Daywatch special edition: Everything you need to know before Election Day
Good morning, Chicago.
When voters head to the polls Tuesday, the highest profile contest on the ballot may be whether Republican Donald Trump or Democrat Joe Biden will occupy the Oval Office for the next four years.
But the election intrigue doesn’t stop at the White House.
Illinois’s top local issue centers on what’s been a battle of billionaires between Gov. J.B. Pritzker and Ken Griffin and whether the state should amend its constitution to overhaul its tax code from a flat-tax to a graduated-rate system that varies by income.
Voters also will decide whether Dick Durbin, the second ranking Democrat in the U.S. Senate, should get a fifth term. And, there are elections involving the state’s 18 congressional seats, including the reelection bids of suburban Democratic freshmen Sean Casten and Lauren Underwood.
Meanwhile, all 118 Illinois House seats are up for election, as well as nearly one third of the state Senate’s membership.
In Cook County, first-term Democratic State’s Attorney Kim Foxx is facing a challenge from Republican Pat O’Brien in a race that has generated a good deal of attention and political donations.
As of Friday, more than 3 million voters had already cast a ballot across Illinois — a tally split nearly in half either by those voting in-person early or casting a mail-in ballot. Heading into the weekend, the number of ballots sent in by mail in Illinois was nearly 1.2 million above the 370,000 cast in the state in the 2016 election, while the nearly 1.5 million in-person early votes cast was nearing the 1.52 million cast four years ago — with the full final weekend yet to go.
That means that as the weekend began, Illinoisans already had cast 53.1% of the total nearly 5.7 million votes cast in the 2016 presidential election, state records showed.
Delays in ballot counting are possible, and there also is expected to be a heavy in-person voting presence on Tuesday among traditionalists who insist on casting a ballot on Election Day.
With two days to go, here’s everything you need to know before Election Day.
—Rick Pearson
Our full Voter Guide 5/8 Bookmark this page: 2020 results 5/8 Trump vs. Biden battleground tracker 5/8 See the Editorial Board’s ballot
While more than 3 million voters already have cast their ballots in Illinois alone amid a pandemic that has fueled record-setting mail-in and early voting numbers, don’t expect the winners in some of the election’s most anticipated races to be known the night of Nov. 3 — and in some cases for days after that.
Freaking out about not knowing election results Tuesday? You’re not alone. Why patience is not an American virtue.
The Associated Press will declare winners in some 7,000 races. Here’s how the AP counts votes and calls races.
If you’re not registered to vote, you’re in luck — it’s not too late
While online voter registration is now closed for this election, you can still register or change your address and cast a ballot in person at an early voting site or at designated sites on Election Day, as long as you’ve lived in your current location for 30 days before the election.
You’ll just need two forms of ID, including one with your current address. That can include first-class mail, such as a utility bill, bank statement or letter from a government agency.
Yes, you can still vote early in Illinois this weekend and Monday
The early voting period extends to Monday with Election Day on Tuesday. Here’s a list of all the early voting locations in the city and the suburbs.
Hours and dates vary by county and location. When making a plan to vote, it’s worth checking on a location in advance.
Whether you’re a longtime voter or new to the process, voting can be confusing. Here’s what you need to know when casting your vote in-person this year.
Is it too late to mail in your ballot?
The short answer is yes, but if you still want to vote by mail, there is something you can do.
Go to your local county clerk’s office or election authority to request a mail-in ballot in person. The deadline to do that is Monday (tomorrow).
Just be sure to complete your ballot and place it in the mail or a designated drop box, or return it to your local election office by the next day. Ballots returned by mail and postmarked by Election Day should be counted as long as they’re received by Nov. 17.
If you misplaced your mail-in ballot, you can sign an affidavit at an early voting site or Election Day polling place and will be allowed to cast a provisional ballot.
Hospitalized in Illinois? You can request a ballot to your bedside.
Want to vote in person after receiving a mail-in ballot? You can do that.
You’re allowed to vote in person only if you haven’t yet cast your ballot by mail. If you decide you’d rather vote in person, you’ll need to bring your mail-in ballot to an early voting site or your election precinct polling place and surrender it to an election judge. The election judge should then give you a standard ballot, which you can fill out to vote in person.
Keep in mind it’s illegal to vote more than once in an election, so only choose one method. In Illinois, knowingly voting more than once or attempting to do so is a class 3 felony.
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