Early voting for the March 17th primary begins on Thursday in the state. Morgan County Clerk Jill Waggener explains hours at the court house for voting: “Early voting begins on Thursday, February 6th. That’s the earliest that you can come to my office and early vote. Right now, you can just come during my office hours, which is 8:30AM-4:30PM Monday through Friday. We will be open on Saturday, February 15th from 9AM-Noon, and early voting goes through March 16th.”
Ballots will include offices from president to precinct committee person. Members of Congress, the Illinois General Assembly, and some judgeships are also on the ballot as are some countywide elected officials and county board members in the area.
One of the bigger issues in the area that will be on proposition is a $39.5 million school bond issue for New Berlin District 16 schools in Sangamon County.
Vote-by-mail ballots will also be issued out on Thursday. Regular in-person voter registration for new voters or people with a change of address runs through February 18th at the courthouse. However, online voter registration for people who have an active state driver’s license or ID card, runs through March 1 at ova.elections.il.gov
Grace period registration and voting starts in the clerk’s office on February 19th. People not registered earlier or who need to change the address of their registration can go to the clerk’s office during business hours, update their registration and vote that day. To do so, they need two forms of identification, such as a lease, utility bill, passport, or bank documents including one with a current address.