10 ILCS 5/17-20
2021 Illinois Compiled Statutes|Chapter 10 - ELECTIONS|10 ILCS 5/ - Election Code.|Article 17 - Conduct of Elections and Making Returns

 (from Ch. 46, par. 17-20)Sec. 17-20.         When the canvass of the ballots has been completed, the  tally judges shall announce to the judges the total number of votes  received by each candidate; each judge of the election shall proclaim in  a loud voice the total number of votes received by each of the persons  voted for and the office for which he is designated, and the number of  votes for and number of votes against any proposition which has been  submitted to a vote of the people; such proclamation shall be prima  facie evidence of the result of such canvass of the ballots.Immediately after making such proclamation the judges  shall designate one of their number to go  to the nearest telephone and report to the office of the county clerk  the results announced in such proclamation. The county clerk in such  counties shall keep his office open after the close of the polls on the  day of any election and thereafter until he has received from each  precinct in such county the report above provided for. Immediately upon  receiving such report the county clerk shall cause the same to be posted  in a public place in his office for inspection by the public.  Immediately after making such report such judge shall return to the  polling place.After making such proclamation and before separating, the judges of  all counties shall fold or roll all of the ballots which have been  counted by them, except those ballots which have been in the ballot box  but have not been counted and marked "defective" or "objected to",  securely bind them, lengthwise and in width, with a soft cord having a  minimum tensile strength of 60 pounds, and wrap the same with heavy  wrapping paper on which the judges of election shall write their  signature and seal the package with filament over the  signatures and around the package lengthwise and crosswise, at least twice  each way, so that the  ballots cannot be removed from the package without breaking the seal and  the filament tape and disturbing the signatures, and enclose  the ballots so wrapped, together with the envelope containing the  ballots marked "defective" or "objected to", in a secure canvass  covering, which the judges of election shall sign and seal with  filament tape as above specified. The precinct judges of  election shall elect 2 judges (one from each of the major political  parties), who shall immediately return the ballots, in such sealed  canvass covering, to the election authority who  shall keep their respective offices, or any receiving stations designated  by them, open for at least 12 consecutive hours after the polls close, or  until the ballots from all precincts within the jurisdiction of any such  election authority are returned to the office of such election authority,  signed and sealed as above specified.  Ballots returned to the office of an  election authority which are not signed and sealed as above specified shall  not be accepted until the judges returning the same sign and properly seal  the same.  Upon acceptance of the returned ballots by the election  authority, the judges returning the same shall take a receipt signed by the  election authority and stamped with the time and date of such return.  The  election judges whose duty it is to return any ballots as above provided  shall, in the event such ballots cannot be found when  needed, on proper request, produce the receipt which they are to take as  above provided.  Upon receiving the ballots so returned, the election authority  shall carefully preserve the  ballots for 2 months, subject to their examination in a discovery recount  proceeding in accordance with law.  However, where electronic voting systems  are used, the apparatus or frame in which the ballot booklet is contained  shall not be subject to the 2 month preservation requirement. At the expiration  of that time such election authority shall  remove the same from original package and shall destroy the same,  together with all unused ballots returned from the polling places. 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.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. 83-1362.)