Applications to vote by mail in Illinois now open for June 28 primary
The Illinois primary is almost three months away and ballots have yet to be finalized, but voters can start requesting vote-by-mail ballots from their local election authorities for the June 28 election.
Ballots are expected to be finalized by late April and will then be sent to voters who have requested to vote by mail. Those voters must have their completed ballot postmarked on or before the date of the primary election to have it counted. They also can deposit their ballot in drop boxes at early voting sites or at their local election office.
The Chicago Board of Elections said it will send an email to applicants at every step of the process — when the application has been accepted, when the ballot is mailed, when the completed ballot has been received by the election board and when the ballot has been processed and counted.
Under a new Illinois law, voters also will be asked if they want to join a permanent vote-by-mail list to have their ballot sent to their preferred address ahead of every election.
Chicago voters will soon be receiving new voter cards in the mail from the Chicago Board of Elections. The mailing also will include a paper vote-by-mail application which also can be used to join the permanent vote-by-mail roster.
Pending any court challenges, ballots for the Democratic and Republican primary are scheduled to be finalized by late April. Ballots are scheduled to be mailed starting May 19, which also is the first day of early in-person voting. Voters must apply for a vote-by-mail ballot by June 23, but election officials ask voters to apply as early as possible to avoid any mail delays.
In Chicago, voters can apply now at https://www.chicagoelections.gov/en/vote-by-mail-application.html.
Voters outside Chicago can contact their local county clerk or election authority.
In Cook County: https://www.cookcountyclerkil.gov/elections/ways-to-vote/vote-by-mail
In DuPage County: https://www.dupagecounty.gov/Election/VoteByMail/
In Will County: https://www.willcountyclerk.gov/elections/vote-by-mail/#apply
In Lake County: https://www.lakecountyil.gov/4321/Voting-by-Mail
In Kane County: https://www.kanecountyclerk.org/Elections/Pages/Vote-by-Mail.aspx
In McHenry County: https://www.mchenrycountyil.gov/county-government/departments-a-i/county-clerk/elections/vote-by-mail
In Kendall County: https://www.co.kendall.il.us/offices/county-clerk-recorder/election-voter-information/ballot-by-mail-request
