Make your ballot count League of Women Voters offers tips
If you are among the many millions of Americans across the country who plan to vote by mail in the upcomingNovember presidential election, avoid making common mistakes that will cause your ballot to be rejected.
According to an analysis by National Public Radio, more than 550,000 ballots across the countrywere rejected in presidential primaries this year. That is up nearly 58% from the 318,728 ballots thatwere rejected in the 2016 General Election, according to the Election Administration Voting Survey 2016 Comprehensive Report fromtheU.S. Election Assistance Commission. NPR says its analysis likely is an underestimate because not all states have made data on rejected ballots available.
In Illinois, 5,957 mail-in ballots were rejected inNovember 2016, but that more than doubled to 12,108 ballots rejected in the March 2020 primary, according to data from the Illinois State Board of Elections. In suburban Cook County, 989 ballotswere rejected inNovember 2016, and that more than doubled to 2,015 rejected ballots in theMarch primaries, according to the Cook County clerk’s office.
While rejection numbers are typically lowacross the board, with many more voters planning to vote by mail this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, in close election races rejections could make a difference.
Among the reasons mail-in ballotswere rejected in Illinois and suburban Cook Countywere due to signatures on the ballots not matching the signatures on voters’ files, the ballot envelope wasn’t signed or because the ballotswere returned or postmarked after the deadlines.
To help educate voters on the mail-in voting process, the League ofWomen Voters of Park Forest Area held a Zoommeeting for members and the public earlier this month.
“We had been getting a lot of questions frommembers,” said Deborah Orr, voter service chair for the league.
“Most of the people that I knoware starting from the premise that they are going to vote by mail.”
Chris Slowik, co-president of the League ofWomen Voters of Palos-Orland, said she has also seen interest among seniors in voting by mail.
“Our elderly, they vote early and theywant to make sure they do vote,” Slowik said. “In this pandemic time there’s a lot of interest in it.”
But recent criticisms from PresidentDonald Trump, raising questions about potential fraud due to mail-in voting, has put doubt in some people’s minds about the process, she said.
JamesNally, legal counsel for the Cook County clerk’s office, said historically voter fraud is a very rare occurrence in Illinois.
“Our message is no matter what, vote,” Slowik said. “It’s important every single year.
“Voting is really our chance to have a voice in our government.”
The clerk’s office has already received more than 350,000 applications for mail-in ballots, compared to 97,000 in theNovember 2016 election, Nally said.
Allmail-in requests to vote by mail must be received by Oct. 29, and in-person requestsmust be made byNov. 2, according to the Illinois State Board of Elections.
But don’t procrastinate, said
Nally and League ofWomen Voters representatives. Only ballots postmarked byNov. 3 and received byNov. 17 will be counted. So, if you apply to vote by mail on Oct. 29, you run the risk of not receiving the mail-in ballot in time enough to vote and get it postmarked by the deadline.
In suburban Cook County, the quickestway to apply is at www.cookcountyclerk.com. In Will County, apply at www.thewill countyclerk.com.
To apply, voters will need to provide either the last four digits of their Social Security number, their driver’s license number or state identification number.
Among the advantages of applying online are that you can provide your email address and you will receive notifications once the online application is received and when the ballot is mailed out.
After you send it back in, you will be notified when it is received, Nally said.
You also will be notified by email if your ballot is at risk of rejection due to mistakes or signature problems, so you can address such issues.
If mail-in voters have not provided an email address online, they will be notified bymail if there are problems with their mail-in ballot.
Mail-in ballots will bemailed out beginning Thursday. If you’re voting by mail, “read the instructions carefully, and if you have any questions, call the clerk’s office,” Orr said.
Ballot instructions are available in 12 languages upon request, Nally said.
Voters should take note that the ballot has two pages with voting choices to be made.
Once you’ve completed the ballot, place it in the return, postage-paid envelope, sign the en
“You need to know how you are going to vote. People should have a Plan A and a Plan B. That’s what we’re advocating.”
—Deborah Orr, voter service chair for the League of Women Voters of Park Forest Area
“Our message is no matter what, vote. It’s important every single year. Voting is really our chance to have a voice in our government.”
— Chris Slowik, co-president of the League of Women Voters of Palos-Orland
velope and mail it or drop it off at secure drop boxes. To find a drop box in suburban Cook County, go towww.cookcountyclerk.com.
Drop boxes for mail-in ballots will be at every early voting sites beginning Oct. 19, saidNally. The ballots will be picked up from the drop boxes daily.
Once your ballot arrives, Nally recommends not setting it aside andwaitingweeks or until the last minute.
“Sit down, cast your ballot. Put it in the envelope, sign and mail,” he said.
If you apply for a mail-in ballot, but then decide you prefer to vote in person, you can. But be aware that once you have been sent a mail ballot, you will be placed on the “Who Voted List,” according to the Cook County clerk’s office.
The list is designed to prevent voter fraud. So, to vote in person you will need to surrender your mail-in ballot to the judges to vote either during early voting or on ElectionDay.
If you don’t bring the mail-in ballot with you, will be required to vote via a provisional ballot. Once the provisional ballot arrives at the clerk’s office and is researched to confirm you didn’t vote any otherway, the provisional ballot will be accepted, the Cook County Clerk’s officewebsite notes.
Orr said she has requested a mail-in ballot butmay opt to vote in person.
“You need to knowhowyou are going to vote,” she stressed. “People should have a Plan A and a Plan B. That’s whatwe’re advocating.”