10 ILCS 5/17-23
2021 Illinois Compiled Statutes|Chapter 10 - ELECTIONS|10 ILCS 5/ - Election Code.|Article 17 - Conduct of Elections and Making Returns

 (from Ch. 46, par. 17-23)Sec. 17-23. Pollwatchers in a general election shall be authorized in  the following manner:(1) Each established political party shall be entitled to appoint  two pollwatchers per precinct.  Such pollwatchers must be affiliated  with the political party for which they are pollwatching.  For all  elections, the pollwatchers must be  registered to vote in Illinois.(2) Each candidate shall be entitled to appoint two pollwatchers per  precinct.  For all elections, the pollwatchers must be  registered to vote  in Illinois.(3) Each organization of citizens within the county or political  subdivision, which has among its purposes or interests the investigation  or prosecution of election frauds, and which shall have registered its  name and address and the name and addresses of its principal officers  with the proper election authority at least 40 days before the election,  shall be entitled to appoint one pollwatcher per precinct.  For all  elections, the pollwatcher must be registered to vote in  Illinois.(3.5) Each State nonpartisan civic organization within the county or political subdivision shall be entitled to appoint one pollwatcher per precinct, provided that no more than 2 pollwatchers appointed by State nonpartisan civic organizations shall be present in a precinct polling place at the same time.  Each organization shall have registered the names and addresses of its principal officers with the proper election authority at least 40 days before the election.  The pollwatchers must be registered to vote in Illinois.  For the purpose of this paragraph, a "State nonpartisan civic organization" means any corporation, unincorporated association, or organization that:(i) as part of its written articles of incorporation,     bylaws, or charter or by separate written declaration, has among its stated purposes the provision of voter information and education, the protection of individual voters' rights, and the promotion of free and equal elections;(ii) is organized or primarily conducts its     activities within the State of Illinois; and(iii) continuously maintains an office or business     location within the State of Illinois, together with a current listed telephone number (a post office box number without a current listed telephone number is not sufficient).(4) In any general election held to elect candidates for the offices of  a municipality of less than 3,000,000 population that is situated in 2 or  more counties, a pollwatcher who is a resident of Illinois shall be eligible to serve as a  pollwatcher in any poll located within such  municipality, provided that such pollwatcher otherwise complies with the  respective requirements of subsections (1) through (3) of this Section and  is a registered voter in Illinois.(5) Each organized group of proponents or opponents of a ballot  proposition, which shall have registered the name and address of its  organization or committee and the name and address of its chair with the  proper election authority at least 40 days before the election, shall be  entitled to appoint one pollwatcher per precinct.  The pollwatcher  must be  registered to vote in Illinois.All pollwatchers shall be required to have proper credentials.  Such  credentials shall be printed in sufficient quantities, shall be issued  by and under the facsimile signature(s) of the election authority or the State Board of Elections and  shall be available for distribution by the election authority and State Board of Elections at least 2 weeks prior to the  election. Such credentials shall be authorized by the real or facsimile  signature of the State or local party official or the candidate or the  presiding officer of the civic organization or the chair of the  proponent or opponent group, as the case may be. Neither the election authority nor the State Board of Elections may require any such party official or the candidate or the presiding officer of the civic organization or the chair of the proponent or opponent group to submit the names or other information concerning pollwatchers before making credentials available to such persons or organizations.Pollwatcher credentials shall be in substantially the following form:  POLLWATCHER CREDENTIALS  TO THE JUDGES OF ELECTION:In accordance with the provisions of the Election  Code, the undersigned hereby appoints .......... (name of pollwatcher)  who resides at ........... (address) in  the  county  of ..........., .......... (township or municipality)  of ........... (name), State of Illinois and who is duly registered  to vote from this  address, to act as a pollwatcher in the  ........... precinct of the ........... ward (if applicable)  of the ........... (township or municipality) of ........... at the  ........... election to be held on (insert date).  ........................  (Signature of Appointing Authority)  ......................... TITLE  (party official,  candidate,civic organization president,proponent or opponent group chair)Under penalties provided by law pursuant to Section 29-10 of the  Election Code, the undersigned pollwatcher certifies that he or she resides  at ................ (address) in the county of ............, .........  (township or municipality) of ........... (name), State of Illinois, and is  duly registered to vote in Illinois.  ..........................             .......................  (Precinct and/or Ward in            (Signature of Pollwatcher)  Which Pollwatcher Resides)Pollwatchers must present their credentials to the Judges of Election  upon entering the polling place.  Pollwatcher credentials properly  executed and signed shall be proof of the qualifications of the  pollwatcher authorized thereby.  Such credentials are retained by the  Judges and returned to the Election Authority at the end of the day of  election with the other election materials.  Once a pollwatcher has  surrendered a valid credential, he may leave and reenter the polling place  provided that such continuing action does not disrupt the conduct of the  election.  Pollwatchers may be substituted during the course of the day, but  established political parties, candidates and qualified civic organizations  can have only as many pollwatchers at any given time as are authorized in  this Article.  A substitute must present his signed credential to the  judges of election upon entering the polling place.  Election authorities  must provide a sufficient number of credentials to allow for substitution  of pollwatchers.  After the polls have closed pollwatchers shall be allowed  to remain until the canvass of votes is completed; but may leave and  reenter only in cases of necessity, provided that such action is not so  continuous as to disrupt the canvass of votes.Candidates seeking office in a district or municipality encompassing 2  or more counties shall be admitted to any and all polling places throughout  such district or municipality without regard to the counties in which such  candidates are registered to vote.  Actions of such candidates shall be  governed in each polling place by the same privileges and limitations that  apply to pollwatchers as provided in this Section.  Any such candidate who  engages in an activity in a polling place which could reasonably be  construed by a majority of the judges of election as campaign activity  shall be removed forthwith from such polling place.Candidates seeking office in a district or municipality encompassing 2 or  more counties who desire to be admitted to polling places on election day  in such district or municipality shall be required to have proper  credentials.  Such credentials shall be printed in sufficient quantities,  shall be issued by and under the facsimile signature of the State Board of Elections or the  election authority of the election jurisdiction where the polling place in  which the candidate seeks admittance is located, and shall be available for  distribution at least 2 weeks prior to the election.  Such credentials shall  be signed by the candidate.Candidate credentials shall be in substantially the following form:  CANDIDATE CREDENTIALSTO THE JUDGES OF ELECTION:In accordance with the provisions of the Election Code, I ...... (name of  candidate) hereby certify that I am a candidate for ....... (name of  office) and seek admittance to ....... precinct of the ....... ward (if  applicable) of the ....... (township or municipality) of ....... at the  ....... election to be held on (insert date).  .........................             .......................  (Signature of Candidate)              OFFICE FOR WHICHCANDIDATE SEEKSNOMINATION ORELECTIONPollwatchers shall be permitted to observe all proceedings and view all reasonably requested records relating  to the conduct of the election, provided the secrecy of the ballot is not impinged, and to station themselves in a position  in the voting room as will enable them to observe the judges making the  signature comparison between the voter application and the voter  registration record card; provided, however, that such pollwatchers  shall not be permitted to station themselves in such close proximity to  the judges of election so as to interfere with the orderly conduct of  the election and shall not, in any event, be permitted to handle  election materials.  Pollwatchers may challenge for cause the voting  qualifications of a person offering to vote and may call to the  attention of the judges of election any incorrect procedure or apparent  violations of this Code.If a majority of the judges of election determine that the polling  place has become too overcrowded with pollwatchers so as to interfere  with the orderly conduct of the election, the judges shall, by lot,  limit such pollwatchers to a reasonable number, except that each  established or new political party shall be permitted to have at least  one pollwatcher present.Representatives of an election authority, with regard to an election  under its jurisdiction, the State Board of Elections, and law  enforcement agencies, including but not limited to a United States  Attorney, a State's attorney, the Attorney General, and a State, county,  or local police department, in the performance of their official  election duties, shall be permitted at all times to enter and remain in  the polling place.  Upon entering the polling place, such  representatives shall display their official credentials or other  identification to the judges of election.Uniformed police officers assigned to polling place duty shall follow  all lawful instructions of the judges of election.The provisions of this Section shall also apply to supervised casting of vote by mail   ballots as provided in Section 19-12.2 of this Act.  (Source: P.A. 100-1027, eff. 1-1-19.)