Vote-By-Mail Ballot Request Period Ends Thursday

By Benjamin Cox on March 10, 2020 at 8:28am

If you are unable to vote in next Tuesday’s primary election, there is still time to get your vote in ahead of time. Morgan County Clerk Jill Waggener said yesterday that early voting was a bit down in the county but numbers remain about where she expected them to be for this year. She said a number of people have came to her office and left without voting because Illinois requires primary voters to declare a political party. She said many have refused to do so and did not vote.

State Board of Elections Spokesman Matt Dietrich said yesterday that there is still time to request mail in ballots if you are going to be out of town. “I know that in the last presidential primary there were 119 vote-by-mail ballots cast. So far this year, we have had 207,000 vote-by-mail ballots requested, so we’re going to exceed the 2016 number by a long shot. If you vote by mail, all you have to do is make sure that your ballot is postmarked no later than Election Day when you return it. It’s gotten really simple. It’s gotten more and more popular every year. For those who are concerned this year regarding coronavirus, it’s the one sure way to ever have to enter a polling place.”

The last day to request a mail-in ballot in the state is Thursday.