State Lawmakers Vote to Move 2022 Primary to June 28

BY KAY SHIPMAN, FARMWEEK

Illinois voters will head to the primary election polls on June 28, 2022, a ripple effect from delayed U.S. Census data.

The General Assembly voted to push back the 2022 primary election, usually the third Tuesday in March, and delay when candidates for established parties can begin circulating petitions to Jan. 13, according to Kevin Semlow, Illinois Farm Bureau director of state legislation. Those petitions, which will require about one-third fewer signatures, would be submitted between March 7 and March 14, 2022. The legislation also adjusted corresponding voting deadliness for the June 28 primary, including mail-in ballots, early voting and voting requirements.

Sponsored by Senate President Don Harmon, D-Oak Park, and Rep. Maurice West, D-Rockford, SB 825 passed with a 41-18 Senate vote and a 72-46 House vote.

The Census delay didn't only impact redistricting at the state level. “A lot of local governments have run into difficulties drawing their districts because of the lack of Census data, which they are required to do by law,” Semlow said.

The General Assembly changed requirements to allow county governments to use any data for redistricting of county board districts, including the U.S. Census American Community Survey five-year data. That is the same data the General Assembly used for state legislative district maps.

State legislators “also pushed back the deadline for counties having to complete redistricting until the end of the year (Dec. 31), which is a significant change,” Semlow added.

Otherwise, county governments faced a July 1 deadline. Now, a county voter-elected chair or county executive has until Nov. 17 to present a proposed redistricting plan.

The newly passed legislation makes other election and voting changes.

The general election on Nov. 8, 2022 will be a state holiday; public schools will be closed and can be used as polling places. Curbside voting will be allowed for early voting as well as on Election Day.

Election authorities will be required to have one common voting location open on Election Day either at the election authority’s location or in the authority’s largest municipality, allowing any registered voter to vote there instead of his or her polling place. And voters may permanently request to be on a list for mail-in ballots.

The bill also requires the State Board of Elections to prepare and submit recommendations to the General Assembly for potential legislation to allow electronic voting for disabled voters.