PEORIA, Ill. — Avoid the lines, vote by mail.
The Illinois State Legislature at the end of May and Gov. J-B Pritzker at the end of June signed legislation that addressed holding an election during a pandemic.
“One of the main things they did in that bill was to push to encourage people to vote by mail. They wanted voters to understand that they had an option if they weren’t comfortable vote in-person, that they could vote early or vote by mail,” said Peoria County Election Commission Executive Director Thomas Bride.
Bride said though mail-in voting has been in Illinois since the 2010 election, many voters don’t know about it.
Mail-in ballots are being sent out to people who’ve requested them beginning Thursday, September 24.
For the first time this year, you can mail your ballot back or drop it off at the Peoria County Election Commission’s drop box.
“I knew that it was going to be important for voters to have that option. So, we’ve got our permanent drop box here,” Bride said.
Drop boxes will also be available at Early Voting locations throughout Peoria County.
Bride expects about 15,000 Peoria County residents will use Early Voting. But, he said a significant number of voters will show up in-person at the polls on Election Day.
“I want the voters to understand that there’s likely to be lines at Election Day. And, they may look long because if you have 50 people in line and they’re 6-feet apart, that’s a football field,” Bride said.
Mail-in ballots must be postmarked by November 3, Election Day to be counted.
Bride suggests if you know how you’re going to vote, send your ballot back at least two weeks before the election to make sure it gets counted.
For more information from the Peoria County Election Commission, click HERE.
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