Bill
SB 1663
Illinois SB 1663 lets election authorities add vote centers beyond the minimum, with a county-size based schedule, site rules, and 40-day certification, boosting access to voters.
Status and scope
- Bill: SB 1663 (Introduced Feb 5, 2025 by Sen. Julie A. Morrison)
- Purpose: Amend Section 11‑8 of the Illinois Election Code to allow and prescribe a model for establishing additional vote centers, and to set minimum numbers, location criteria, and operational rules for those centers.
- Sunset: The section (as amended) remains subject to a scheduled repeal on July 1, 2029.
What the bill does (key provisions)
- Authorizes election authorities to establish additional vote centers beyond the currently required vote‑center locations, using a standardized model set out in the bill.
- Requires that additional vote centers:
- Be treated like election precincts for many administrative purposes (including appointment of election judges under Articles 13 and 14 of the Code), with judge‑number requirements applying to each vote center.
- Comply with early‑voting location guidelines set in Article 19A and not result in fewer early‑voting locations than Article 19A requires.
- Be certified to the State Board of Elections (including any health and safety requirements) by the 40th day preceding an election (this certification requirement is reiterated from the existing vote‑center rules).
- Sets minimum numbers of vote centers by county size and by time period relative to an election:
- Counties with ≥250,000 registered voters:
- Days −15 through −5: at least 1 vote center per 75,000 registered voters
- Days −4 through −1: at least 1 per 20,000 registered voters
- Election day: at least 1 per 12,500 registered voters
- Counties with 37,500–<250,000 registered voters:
- Days −15 through −5: at least 1 per 75,000 (but at least 1 in the county)
- Days −5 through −1: at least 1 per 20,000
- Election day: at least 1 per 12,500
- Counties with 12,500–<37,500 registered voters:
- Days −15 through −1: at least 1 vote center
- Election day: at least 3 vote centers
- Counties with <12,500 registered voters:
- From day −15 through election day: at least 1 vote center
- “Registered voters” is measured as the larger of the county’s registrations on the preceding presidential election or the preceding general election.
- Allows election authorities to designate more than the required minimum number of vote centers.
Location and site‑selection criteria
- When choosing site locations, election authorities must consider:
- Proximity to public transportation and parking
- Geographic access and distribution across the county
- Equitable distribution to maximize voter convenience
- Location of population centers and historically under‑represented communities
- Access for persons with disabilities
- Use of existing high‑use voting locations and public buildings (cost considerations)
- Security standards for private facilities used
- Prior usage and recorded wait times at proposed or similar sites
- The need to place centers where prior turnout was low
Who is affected
- County and municipal election authorities responsible for administering in‑person voting in Illinois counties.
- Voters statewide (rules scale by county registration counts), especially those in larger counties where many additional vote centers may be required on peak days.
- Election staff and judges — appointment procedures apply per vote center.
Notes and caveats
- The document provided contains extraneous, unrelated texts (other states’ bills and an appropriation synopsis). This summary focuses on the Illinois Election Code amendment portion (Section 11‑8) concerning vote centers.
- The amendment is time‑limited by the scheduled repeal date of July 1, 2029.
Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.
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