PEORIA, Ill. – The head of the Peoria County Election Commission says those who are choosing to vote-by-mail should make plans sooner rather than later to do so.
Executive Director Elizabeth Gannon says the last day a person can request a vote-by-mail ballot is October 31st. She says people can receive those applications from the commission itself, or through various groups and organizations.
Gannon says those who apply to vote by mail only need to send one application in, and can ignore all other applications. But she says if you choose to vote by mail, you should not wait until the last minute.
“Put your application in now, that way it has time to get to you wherever you are in the world, and it has time to get back to us,” Gannon said.
Gannon says vote-by-mail ballots with a postmark date by Election Day and received up to two weeks after will be counted. She says each vote-by-mail ballot has a unique identifier that is specific to the voter and the election it is meant for.
Another option for those who have a vote-by-mail ballot is to drop it off in a drop box., which Gannon says is highly secure.
“Every box has separate keys that you need to unlock it to gain entrance to it,” Gannon said. “We also put a seal on that door that is recorded on a daily basis. So every drop box is picked up daily by a bipartisan team of election judges.”
Gannon says security cameras are also mounted at all drop boxes. Drop boxes are located at the election commission’s office on Brandywine Drive. And starting Monday, boxes will be available at the Civic Center and the Peoria Library North Branch.
Gannon says the commission is also bringing back its “Vote Anywhere” initiative, after running it for the first time in March’s primary. The initiative lets any voter registered in Peoria County vote at any of the county’s 55 polling place locations, an option that Gannon says she likes providing.
“Maybe your polling place is the other direction from where you go to work, and you’re on your way to work, and you see a “Vote Here” sign, you can just pull in and cast your ballot there,” Gannon said.
Gannon says the commission is trying to spread the word more about the option, after it was used more than expected in March.
As far as early voting for the general election, Gannon says around 300 ballots are being returned each day. She says those numbers are down from 2020’s general election, but says that could be an anomaly. Gannon believes the numbers could pick up when satellite locations open next week.
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