Election day in Peoria: A brief recap as residents voted at the polls

Leslie Renken, Journal Star
·9 min read

The sun rose on a clear and unseasonably warm day in Illinois for the Nov. 8 election. Polls opened in Illinois at 6 a.m., and will close at 7 p.m

A sample ballot is available on the Peoria County Election Commission website, for anyone who wants to prepare before heading to their polling place. Visit https://www.peoriaelections.gov/201/Sample-Ballots. Many counties throughout Illinois provide these ballots for residents.

More:Check out election results

Voting is running smoothly in Peoria County (2:23 p.m.)

Aside from a few minor issues, everything has run smoothly at polling places throughout Peoria County today, said Elizabeth Gannon, executive director of the Peoria County Election Commission.

"Every election we have some issues with technology, but that's what we have troubleshooters for. We get them dispatched and get the issue resolved," she said. "Overall we've had a really great day."

While all is well in central Peoria County, Champaign County Clerk Aaron Ammons reported ongoing connectivity issues due to cyber attacks on election day, part of a "coordinated effort to undermine and destabilize our democratic process."

According to a media release posted on Facebook, the Champaign County clerk’s website has been the target of repeated D-DOS attacks for the past month, but reinforced security has kept all data secure. Gannon was surprised to hear about cyber attack in Champaign County, and said there have not been any issues in Peoria County.

"Our voting equipment is not tied to the internet," she said.

Central Peorians vote their convictions (1:12 p.m.)

The populace voting at St. Paul Baptist Church is a diverse crowd, with diverse opinions. A few paused to talk about what brought them to the polls Tuesday morning. Ken Garner, 79, a veteran, is worried about the state of democracy.

"Being an American, from how we became a nation, when we get away from that, that's bad," he said.

Sarah Wyant, 40, is concerned about abortion rights.

"I don't want to elect anybody who is going to restrict access to abortion," she said.

And Gary Geer, 54, is hoping to effect a change in local and state government.

"I'm glad to see the big turnout, and hoping to see a conservative shift," he said.

More:Is the Peoria County auditor vital or redundant? Here's what both sides are saying

Brisk turnout at a central Peoria poling place (11:35 a.m.)

There have only been a few brief moments this morning when no one was in line at the polling place in St. Paul Baptist Church, said election judge Connie Romanus.

As of 10:20 a.m. there were 12 people waiting to vote.

"It's a big turnout. It was a huge turnout in the primary, and I think we're going to have pretty good numbers today," said Romanus.

Traffic early this morning was brisk enough that Romanus decided to set up more voting stations. The church provided another folding table, which workers equipped with cardboard partitions and pens. Even with 10 voting stations, many people had to wait a few minutes to sit down. Some chose to vote where they stood, though it was clumsy as the new paper ballots require a neatly filled-in box for each chosen candidate.

This election is only the second time Peoria County has used the new paper ballot system, and some folks were confused about how to choose their candidates. If they just put a check in the box, the scanner rejected their ballot, said Romanus. If a voter messes up and has to start over, a ballot can be destroyed and a new ballot issued, but as of 10:30 a.m., that had only happened once at St. Paul church, said Romanus.

How many people voted early? (9:17 a.m.)

Almost 11,000 Peoria County residents voted early − about a 9% turnout − said Gannon. Another 13% of voters asked for vote-by-mail ballots, and already 84% of those have been returned, she said. The deadline to drop those in the mail is today.

"As long as they are postmarked by today and received within the next two weeks, they can be counted," Gannon said.

Tabulation of early voting and vote-by-mail ballots doesn't start until the polls close at 7 p.m. They will be the first results to show up on the county's website, Gannon said. So far voter participation seems to be about the same as the last gubernatorial race in 2018.

"We were at 56% participation in 2018, so I'd say we'll get to anywhere between 55 and 60% today," Gannon said.

Top of the Illinois ballot:What to know about the Workers' Rights Amendment

Same day voter registration in Illinois (8:48 a.m.)

Not registered to vote? No problem. Even people who waited till the last minute to get registered can vote today, thanks to Illinois' Same Day Registration program. Just grab two forms of identification - one that proves who you are, and another that has your address on it, said Peoria County Election Commission election specialist Debbie Emanuels. A driver's license, Social Security card or birth certificate proves identity, while a bill, like a utility bill or hospital bill, or another piece of mail that is not handwritten, verifies your current address. Click here for a list of acceptable identification. Take the materials to your polling place and election judges can get you registered. You will be allowed to vote at the same time.

What to bring to vote in Illinois (7:57 a.m.)

Illinois is a no-ID state. Election judges verify each registered voter by comparing their signature to a signature they have on file.

Peoria County polling places (7:37 a.m.)

For anyone unsure of where to go, here is a list of Peoria County polling places:

  • Precincts AK01, PR01: Princeville United Methodist Church 420 E Woertz Rd Princeville, IL 61559

  • Precincts BR01, JU01, MI01: Brimfield Public Library 111 S Galena Ave Brimfield, IL 61517

  • Precincts CH01, CH02: Chillicothe Bible Church 434 W Moffitt St Chillicothe, IL 61523

  • Precincts CH03, CH04, CH05: Chillicothe Public Library 430 N Bradley Ave Chillicothe, IL 61523

  • Precinct CH06/ Rome Baptist Church 5104 E Stevenson Ave Rome, IL 61562

  • Precincts EL01, EL02, EL03: United Methodist Church 821 W Main St Elmwood, IL 61529

  • Precinct HA01: Edelstein Congregational Church 2903 W Main St Edelstein, Il 61526

  • Precinct HO01: Mapleton Village Hall 8524 W Main St Mapleton, IL 61547

  • Precincts HO02, LI08: Bartonville Christian Church 4900 Pfeiffer RD Bartonville IL 61607

