Make your ballot count

League ofWomen 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 country were rejected in presidential primaries this year. That is up nearly 58% fromthe 318,728 ballots thatwere rejected in the 2016 General Election, according to the ElectionAdministrationVoting Survey 2016 Comprehensive Report fromtheU.S. Election Assistance Commission. NPRsays 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 fromthe 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 CookCounty 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 ofWomenVoters of Park Forest Area held a Zoom meeting for members and the public earlier this month.

“We had been getting a lot of questions frommembers,” said DeborahOrr, voter service chair for the league.

“Most of the people that I knoware starting fromthe premise that they are going to vote by mail.”

Chris Slowik, co-president of the League ofWomenVoters of Palos-Orland, said she has also seen interest among seniors in voting bymail.

“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 fromPresident Donald 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.

All mail-in requests to vote by mail must be received by Oct. 29, and inperson requests must be made byNov. 2, according to the Illinois State Board of Elections. But don’t procrastinate, saidNally and League ofWomenVoters 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 atwww.cookcounty clerk.com. InWill County, apply atwww.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 ismailed 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 by mail if there are problems with their mail-in ballot.

Mail-in ballots will be mailed 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 envelope and mail it or drop it off at secure drop boxes. To find a drop box in suburban Cook County, go towww.cook countyclerk.com.

Drop boxes for mail-in ballots will be at every early voting sites beginning Oct. 19, saidNally. The ballots will be picked up fromthe drop boxes daily.

Once your ballot arrives, Nally recommends not setting it aside andwaiting weeks or until the last minute.

“Sit down, cast your ballot. Put it in the envelope, sign andmail,” he said.

If you apply for amail-in ballot, but then decide you prefer to vote in person, you can. But be aware that once you have been sent amail ballot, you will be placed on the “WhoVoted 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 Election Day.

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 amail-in ballot but may opt to vote in person.

“You need to knowhow you are going to vote,” she stressed. “People should have a PlanAand a Plan B. That’s whatwe’re advocating.”