By Townhall Chicago News Staff
Cook County Clerk Monica Gordon on Monday expanded early voting from six initial locations to 56 sites across suburban Cook County, two weeks before the Nov. 3 general election.
The expansion gives suburban residents the ability to vote at any of the 56 locations regardless of where they live in Cook County. Sites will remain open through Monday, Nov. 2, the day before Election Day.
Gordon said her office has already received more than 216,000 requests for mail-in ballots, an increase from the previous election cycle.
“We know voters want confidence that their mail ballot is moving through the process, as it should,” Gordon said in a statement Sunday. She highlighted an update to the county’s Election Lens technology, developed in partnership with election security firm KNOWiNK, that now incorporates U.S. Postal Service scanning information to give officials greater visibility into where mail ballots are in the process.
“As voters check in through our Poll Pass system, Election Lens gives us real-time visibility into turnout by location,” Gordon said. “Over time, it also allows our team to monitor polling place activity and flag locations that may need attention.”
Ed Michalowski, the deputy clerk, said the system is designed to reassure voters about the integrity of the mail-in ballot process. “It gives them the confidence that the system’s working and their ballot was counted,” Michalowski said.
Six courthouse voting sites will be open weekdays through Nov. 2, including locations in Rolling Meadows, Skokie, Bridgeview, Markham, Maywood and the clerk’s downtown office at 69 W. Washington St. Municipal sites serving as early voting locations will not be polling places on Election Day, and voters who wait until Nov. 3 should check their assigned precinct at the clerk’s elections website.
Suburban Cook County voters will weigh in on federal, state and county races. A nonbinding advisory question will also appear on the ballot asking whether Illinois should impose an additional 3 percent income tax on income exceeding $1 million, with half the revenue going to property tax relief and half to public education.
The deadline to request a mail-in ballot is Oct. 29. Completed ballots must be postmarked by Election Day. The clerk’s office warned that a Jan. 1 change in U.S. Postal Service processing rules means mail is now postmarked the day it is processed, which can be several days after it is dropped off. Officials recommended bringing ballots directly to a post office for a hand-stamped postmark or using one of 55 secure drop boxes across suburban Cook County.
New voters and those changing their address must bring two forms of identification, including one showing their current address.
Election Day polls will be open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Nov. 3. Voters can visit cookcountyclerk.com/VoterInfo to view personalized sample ballots.
