WeVote
Log In

Bill

Bill

SB 3296

ELEC CD-TOWNSHIP ORGANIZATION

104th Regular Session Introduced by Julie Morrison

Allows combining adjacent townships into a single election precinct in eligible counties, to boost voter convenience while preserving election integrity.

Rule 2-10 Committee/3rd Reading Deadline Established As May 22, 2026
0
WeVote Research Nonpartisan
Bill Summary · SB 3296

Summary of SB 3296 (104th General Assembly, Illinois)

Title

ELEC CD-TOWNSHIP ORGANIZATION

Purpose and Intent

SB 3296 amends the Illinois Election Code to authorize, under certain conditions, combining two adjacent townships within counties that operate under township organization to create a single election precinct. The bill emphasizes voter convenience and election integrity in the decision to consolidate townships into one precinct.

Key Provisions

  • Authority to combine townships into one precinct
    In counties under township organization, an election authority may combine a township with another contiguous township to form one election precinct if all of the following conditions are satisfied:

    1. The townships have previously been combined into one election precinct for the two preceding general elections (certified by the election authority to the State Board of Elections).
    2. The combined townships have no more than 1,800 registered voters.
    3. No precinct within either township has more than 500 registered voters.
    4. The majority of the boards of township trustees for both townships vote to combine and inform the election authority of that decision.

  • Consideration factors
    The election authority must consider voter convenience and election integrity when deciding whether to combine townships into one precinct.

  • Preservation of representation and geography
    Each township must constitute at least one election precinct. Efforts should place precincts within a single congressional, legislative, and representative district when practicable. The County Board is directed to adjust precinct boundaries after each decennial census to align with redistricting.

  • Municipal coordination for elections
    For consolidated primaries or consolidated elections where municipal officers are elected, and for emergency referenda on municipal questions, the election authority must establish a polling place within the municipality upon request of the municipal council or board of trustees at least 60 days before the election, provided the municipality supplies a suitable polling place. It may establish a single-municipality precinct for all elections (for municipalities with populations under 500) to achieve this.

  • Small-precinct reassignment option
    If a precinct has 50 or fewer registered voters who are entitled to vote in a local government or school district election, the election authority may reassign those voters to polling places in adjacent precincts (inside or outside the jurisdiction) for that election. The votes are counted as if cast at the receiving precinct’s polling place, with the election authority approving all administrative and polling place procedures to maintain convenience, integrity, and ballot secrecy.

  • Polling place stability
    Except for fire, flood, or total loss of heat, no polling place location established for a precinct may be changed after notice of the election place has been provided, unless all registered voters in the precinct are notified by first-class mail at least one day before the election.

  • Redistricting considerations
    When redistricting following a decennial census results in a census block with only one voter that is the only block in a precinct within a legislative/representative/congressional district, the county board may adjust precinct boundaries to place that block into a precinct with more than one voter.

  • Scope
    The provisions apply to all precincts, including those using voting machines or electronic voting systems.

Who Would Be Affected

  • Election authorities in counties with township organization (the Illinois counties that operate under township governance).
  • Township trustees (as their vote to combine townships may be required under the bill’s fourth condition).
  • Voters within the affected townships who may see changes in precinct boundaries, potential combined precincts, and possibly consolidated polling places.
  • Municipal governments (through coordination for polling places in municipalities during consolidated elections and emergency referenda).

Procedural and Timeline Aspects

  • The bill amends Section 11-1 of the Election Code.
  • Effective implications begin as the bill’s provisions are implemented by election authorities, subject to state guidance and oversight by the State Board of Elections.
  • The bill contains coordination with decennial redistricting timelines, aiming to align precincts with new congressional/legislative boundaries as practicable.
  • Administrative processes include voting-rights considerations for small precinct reallocations and required notice to voters when changing polling locations.

Notes

  • The bill specifies conditions to ensure both efficiency and election integrity, balancing administrative simplification with safeguards for voter access and the sanctity of the vote.
  • No dollar amounts or funding provisions are included in the text provided.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

Sign in to ask a question.