  • Precincts JU02, KI01: Kickapoo Township Hall 10025 W Route 150 Edwards, IL 61528

  • Precincts KI02, LI02: Itoo Society Hall 4909 W Farmington Rd Peoria, IL 61604

  • Precincts LI01, LI04: Ignite Church Bartonville Campus 905 S Maxwell Rd Peoria, IL 61607

  • Precincts LI05, PE01: City on a Hill Church of God 3624 W Malone Peoria, IL 61605

  • Precincts LI06, LI07, LI10: Alpha Park Library 3527 S Airport Rd Bartonville, IL 61607

  • Precinct LI03: Keystone Union Hall 106 Bolivia Ave Bartonville, IL 61607

  • Precincts LI09, LI11: Coyote Creek Golf Club 8201 W Lancaster Rd Bartonville, IL 61607

  • Precincts LO01, LO02: Hanna City United Methodist Ch 12208 W Farmington Rd Hanna City, IL 61536

  • Precincts ME01, ME02, ME03: Cedar Hills Baptist Church 12716 N Allen Rd Dunlap, IL 61525

  • Precinct ME04: Mossville Methodist Church 1015 E Mossville Rd Peoria, IL 61615

  • Precincts PE02, PE03: Neighborhood House Library 1020 S Matthew St Peoria, IL 61605

  • Precincts PE04, PE05: Manual High School 811 S Griswold St Peoria, IL 61605

  • Precinct PE06: Sovereign Grace Missionary Baptist Ch 1505 W Martin St Peoria, IL 61605

  • Precincts PE07, PE08: Peoria Housing Authority 100 S Richard Pryor Pl Peoria, IL 61605

  • Precinct PE09: Woodruff Career & Tech Center 1800 NE Perry Ave Peoria, IL 61603

  • Precinct PE11: Trinity Lutheran Church 135 NE Randolph Ave Peoria, IL 61606

  • Precincts PE12, PE13: Westminster Presbyterian Church 1420 W Moss Ave Peoria, IL 61606

  • Precinct PE14: Salvation Army 2903 W Nebraska Ave Peoria, IL 61604

  • Precincts PE15, PE17, PE18: Imago Dei Church 2221 N Gale Ave Peoria, IL 61604

  • Precinct PE16: Peoria County Health Department 2116 N Sheridan Rd Peoria, IL 61604

  • Precincts PE19, PE20, PE27: St. Paul Baptist Church 114 W Forrest Hill Ave Peoria, IL 61604

  • Precinct PE10: East Bluff Comm Center 512 E Kansas St Peoria, IL 61603

  • Precincts PE21, PE22: Glen Oak Christian Church 1115 E Republic St Peoria, IL 61603

  • Precincts PE23, PE24, RI04: Ignite Church Peoria 3707 N Dayton Ave Peoria, IL 61614

  • Precincts PE25, PE26: First English Lutheran Church 725 E Forrest Hill Ave Peoria, IL 61603

  • Precincts PE28, PE29, PE30: First Baptist Church 411 W Lake Ave Peoria, IL 61614

  • Precincts PE31, PE32, PE36: St. Paul Lutheran Church 1427 W Lake Ave Peoria, IL 61614

  • Precincts PE33, PE34, PE35, PE54: ICC Peoria 5407 N University St Peoria, IL 61614

  • Precincts PE38, PE39: Universalist Unitarian Church 3000 W Richwoods Blvd Peoria, IL 61604

  • Precincts PE37, PE40, PE41: Church of Jesus Christ of LDS 3700 W Reservoir Blvd Peoria, IL 61615

  • Precincts PE42, PE52: Northwest United Methodist Ch 3800 W War Memorial Dr Peoria, IL 61614

  • Precincts PE43, PE44, PE46: El Vista Baptist Church 6301 N Syler St Peoria, IL 61615

  • Precincts PE45, PE47, PE48: Grace Presbyterian Church 8607 N State Route 91 Peoria, IL 61615

  • Precincts PE49, PE50: Teamsters Union Hall 7101 N Allen Rd Peoria, IL 61614

  • Precincts PE53, PE55: Woodland Baptist Church 6915 N Allen Rd Peoria, IL 61614

  • Precincts PE56, PE57, PE58: Grace & Peace Lutheran Church 7611 N Knoxville Ave Peoria, IL 61614

  • Precincts PE59, PE60, PE61: Northminster Presbyterian Church 10720 N Knoxville Ave Peoria, IL 61615

  • Precincts PE62, PE63, PE64: Northwoods Community Church 10700 N Allen Rd Peoria, IL 61615

  • Precincts PE51, PE65: North Branch Library 3001 W Grand Parkway Peoria, IL 61615

  • Precincts RA01, RA02: Prospect United Methodist Church 300 E Ash St Dunlap, IL 61525

  • Precincts RI01, RI02, RI03: Peoria Heights Public Library 816 E Glen Ave Peoria Heights, IL 61616

  • Precinct RO01: Rosefield Township Building 16221 W Southport Rd Brimfield, IL 61517

  • Precincts TI01, TI02: Timber-Hollis Fire Protection Dist 401 S Glasford Rd Glasford, IL 61533

  • Precinct TR01: Trivoli Fire Station 18911 W Farmington Rd Trivoli, IL 61569

  • Precincts WP01, WP02: West Peoria City Garage 1322 N Hillside Ave West Peoria, IL 61604

  • Precincts WP03, WP04: Franciscan Recreation Center 908 N Sterling Ave West Peoria, IL 61604

This article originally appeared on Journal Star: Peoria IL Election Day: What voters said on a big day at the polls