§ 28-3 — Form of petition for public question

Petitions for the submission of public questions shall consist of sheets of uniform size and each sheet shall contain, above the space for signature, an appropriate heading, giving the information as to the question of public policy to be submitted, and specifying the state at large or the political subdivision or district or precinct or combination of precincts or other territory in which it is to be submitted and, where by law the public question must be submitted at a particular election, the election at which it is to be submitted. In the case of a petition for the submission of a public question described in subsection (b) of Section 28-6, the heading shall also specify the regular election at which the question is to be submitted and include the precincts included in the territory concerning which the public question is to be submitted, as well as a common description of such territory in plain and nonlegal language, such description to describe the territory by reference to streets, natural or artificial landmarks, addresses or any other method which would enable a voter signing the petition to be informed of the territory concerning which the question is to be submitted. The heading of each sheet shall be the same. Such petition shall be signed by the registered voters of the political subdivision or district or precinct or combination of precincts in which the question of public policy is to be submitted in their own proper persons only, and opposite the signature of each signer his residence address shall be written or printed, which residence address shall include the street address or rural route number of the signer, as the case may be, as well as the signer's county, and city, village or town, and state; provided that the county or city, village or town, and state of residence of such electors may be printed on the petition forms where all of the electors signing the petition reside in the same county or city, village or town, and state. Standard abbreviations may be used in writing the residence address, including street number, if any. No signature shall be valid or be counted in considering the validity or sufficiency of such petition unless the requirements of this Section are complied with. At the bottom of each sheet of such petition shall be added a circulator's statement, signed by a person 18 years of age or older who is a citizen of the United States, stating the street address or rural route number, as the case may be, as well as the county, city, village or town, and state; certifying that the signatures on that sheet of the petition were signed in his or her presence and are genuine, and that to the best of his or her knowledge and belief the persons so signing were at the time of signing the petition registered voters of the political subdivision or district or precinct or combination of precincts in which the question of public policy is to be submitted and that their respective residences are correctly stated therein. Such statement shall be sworn to before some officer authorized to administer oaths in this State. Such sheets, before being filed with the proper officer or board, shall be bound securely and numbered consecutively. The sheets shall not be fastened by pasting them together end to end, so as to form a continuous strip or roll. All petition sheets which are filed with the proper local election officials, election authorities or the State Board of Elections shall be the original sheets which have been signed by the voters and by the circulator, and not photocopies or duplicates of such sheets. A petition, when presented or filed, shall not be withdrawn, altered, or added to, and no signature shall be revoked except by revocation in writing presented or filed with the board or officer with whom the petition is required to be presented or filed, and before the presentment or filing of such petition, except as may otherwise be provided in another statute which authorize the public question. Whoever forges any name of a signer upon any petition shall be deemed guilty of a forgery, and on conviction thereof, shall be punished accordingly. In addition to the foregoing requirements, a petition proposing an amendment to Article IV of the Constitution pursuant to Section 3 of Article XIV of the Constitution or a petition proposing a question of public policy to be submitted to the voters of the entire State shall be in conformity with the requirements of Section 28-9 of this Article. If multiple sets of petitions for submission of the same public questions are filed, the State Board of Elections, appropriate election authority or local election official where the petitions are filed shall within 2 business days notify the proponent of his or her multiple petition filings and that proponent has 3 business days after receipt of the notice to notify the State Board of Elections, appropriate election authority or local election official that he or she may cancel prior sets of petitions. If the proponent notifies the State Board of Elections, appropriate election authority or local election official, the last set of petitions filed shall be the only petitions to be considered valid by the State Board of Elections, appropriate election authority or local election official. If the proponent fails to notify the State Board of Elections, appropriate election authority or local election official then only the first set of petitions filed shall be valid and all subsequent petitions shall be void.

Legislative History

(Source: P.A. 104-417, eff. 8-15-25.)