Voting 101: Voting Early, Voter Registration & Mail-In Ballots
Early voting kicked off Feb. 5, and for registered voters in McDonough County, the Voter Registration Office (VRO) in the lower level of the McDonough County Courthouse has in-person voting booths set up and ready for early bird voters.
Early Voting
According to County Clerk Jeremy Benson, the early voting hours are from 8 a.m.-4 p.m., Monday-Friday, along with two special Saturday dates this spring, from 9 a.m.-noon, March 7 and March 14. As of 10 a.m., Feb. 11, 125 people have cast early ballots in McDonough County.
Registering to Vote
Individuals who want to register to vote can do so at the VRO until Feb.
17 to vote at their assigned polling place on Election Day (March 17).
Beginning Feb. 18, those who need to register to vote will must cast their ballot the same day in the Voter Registration Office as part of the grace period registration. Election day registration can also be done at the courthouse. To register to vote, two forms of identification (at least one photo ID) are required, and the voter's current address must appear on one of the IDs, Benson noted.
Mail-In Ballots A new policy set by the United States Postal Service (USPS) surrounding postmarks is that mail is no longer postmarked on the day it is received, rather, it's now postmarked the day the postal service processes mail. The guidance Benson said his office has received from postal service is that it can take anywhere from one to three days for a postmark to a piece of mail. As such, he recommends anyone sending in their mail-in ballot do so at least a week in advance.
'If you aren't within that one-week timeframe, you can request your ballot be hand postmarked at the window ensure it reflects the date you dropped it off with USPS,' Benson added.
Mail-in ballots can be requested by stopping by the VRO or by calling the office at (309) 833-247. An application must be completed and returned to the VRO in person or by mail in order to receive a mail-in ballot packet. Benson said approximately 960 voters have already requested vote-by-mail ballots for the March 17 primary. These were sent Feb. 6.
'The return rate usually varies based on the election. With the races on the ballot this spring, we anticipate a higher return rate,' he explained. 'The number of vote-by-mail applications is higher for the general elections and the consolidated elections.'
Under Illinois law, ballots postmarked on or before Election Day will be counted if they're received by the McDonough County Clerk's Office within 14 days after the March 17 election.
Election Day Voting
On Tuesday, March 17, polls will open at 6 a.m. and close at 7 p.m.
Sample ballots can be found at mcg. mcdonough.il.us/voterreg.html.
Information
For more information about voter registration, polling location and other election related topics, call (309) 833-4649. Procedures and documents required for voting is available at mcg. mcdonough.il.us/voterreg.html. In addition, information is available on the State Board of Elections website, under 'Information for Voters,' at elections.il/gov.
