§ 8-8 — Form of petition for nomination

The name of no candidate for nomination shall be printed upon the primary ballot unless a petition for nomination shall have been filed in his behalf as provided for in this Section. Each such petition shall include as a part thereof the oath required by Section 7-10.1 of this Code and a statement of candidacy by the candidate filing or in whose behalf the petition is filed. This statement shall set out the address of such candidate and the office for which he is a candidate; shall state that the candidate is a qualified primary voter of the party to which the petition relates, is qualified for the office specified, and has filed a statement of economic interests as required by the Illinois Governmental Ethics Act; shall request that the candidate's name be placed upon the official ballot; and shall be subscribed and sworn by such candidate before some officer authorized to take acknowledgment of deeds in this State and may be in substantially the following form: State of Illinois) ) ss. County ..........) I, ...., being first duly sworn, say that I reside at .... street in the city (or village of) .... in the county of .... State of Illinois; that I am a qualified voter therein and am a qualified primary voter of .... party; that I am a candidate for nomination to the office of .... to be voted upon at the primary election to be held on (insert date); that I am legally qualified to hold such office and that I have filed a statement of economic interests as required by the Illinois Governmental Ethics Act and I hereby request that my name be printed upon the official primary ballot for nomination for such office. Signed .................... Subscribed and sworn to (or affirmed) before me by ...., who is to me personally known, on (insert date). Signed .... (Official Character) (Seal if officer has one.) The receipt issued by the Secretary of State indicating that the candidate has filed the statement of economic interests required by the Illinois Governmental Ethics Act must be filed with the petitions for nomination as provided in subsection (8) of Section 7-12 of this Code. Except as otherwise provided in this Code, all petitions for nomination for the office of State Senator shall be signed by at least 1,000 but not more than 3,000 of the qualified primary electors of the candidate's party in his legislative district. Except as otherwise provided in this Code, all petitions for nomination for the office of Representative in the General Assembly shall be signed by at least 500 but not more than 1,500 of the qualified primary electors of the candidate's party in his or her representative district. Opposite the signature of each qualified primary elector who signs a petition for nomination for the office of State Representative or State Senator such elector's residence address shall be written or printed. The residence address required to be written or printed opposite each qualified primary elector's name 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. For the purposes of this Section, the number of primary electors shall be determined by taking the total vote cast, in the applicable district, for the candidate for such political party who received the highest number of votes, state-wide, at the last general election in the State at which electors for President of the United States were elected. A "qualified primary elector" of a party may not sign petitions for or be a candidate in the primary of more than one party. In the affidavit at the bottom of each sheet, the petition circulator, who shall be a person 18 years of age or older who is a citizen of the United States, shall state his or her street address or rural route number, as the case may be, as well as his or her county, city, village or town, and state; and shall certify that the signatures on that sheet of the petition were signed in his or her presence; and shall certify that the signatures are genuine; and shall certify that, to the best of his or her knowledge and belief, the persons so signing were at the time of signing the petition qualified primary voters for which the nomination is sought. In the affidavit at the bottom of each petition sheet, the petition circulator shall (1) indicate the dates on which he or she circulated that sheet, or (2) indicate the first and last dates on which the sheet was circulated, or (3) for elections where the petition circulation period is 90 days, certify that none of the signatures on the sheet were signed more than 90 days preceding the last day for the filing of the petition, or (4) for the 2022 general primary election only, certify that the signatures on the sheet were signed during the period of January 13, 2022 through March 14, 2022 or certify that the signatures on the sheet were signed during the period of January 13, 2022 through the date on which this statement was sworn or affirmed to. No petition sheet shall be circulated more than 90 days preceding the last day provided in Section 8-9 for the filing of such petition. All petition sheets which are filed with 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. The person circulating the petition, or the candidate on whose behalf the petition is circulated, may strike any signature from the petition, provided that: (1) the person striking the signature shall initial the petition at the place where the signature is struck; and (2) the person striking the signature shall sign a certification listing the page number and line number of each signature struck from the petition. Such certification shall be filed as a part of the petition.

Legislative History

(Source: P.A. 102-15, eff. 6-17-21; 102-692, eff. 1-7-22; 103-154, eff. 6-30-23.)