By Sean Reed | The Center Square
May 11, 2026
State lawmakers want to ban Illinoisans from carrying a gun while at the polls, citing a rise in political violence around elections.
Gun rights advocates have taken issue with the proposal, claiming the ban would unconstitutionally prohibit guns in some private residences.
House Bill 34 would ban the ability to carry a firearm at any building, property or parking area of polling locations, creating a 24th restriction on open carry laws in the state.
While state peace officers would be exempt, any other person discovered to be carrying a firearm at a polling place would be found guilty of a misdemeanor. […]
Ed Sullivan, on behalf of the Illinois State Rifle Association, said the bill seeks to address a non-existent threat, citing crime data he said shows people with a concealed carry license are less likely to commit crimes when compared to the rest of the population.
“So it says ‘any building, real property, or parking area.’ So any building – think about the areas that are not governmental buildings. Think about your communities where you might have a condo association that has a community center within that condo building, and they’re having a polling place,” Sullivan said. “On that day of polling, I’m not allowed to have a firearm in that building.”
Sullivan went on to say the text of the bill is unconstitutional, as it would violate the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in District Of Columbia v. Heller, a landmark Second Amendment case from 2007. […]
Rep. C.D. Davidsmeyer, R-Jacksonville, was also critical of the proposal.
“If they’re going to do this, they’re going to do this without a concealed carry,” Davidsmeyer said. “I think that we’re doing something here to make us – to make government feel better while taking the wrong precaution.”
Davidsmeyer also said imposing more rules on polling locations could make more private locations hesitant to continue lending space for elections.