Early voting and voting by mail are underway in the collar counties, and in some spots requests for mail-in ballots and early turnout are shattering previous records.
As voters prepare to cast ballots amid a pandemic and election authorities respond to COVID-19 safety precautions, here are questions to some common questions about voting this year in Chicago’s suburbs.
I want to vote before Election Day. What are my options? Are they safe?
Voters can head to an early voting site in-person, or cast mail-in ballots via the postal service or a secure drop-box. Early voting sites, drop-box locations and the dates and hours of operation are available on county clerk websites.
In DuPage, Kane, Will, McHenry and Lake counties, voters can track their mail-in ballots online. Kane County Clerk John Cunningham said he has full confidence in the United States Postal Service’s ability to handle delivery of mailed ballots.
Drop boxes include a variety of security features, including in many counties monitoring either in-person or via camera. They are emptied at least twice a day in DuPage and Will counties and daily in Lake County.
Voters have until Oct. 29 to request mail-in ballots, but clerks urged people not to wait.
“I would say that people use their common sense and please, if they intend to vote by mail, they should apply as soon as possible,” DuPage County Clerk Jean Kaczmarek said.
Ballots returned by mail must be postmarked by Election Day — meaning those who wait until Election Day to put their ballots in the mail must drop them in early enough to be stamped the same date — but clerks in many counties encourage voters not to wait. Ballots can also be dropped off at clerk’s offices until 7 p.m. on Election Day.
What if I requested a mail-in ballot and it doesn’t arrive in time, or I change my mind and want to vote in-person?
Voters who requested a mail-in ballot can still vote in-person instead. Those who have a mail-in ballot in their possession are encouraged to bring it with them and surrender it when they vote in-person. Those who do not have a mail-in ballot in their possession but had requested one will be required to sign an affidavit during early voting.
Voters cannot vote both by mail and in person. Though rare, knowingly voting or attempting to vote more than once is a felony, punishable by two to five years in prison.
Voters who don’t recall if they sent in a mail-in ballot or cannot surrender theirs will not be able to vote twice, said Charles Pelkie, chief of staff to the Will County clerk. If their mail-in ballot has been processed, they will not be able to cast a ballot in-person, he said. If their mail-in ballot has not been processed, during early voting they can cast a vote and their mail-in ballot will not be counted, and on Election Day they would be issued a provisional ballot which would not be counted pending the arrival of their mail-in ballot, he said.
Kaczmarek, in DuPage County, said voters are assigned a number, and one number cannot have two votes associated with it.
“Don’t test the system; you will be caught,” she said.
Voters who have questions about the status of their mail-in ballot can track their ballot online or call the clerk’s office, Kane and DuPage county clerks said. Lake County Clerk Robin O’Connor stressed patience if voters call because they have not received their ballot, because more than 125,000 ballots had been requested as of Oct. 1.
How will mail-in ballots be validated? What happens if I make a mistake when I’m filling it out?
Voters casting mail-in ballots must sign and seal the envelope and follow the instructions outlined in their ballot package, Kaczmarek said.
If a team of election judges encounters an issue with a ballot but the voter’s intent was clear — for example, a ballot was filled out with the wrong color pen — the judges will recreate the same ballot in the correct color ink, Kaczmarek said.
If a voter makes a mistake on a mail-in ballot, they can either draw a single line through the incorrectly-marked name and instead mark the correct one, which will trigger the same correction process from election judges as filling out a ballot in the wrong color ink. Voters can also call the election division and ask for a new ballot, Kaczmarek said.
Pelkie, in Will County, said voters who seal their ballot envelope but realize they’ve made a mistake, changed their mind on a candidate or forget how they voted can check a box on their envelope indicating they have spoiled their ballot and send it in. The clerk’s office will send them a new one.
If election authorities encounter other issues with a ballot, such as an issue with a signature, they will notify the voter who will have an opportunity to correct the problem, clerks in Kane and DuPage counties said.
For a ballot to be considered invalid, a team of election judges that includes both Republicans and Democrats has to all agree it is invalid, Cunningham said.
Should I expect results on election night?
County clerks cautioned the results that come in on election night will not be final. Clerks have two weeks after the election to count results, including mail-in and provisional ballots, and because mail-in ballots can be postmarked as late as election day many clerks said they anticipate they will continue to receive ballots in the days afterward.
This has been true in previous elections, clerks said, but they are anticipating a higher number of outstanding ballots because of a surge in mail-in ballot requests.
Mail-in ballots received before Election Day and early votes in many suburban counties will be processed before election night, but will not be counted until the polls close Nov. 3. Cunningham, in Kane County, said he expects to have results from early voting and mail-in ballots posted online on election night.
Though the majority of ballots will be counted on election night, results of close races could, potentially, change in the days following as mail-in ballots trickle in, Kaczmarek said.
“With the expansion of vote by mail, gone are the days of knowing election results on election night the way you have in the past,” she said.
Are you concerned about voting in the suburbs, or have you encountered any issues related to voting? Reach reporter Sarah Freishtat at sfreishtat@tribpub.com.
Lake County News-Sun freelance reporter Steve Sadin contributed.
