Chicago Heights Voter Guide 2020

CHICAGO HEIGHTS, IL — Early and mail-in voting are shattering records across the country. If Chicago is any indication, where early voting sites opened in the city's 50 wards opened on Oct. 14, be prepared for a long wait if you plan to vote early or in person at suburban Cook early voting sites in the upcoming Nov. 3 presidential election.

Early voting sites open in suburban Cook County on Monday, Oct. 19, and will remain open until Monday, Nov. 2.

Mail-in ballot drop boxes have been installed at all suburban Cook early voting sites. More than 80 percent of American voters will have the opportunity to vote by mail in the Nov. 3 election, by far the most in U.S. history. Absentee voting is allowed for everyone in 34 states, and only six states require an "excuse" other than fear of the coronavirus to vote by mail — Illinois isn't one of them.

Whether you plan to vote by mail or in person, here's everything you need to know about casting your ballot in Chicago Heights.

Early Voting Locations And Hours: There are 51 early voting locations in suburban Cook County. Prairie State College, 202 S. Halsted St., is one of the early voting spots people can cast their votes at. Find a convenient location near you on the Cook County Clerk's website. Early voting sites will be open during the following hours:

• 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Oct. 19 to Oct 23
• 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Pct. 24 and Oct. 25
• 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m., Oct 26 to Oct. 30 and Nov. 2
• Oct. 31: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Nov. 1: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Nov. 2: 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Mail-In Ballot Drop Boxes: The drop boxes will circumvent the USPS as the mail ballots will be securely delivered directly to the clerk's office, according to its website. Voters can drop off their completed mail ballots between 8:30 a.m. and 7 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 9 a.m.-5 p.m. on weekends at the drop boxes located at early voting sites in Cook County. Mail ballots will be collected on a daily basis and will be time stamped.

Find Your Polling Place: If you're voting on Tuesday, Nov. 3, and aren't sure of the location of your polling place, you can find it on the Cook County Clerk's website by entering your address, or call the Chicago Heights Clerk's office.

What's On My Ballot?

Depending on where you live in Chicago Heights, not every ballot will be the same. You can view your sample ballot by entering your address and information on the county clerk's website.

In addition to voting in presidential, congressional, senatorial and some state and local races, Illinois voters are being asked to vote on the Graduated Income Tax Amendment.

• A "yes" vote supports repealing the state's constitutional requirement that the state personal income tax be a flat rate and instead allow the state to enact legislation for a graduated income tax.
• A "no" vote opposes this constitutional amendment, thus continuing to require that the state personal income tax be a flat rate and prohibit a graduated income tax.

Cook County races include:

• Cook County State's Attorney: Kim Foxx, Patrick 'Pat' O'Brien, or Brian Deenehy
• Clerk of the Circuit Court: Iris Martinez or Barbara Bellar

Cook County Judges
Sixty-two judges are up for retention this fall, including ten candidates are seeking seats on benches for the first time in contested races. Cook County voters will decide on Nov. 6 whether to retain all 59 circuit court judges

• VoteForJudges.org offers non-partisan information on all the judicial candidates. The Chicago Appleseed Fund, the creator of the website, provides research-based evaluations from over a dozen bar associations. VoteForJudges does not endorse judges to retain or not retain.
• VoteForJudges will publish the judicial evaluation results from the bar associations as they become available, and the endorsements from the Chicago Tribune.
• The Chicago Bar Association provides a voter's smart guide of its judicial recommendations and non-recommendations, as well as a phone app to bring into the voting boot
• Illinois Bar Association provides summaries and full judicial evaluations.
• Chicago Council on Lawyers is a non-partisan, public interest bar group. The CCL's evaluations are available now on the Council's website.
• IllinoisJudges.Net is maintained by the Illinois Civil Justice League. The ICJL is a coalition of interests in Illinois, including taxpayers, consumers, small businesses, lawyers, doctors, local governments, big businesses, not-for-profit organizations and individual citizens. The coalition fights what it believes to be abuses to the civil justice system. ICJL includes its own ratings, as well as drawing evaluations from bar associations and newspaper endorsements.
• Injustice Watch, a nonpartisan, nonprofit multimedia journalism organization that exposes institutional failures that obstruct justice in Cook County, has also compiled a 2020 judicial voting guide.

Voters are permitted to bring newspaper endorsements, printouts, sample ballots and smartphones to view judicial evaluations into the voting booth.

Grace Period Registration and Voting
The last day to register online is Oct. 18. If you miss both voter registration deadlines, you may still register to vote during the Grace Period or on Election Day.

Grace period registration and voting extends the registration period by allowing voters to register and vote up until Monday, Nov. 2, the day before the presidential election. Voters may register to vote during the grace period at any Cook County early voting location, but must cast their vote immediately upon registration.

Voters may also register to vote in person on election day, Nov. 3, but only at their home precinct.

Early voting started Oct. 19 in suburban Cook County. A full list of early voting sites for Cook County suburban residents is available on the county clerk's website. A list of early voting sites for Chicago residents is available on the Chicago Board of Elections website.

Both websites offer information about what forms of identification are accepted.

Related: Illinois Mail-In Voting: How To Get A Ballot, Drop Box Locations