§ 9-10 — Candidates for office - nominating petitions

Candidates for the office of school director shall be nominated by petition signed by at least 25 voters or 5% of the voters, whichever is less, residing within the district and filed with the county clerk or the county board of election commissioners, as the case may be, of the county in which the principal office of the school district is located. Nominations for members of boards of education, including non-high school boards of education shall be made by a petition signed by at least 50 voters or 10% of the voters, whichever is less, residing within the district and shall be filed with the county clerk or the county board of election commissioners, as the case may be, of the county in which the principal office of the school district is located. In addition to the requirements of the general election law, the form of such petitions shall be substantially as follows: NOMINATING PETITIONS (LEAVE OUT THE INAPPLICABLE PART.) To the (County Clerk or County Board of Election Commissioners) .... of .... County: We the undersigned, being (.... or more) (or 10% or more) (or 5% or more) of the voters residing within said district, hereby petition that .... who resides at .... in the (city or village) of .... in Township .... (or who resides outside any city, village or incorporated town and in Township ....) in said district shall be a candidate for the office of .... of the board of education (or board of directors) (full term) (vacancy) to be voted for at the election to be held on (insert date). Name: .................. Address: ................... In the designation of the name of a candidate on a petition for nomination, the candidate's given name or names, initial or initials, a nickname by which the candidate is commonly known, or a combination thereof may be used in addition to the candidate's surname. If a candidate has changed his or her name, whether by a statutory or common law procedure in Illinois or any other jurisdiction, within 3 years before the last day for filing the petition, then (i) the candidate's name on the petition must be followed by "formerly known as (list all prior names during the 3-year period) until name changed on (list date of each such name change)" and (ii) the petition must be accompanied by the candidate's affidavit stating the candidate's previous names during the period specified in clause (i) and the date or dates each of those names was changed; failure to meet these requirements shall be grounds for denying certification of the candidate's name for the ballot, but these requirements do not apply to name changes resulting from adoption to assume an adoptive parent's or parents' surname, marriage to assume a spouse's surname, or dissolution of marriage or declaration of invalidity of marriage to assume a former surname. No other designation, such as a political slogan, as defined by Section 7-17 of the Election Code, title or degree, or nickname suggesting or implying possession of a title, degree or professional status, or similar information may be used in connection with the candidate's surname. Nomination papers filed under this Section are not valid unless the candidate named therein files with the county clerk or the county board of election commissioners, as the case may be, of the county in which the principal office of the school district is located a receipt from the county clerk showing that the candidate has filed a statement of economic interests as required by the Illinois Governmental Ethics Act. Such receipt shall be so filed either previously during the calendar year in which his nomination papers were filed or within the period for the filing of nomination papers in accordance with the general election law. All petitions for the nomination of members of a board of education shall be filed with the county clerk or the county board of election commissioners, as the case may be, of the county in which the principal office of the school district is located within the time provided for by the general election law. The county clerk or the county board of election commissioners may have petition forms available for issuance to potential candidates, and may give notice of the petition filing period by publication in a newspaper of general circulation within the school district not less than 10 days prior to the first day of filing. The county clerk or the county board of election commissioners shall make certification to the proper election authorities in accordance with the general election law. The county clerk or the county board of election commissioners, as the case may be, of the county in which the principal office of the school district is located shall notify the candidates for whom a petition for nomination is filed or the appropriate committee of the obligations under the Campaign Financing Act as provided in the general election law. Such notice shall be given on a form prescribed by the State Board of Elections and in accordance with the requirements of the general election law. The county clerk or county board of election commissioners shall within 7 days of filing or on the last day for filing, whichever is earlier, acknowledge to the petitioner in writing the office's acceptance of the petition. A candidate for membership on the board of education or for office as a school director, who has petitioned for nomination to fill a full term and to fill a vacant term to be voted upon at the same election, must withdraw his or her petition for nomination from either the full term or the vacant term by written declaration. In all newly organized districts the petition for the nomination of candidates for members of the board of education at the first election shall be addressed to and filed with the regional superintendent of schools in the manner herein specified for the petitions for members of a board of education. For such election the regional superintendent shall fulfill all duties otherwise assigned to the secretary of the board of education.

Legislative History

(Source: P.A. 98-115, eff. 7-29-13; 99-522, eff. 6-30-16.)