126K Mail-In Ballots Sent In Lake Co. So Far: Officials

LAKE COUNTY, IL — So far, the Lake County Clerk's Office has mailed out more than three times as many mail-in ballots compared to the 2016 presidential election. The Lake County Clerk's Office sent out its first batch of mail-in ballots on Tuesday, sending more than 126,000 to Lake County residents, according to the clerk's office.

During the 2016 general election, 37,673 ballots were mailed during the entire early voting period and 32,047 were returned, said Lake County Deputy Chief Clerk Todd Govain. Those wishing to request a mail-in ballot can still do so through Oct. 29, Govain said.

• Illinois Mail-In Voting: How To Get A Ballot

There's been a big push to vote by mail this election amid concerns over the spread of the new coronavirus. But with that has come concerns that the ballots will not be received.

In Lake County, 154 ballots were not returned during the 2016 election. Govain said his office does not have stats on ballots that were not counted due to missing information or that were left unsigned during the last presidential election.

Across the U.S., more than 500,000 mail-in ballots went uncounted during the 2020 primary season nationwide, many that were deemed incomplete or arrived too late.

The issue could grow with a record number of voters expected to stay away from traditional polling places for the Nov. 3 general election because of the coronavirus pandemic and instead cast their ballots by mail.

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To be counted, your filled-out ballot can be returned by any of these methods:

• Placing it in one of the several drop boxes that have been installed ahead of early voting. A list will be included with ballot and is also available here.
• Mailing it to the Lake County Clerk’s office with a postmark no later than Election Day
• Hand delivering it to the Lake County Clerk's Waukegan office by 7 p.m. on Election Day
• Bringing it to a voting site, surrendering it to the election judges, and exchanging it for a ballot you can cast in the voting site

More information on how to apply for a ballot in Lake County can be found here.

When voting by mail, early, or on Election Day in Illinois, election judges always confirm your identity by comparing and matching your ballot application signature with the one on your voter registration record, according to a news release from the Lake County Clerk's Office.

On the rare occasion that your signature is missing or cannot be matched, you will be given chances to correct the issue, and your ballot will be counted, according to the clerk's office.

You can track the Lake County Clerk’s receipt of your application and ballot by logging onto LakeVoterPower.info. Other information available on the Lake County Clerk's November 2020 election website includes:

• the candidate list
• public questions on the ballot
• your sample ballot
• voter registration locations, forms, and acceptable forms of identification
• vote by mail applications and postage-free drop box locations
• your Election Day voting options

Early Voting Is Underway

Residents in Lake County can now cast their ballot for the 2020 presidential election at one early voting location. On Sept. 24, the lobby of the Lake County Main Courthouse, 18 N. County St. in Waukegan, opened for early voting. Any Lake County resident can cast their ballot at the courthouse from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays through Oct. 16.

Early voting will be expanded to 17 locations across Lake County starting on Oct. 19. The locations will be open from 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays and from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekends.

Most locations will close to voting on Sunday, Nov. 1, but four will remain open on Monday, Nov. 2.

More information on early voting sites can be found on the clerk's office website.

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