Lines, Crowds Main Issues In Lake For Early Voters

Amie Schaenzer
Updated ·8 min read

LAKE COUNTY, IL — The Lake County Circuit Clerk's Office anticipates 45 percent of all registered voters will have cast their ballot before Election Day.

As of Thursday, nearly half of the 167,105 registered voters who'd requested a mail-in ballot had returned it to the clerk's office. The 85,323 who've returned their mail-in ballots for this election far exceeds the 32,055 who voted by mail in 2016.

Check out our Illinois elections page for more races to watch and
election-related updates as we near Election Day.

And 89,687 people have voted early—which is close to surpassing the 91,400 voters who cast their ballot early in 2016

The main issues at the polls and with voting so far have been lines and wait times at various locations, Todd Govain, chief deputy clerk for the Lake County Clerk's Office, told Patch. Crowds are expected on Election Day but "nothing overwhelming" since so many people will have cast their ballot prior to that day.

Whether you plan to vote by mail or in person, here's everything you need to know about casting your ballot in Illinois.

Voter Registration

Not sure if you're already registered to vote? You can find out here. The deadline to register to vote online is Sunday, Oct 18, and you can register in person through Nov. 3.

Do you have questions about what you will need to register to vote? Check out this Patch.com article to make sure you are all set: Voter Registration 2020 In Illinois: 5 Things To Know.

If you're voting by mail

  • Voting by mail is available to all Illinois voters before Election Day. Voters can request a vote-by-mail ballot through the mail or in person.

  • Everyone who has voted in any election since November 2018, and who has registered to vote or has updated their voter registration since March 18, 2018, was sent an application to request a vote-by-mail ballot.

  • The first day to file an application to vote by mail was June 16. The last day is Oct. 29.

  • Those wishing to request a ballot in Lake County can download an application at LakeVoterPower.info or call 847-377-Vote (8683) You can also send an email to votingbymail@lakecountyil.gov with your name, address and date of birth and request a form be sent to you by email or mailed to an address of your choice.

What to do with your mail-in ballot

  • Ballots will come with a return envelope and can be returned by mail.

  • Those who have concerns about their ballots being shipped via the U.S. Postal Service can also drop off completed ballots at drop boxes in Lake County. The clerk's office has a drop box finder available online.

  • Since the drop boxes positioned at the early voting sites must be within sight of election judges, those boxes are inside the building and are only accessible while the voting site is open (see more on early voting locations and hours of operation for those sites below), according to the Lake County Clerk's Office. The clerk's office encouraged those who are returning their vote by mail ballot at an early voting site to "just walk in to the building and directly to the drop box" —you do not need to stand in line with those who are voting in person.

  • There are also four outside drop boxes that are unattended but monitored by video surveillance that is recorded, according to information released by the clerk's office in August. Those drop boxes will be available 24 hours per day and permanently anchored in place. All drop boxes close at 7 p.m. on election night.

  • Ballots must be postmarked by Election Day, Nov. 3, or they will not be counted. If a ballot envelope is placed in a mail drop box on or near Election Day, that envelope may be postmarked late and will not be eligible to be counted.

Early Voting

When early voting kicked off at the Lake County Courthouse in September, the clerk's office reported lines "all day" for the first two days of voting. With more voting sites opening on Oct. 19pefully polling places won't be packed but voters should be prepared for that possibility.

In total, 17 additional sites will be available starting on Oct. 19, including a polling place at the Lake County Fairgrounds, 1060 E. Peterson Road in Grayslake. You may use any Early Voting site regardless of where you live in Lake County.

All sites will offer weekday hours of 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. and weekend hours of 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. until Nov. 1. On Monday, Nov. 2, early voting will be available only at four locations from 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.

You can find locations, addresses, dates, and times on the Lake County Clerk's Office website, utilize the clerk's office online voting sites finder or by calling the Lake County Clerk's Office Voter Registration Services Department at 847-377-Vote (8683).

Voting in person: Safety Precautions Amid COVID-19

  • Where to vote: Find your polling place here (you can also find this and a sample ballot on your county clerk's website).

  • If you've voted in Illinois before, you don't need to provide ID to vote

  • You may need an ID if:

    • You registered to vote by mail and did not provide ID

    • An election judge challenges your right to vote.

    • If you are also registering to vote or changing your registration address on the day that you vote

  • If you are already in line to vote when the polls close, you still have the right to cast your ballot

  • Staying safe: Aside from wearing a mask and staying 6 feet away from other voters, you can also minimize risk by voting early to avoid long lines to vote. The Lake County Clerk's Office also encourages voters to bring their own pen, it should be black or blue and no markers. You can use a disposable stylus for touch-screen ballot marking equipment, according to the Lake County Clerk's Office news release.

  • The clerk's office has also placed "sneeze guards between election judges wearing face coverings and voters," instructed election judges to clean common equipment and voting utensils on a regular basis with supplied disinfectant wipes and set up social distance markers at polling places.

You Can Vote Safely In Person Despite Coronavirus. Here's How.

Who's On My Ballot?

Depending on where you live in Grayslake, not every ballot will be the same. You can view your sample ballot by entering your address and information on the county clerk's website.

In addition to voting in presidential, congressional, senatorial and some state and local races, Illinois voters are being asked to vote on the Graduated Income Tax Amendment.

  • A "yes" vote supports repealing the state's constitutional requirement that the state personal income tax be a flat rate and instead allow the state to enact legislation for a graduated income tax.

  • A "no" vote opposes this constitutional amendment, thus continuing to require that the state personal income tax be a flat rate and prohibit a graduated income tax.

Illinois Voters Asked To Decide 'Fair Tax': What You Need To Know

Presidential race: While the ballot contains candidates from the Green party, Party for Socialism and Liberation, American Solidarity party and Libertarian party, it comes down to President Donald Trump/Vice President Mike Pence vs. Democratic former Vice President Joe Biden/U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris. Check out White House Patch for the latest coverage on the election.

And, while she might not be leading in the polls, this year's Libertarian candidate, Jo Jorgensen, is a Lake County native. You can read more about her here: Lake Co. Native Is Libertarian Party's Presidential Pick and follow her on Twitter.

U.S. Senate: Incumbent Democrat Dick Durbin faces off against Republican Mark C. Curran Jr., Willie Wilson (of the Willie Wilson Party), Green party candidate David F. Black and Libertarian Danny Malouf.

Lake County Races To Watch

Lake County State's Attorney: This year's race for the Lake County State's Attorney's seat is expected to be a competitive one. Lake County State's Attorney Mike Nerheim, a Gurnee Republican, is taking on challenger Eric Rinehart, a Highwood Democrat and criminal defense attorney.

Patch Coverage

Lake County Coroner: One-term Republican Howard Cooper and Democrat Jennifer Banek, a nurse anesthesiologist from Green Oaks, are voters choices this year for Lake County Coroner

Referendum Calling On Merger of Clerk's Office, Recorder's office: Voters will be posed this questions: "Shall the office of the Recorder of Lake County be eliminated on December 1, 2022, by merging that office's duties and responsibilities into the office of the County Clerk of Lake County?"

Lake County Recorder: The main task for the county's recorder in the upcoming four years could be to merge the clerk's office and recorder's office if voters decide the merger should move forward. Both democratic incumbent Mary Ellen Vanderventer of Waukegan and Deerfield Republican Emilia Czyszczon agree that the merger should happen.

Check back to Grayslake Patch for more updates as the election nears. Sign up for our newsletters at and follow us on Facebook and Patch editor Amie on Twitter.

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MORE ON PATCH

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This article originally appeared on the Libertyville Patch