Illinois Code § 17-12

§ 17-12.

The ballot shall be folded by the voter and delivered to one of the judges of election; and if the judge is satisfied that the person offering the vote is a legal voter, the judges of election shall enter the name of the voter, and his number, under the proper heading in the poll books (except as otherwise provided in Article 4, 5, or 6) and shall immediately put the ballot into the ballot box. The voter shall in like manner fold and deliver the separate blue ballot or ballots pertaining to a proposal or proposals for constitutional amendments or the calling of a constitutional convention, if such proposal or proposals have been submitted to a vote of the people at such election. The judge of election to whom the voter delivers his ballots shall not accept the same unless all of the ballots given to the voter are returned by him. If a voter delivers less than all of the ballots given to him, the judge to whom the same are offered shall advise him in a voice clearly audible to the other judges of election that the voter must return the remainder of the ballots. The statement of the judge to the voter shall clearly express the fact that the voter is not required to vote such remaining ballots but that whether or not he votes them he must fold and deliver them to the judge. In making such statement, the judge of election shall not indicate by word, gesture, or intonation of voice that the unreturned ballots shall be voted in any particular manner. No new voter shall be permitted to enter the voting booth of a voter who has failed to deliver the total number of ballots received by him until such voter has returned to the voting booth pursuant to the judge's request and again quit the booth with all of the ballots required to be returned by him. Upon receipt of all such ballots, the judges of election shall enter the name of the voter, and his number, as above provided in this Section, and the judge to whom the ballots are delivered shall immediately put the ballots into the ballot box. If any voter who has failed to deliver all the ballots received by him refuses to return to the voting booth after being advised by the judge of election as herein provided, the judge shall inform the other judges of such refusal, and thereupon the ballot or ballots returned to the judge shall be deposited into the ballot box, the voter shall be permitted to depart from the polling place, and a new voter shall be permitted to enter the voting booth. No judge of election shall accept from any voter less than the full number of ballots received by such voter without first advising the voter in the manner above provided of the necessity of returning all of the ballots, nor shall any judge advise such voter in a manner contrary to that which is herein permitted, or in any other manner violate the provisions of this Section; provided that the acceptance by a judge of election of less than the full number of ballots delivered to a voter who refuses to return to the voting booth after being properly advised by the judge shall not be a violation of this Section. (Source: P.A. 104-417, eff. 8-15-25.)