then pass the ten ballots aforesaid to the judge sitting next to  him, who shall count them in the same manner, who shall then pass them  to a third judge, who shall also count them in the same manner. Then the  third judge shall call the names of the persons named in the ten  ballots, and the offices for which they are designated, and 2 of the  judges, who did not assist in the counting shall tally ten votes for  each of such persons, except as herein otherwise provided. When the  judges shall have gone through such file of ballots, containing the same  names, and shall count them by tens in the same way, and shall call the  names of the persons named in the ballots and the office for which they  are designated, the tally judges shall tally the votes by tens for each  of such persons in the same manner as in the first instance. When the  counting of each file of ballots which contain the same names shall be  completed, the tally judges shall compare their tallies together and  ascertain the total number of ballots of that kind so canvassed; and  when they agree upon the number, one of them shall announce it in a loud  voice to the other judges. The judges shall then canvass the other kinds  of ballots which do not correspond, those containing names partly from  one kind of ballots and partly from another, being those  from which the  name of the person proper to be voted for on such ballots has been  omitted or erased, usually called "scratched tickets". They shall be  canvassed separately by one of the judges sitting between 2 other  judges, which judge shall call each name to the tally judges and the  office for which it is designated, and the other judges looking at the  ballot at the same time, and the tally judges making tally of the same.  When all the ballots have been canvassed in this manner, the tally  judges shall compare their tallies together, and ascertain the total  number of votes received by each candidate and when they agree upon the  numbers one of them shall announce in a loud voice to the judges the  number of votes received by each candidate on each of the kinds of  ballots containing his name, the number received by him on  scratch tickets, and the total number of votes received by him.The votes for the offices of Governor and Lieutenant Governor shall  be counted and tallied jointly.Where voting machines or electronic voting systems are used, the  provisions of this section may be modified as required or authorized by  Article 24 or Article 24A, whichever is applicable.    (Source: P.A. 89-700, eff. 1-17-97.)