Greene County voters now have a drop off location for mail-in ballots. A drive-by ballot box has been installed for voters who wish to vote by mail and choose not to use the United States Postal Service. The ballot drop box is located on the west side of the Greene County Courthouse in the parking lot in Carrollton.
Greene County Clerk Debbie Banghart told the Greene Prairie Press that the dropbox will be emptied frequently and that it take 2 keys to open it. One key will be held by a Democrat representative in the county, and the other key will be from a Republican, and both will have to be present to open the box. The ballots will then be stamped as received by the Clerk’s office for tabulation.
Banghart told the Greene Prairie Press she wanted to give Greene County residents a free option to drop off their ballot to stay safe during COVID-19 and it will also ensure that their will not be delays with a resident’s ballot if there are concerns about the U.S. Postal Service.
The drop box was installed by Greene County Highway Department workers on a concrete pad, which meets the Illinois State Board of Elections legal requirements and has 24/7 video surveillance protection.
The deadline to apply for a vote-by-mail ballot is October 28th and ballots must be USPS postmarked or file stamped by the county clerk’s office no later than Election Day on November 3rd, to be accepted, and properly USPS postmarked ballots will be accepted through November 17th.
Those with questions concerning the election process in Greene County may contact the county clerk’s office via dbanghart@greenecountyil.org or by phone at 217-942-5443.