Voting In St. Charles: Everything You Need To Know
ST. CHARLES, IL — Early and mail-in voting are shattering records across the country, including in Illinois.
By noon Nov. 2, Kane County surpassed its 2016 vote total, with nearly 174,000 early votes cast, according to Clerk John Cunningham. This year, more than 95,000 people cast early votes (up from 72,537 in 2016) and more than 77,000 returned mail-in ballots (up from 9,424 in 2016).
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.
You Can Vote Safely In Person Despite Coronavirus. Here's How »
Who's On My Ballot?
Depending on where you live in Kane County, 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.
Presidential race: While the ballot contains candidates from the Green Party, Party for Socialism and Liberation, American Solidarity Party and Libertarian Party, the major party candidates are Republican President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence versus Democratic former Vice President Joe Biden and 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 native of Chicago's north suburbs. You can read more about her here: Lake Co. Native Is Libertarian Party's Presidential Pick.
U.S. Senate: Incumbent Democrat Dick Durbin faces off against Republican Mark Curran, Green Party candidate David F. Black, Libertarian Danny Malouf and Willie Wilson, of the Willie Wilson Party.
Illinois Elections: More Races to Watch, Election-Related Updates As We Near Election Day. »
Voters are permitted to bring newspaper endorsements, printouts, sample ballots and smartphones to view judicial evaluations into the voting booth.
Check back with St. Charles Patch for more updates as the election nears and subscribe to our free newsletters for the latest alerts
Patch staff contributed
This article originally appeared on the St. Charles Patch
