Numerous candidates for local government offices in the Springfield area will compete in the competitive races on Tuesday, including those who wish to become mayors or join bodies that run parishes, school districts, park districts, community colleges and townships.
Early polls and mail-in polls, available for weeks during the COVID-19 pandemic, will culminate on polling day at polling stations that open at 6 a.m. and close at 7 p.m.
In Sangamon County, where 77% of registered voters cast ballots in the November general election, turnout in local elections is typically much lower in odd years, according to County Clerk Don Gray.
8% to 16% of the county’s 148,000 registered voters are more likely to cast ballots in the consolidated elections, especially because candidates for Springfield Mayor, Springfield City Council and statewide offices are not elected, Gray said. When these races are included, the turnout usually jumps up to 25%.
But Gray said the chosen positions to be filled in Sangamon County – including the competitive races for the School Boards of Springfield District 186, Ball-Chatham and Rochester, and the Springfield Park Board – “are offices that are near the The paperback and the guidelines lie affecting voters. “
The office of Gray, the county’s primary electoral agency, will post the results of postal ballot and early poll ballot results on its website, sangamoncountyclerk.com, shortly after the polls are completed, he said.
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All votes should be counted and the totals published by 8:30 p.m. or 9:00 p.m. Tuesday, Gray said.
Ballot papers submitted by post must be postmarked by the election day and received within two weeks of the election day. Postal ballot papers can also be deposited in a secure dropbox outside the Sangamon County Complex along Monroe Street in Springfield until 7:00 p.m. Tuesday.
Unregistered voters can register on election day and vote in Gray’s office on the first floor of the district complex building and at district level polling stations. You should bring two types of identification, including one with a current address, Gray said.
On election day, registered voters can only vote at their polling stations.
The trend towards early voting and mail-in voting that led to the November elections is followed by more than usual voters to take advantage of these options for Tuesday’s consolidated elections, Gray said.
Around 2,800 voters requested ballots by mail, and more than 650 people voted ahead of time, he said.
Reports of electoral irregularities or other voting concerns or questions can be directed to the Illinois State Board of Elections at (217) 782-4141 or (800) 527-8683, Chief Executive Officer Matt Dietrich said. Concerns can also be reported to the Sangamon County District Attorney at (217) 753-6690, the Illinois Attorney General at (866) 559-6812, and the US Attorney at (217) 492-4450.
For more information, including polling station locations, visit the State Board’s website at Wahlen.il.gov. The electoral department of Gray’s office, available at (217) 753-8683, also provides electoral information at sangamoncountyclerk.com/Elections.
According to Sangamon County Attorney Dan Wright, there are several sections in Illinois that protect voting rights.
For example, he said, voters have the right to vote if they stand in line when the elections close at 7:00 p.m. If a voter makes a mistake or “spoils” a paper ballot and the voter failed to cast the ballot, the voter has the right to vote by substitute.
If a voter cannot read, has trouble understanding English, or has a disability, that voter has the right to seek voting assistance from anyone other than his employer or an official or union representative, Wright said.
Nobody is allowed to try to influence a voter within 100 feet of the polling station, he said.
Contact Dean Olsen: [email protected]; (217) 836-1068; twitter.com/DeanOlsenSJR.
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