In your mailbox: Distribution begins of new voter I.D. cards
Sangamon County started a voter verification mail-out program required by state law last week, sending out Voter I.D. cards to each of the county's 136,400 voters.
Every two years, counties conduct the process to update voter rolls accounting for name or address changes and voters who have died.
The voter rolls will be updated prior to the next election in 2024 and will account for recent changes to precinct boundaries, Sangamon County Clerk Don Gray said Tuesday. The mail program costs the county $53,502. Gray said the expense was "worth every penny."
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"Sangamon County voters and residents should know, we take the integrity and accuracy of our voter rolls seriously," Gray said.
He added that voters should pay attention to their precinct given changes to boundaries for the City of Springfield wards and sub-districts in Springfield School District #186, Lincoln Land Community College, and the Springfield Metropolitan Exposition and Auditorium Authority District.
Gray said the new boundaries, established by 2020 U.S. Census data, led to the county to change some polling place locations to be more ideally located for voters.
What to do if your name or address is no longer current?
Voters who have moved within the county have several options for updating the address or name listed on their voter identification cards.
For address changes, a voter can return a card to the county election office with an updated address on the back or through the Illinois State Board of Elections website.
For lost voter cards, call the county clerk's office at (217) 753-8683 or email elections@co.sangamon.il.gov. The office will send a transfer address form to the new address. Voter law requires that the form be returned, at the latest, 27 days prior to an election.
Voters are required to re-register to vote if they decide to change their name. Exceptions to the rule include voters who have changed their name but still live in the same precinct, where they can still vote after filling out an affidavit, or a woman who continues to use her maiden name after marriage.
If someone receives a Voter I.D. card for a person who no longer lives at a residence, they should write "not at this address" on the card and place it back in the mailbox.
Candidate filing deadlines
Tuesday also marked the first day for most candidates to begin circling nomination papers ahead of the 2024 primary on March 19. Early voting and grace period registration begin on Feb. 21. The candidates seeking office for Congress, state Senate and House races, state's attorneys, and other county and city offices.
Presidential candidates begin the process on Oct. 7 and have until Dec. 4 to file original nomination papers.
Contact Patrick Keck: 312-549-9340, pkeck@gannett.com, twitter.com/@pkeckreporter.
This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: March to 2024 begins with voter I.D. cards mailing, candidates' petitions
