Although the State of Illinois and its counties have not given specific health guidelines to voters on how to cast their ballot in November, elected officials did give some insight on what polling places might look like at a recent event.
In conjunction with the DuPage County NAACP and the National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW), the Naperville League of Women Voters hosted the event, which answered questions about voting in November.
Vote By Mail
Possibly the biggest change will be the opportunity to vote by mail (VBM).
“Just yesterday Governor [J.B.] Pritzker signed two election bills that actually reform what our election is going to look like in November of 2020,” said State Senator Julie Morrison. “This legislation greatly expands vote by mail. It provides that anyone who voted since 2018, in an election, will automatically receive an application for a ballot.”
SB 1863 and HB 2238 also expand early voting hours at permanent polling places, improve the signature verification process and make election day a state holiday.
Possible Polling Place Changes
Voters may also have a new polling place this November.
“With the coronavirus pandemic there are a lot of polling locations that are hesitant to allow people to come to vote, namely senior centers and schools,” said State Senator Laura Ellman. “In anticipation of that the CARES Act actually has provided, as a part of their funding, grants so that election commissions can actually rent locations so that there will be adequate places to vote.”
You can check out your local county clerk’s office to see where your polling place is.
COVID-19 Possible Affects
Due to concerns surrounding COVID-19, DuPage and Will counties were a bit short on election judges in March. Illinois has expanded the pool of candidates by lowering the age requirement to 16.
With so many changes, elected officials did warn there might be a delay in announcing results in a tight race.
U.S. Congressmen Bill Foster and Sean Casten also participated in the Zoom event, discussing broader topics like if the November elections could be canceled, both said no.
To watch the full discussion you can visit the Naperville League of Women Voters’ website.
Naperville News 17’s Christian Canizal reports.
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