Voters Are Heading To Oak Forest City Hall Early

OAK FOREST, IL — Early voting opened at 53 suburban Cook County sites on Monday. A long line stretched outside the Oak Forest City Hall as voters waited to be admitted into the building to exercise their right to vote.

As of early Thursday morning, more than 70,500 Cook County voters had voted early in person and more than 546,000 voters had already returned their mail-in ballots, according to data compiled by the Illinois State Board of Elections.

On Thursdays morning, the wait time to vote in Oak Forest was minimal, according to the Cook County Clerk's Office. Some voters who already waited in line said it was worth the wait.

Patch asked voters how long they're willing to wait in line. Here's what some voters said:

"Went today. It was great. There about 40 minutes. We are seniors. When we got to the door a nice young man let us in front of him so we could stand inside," one voter said. "Went Monday morning as soon as they opened and it took 2 hours and 20 minutes hours but I’d wait as long as it takes," another voter said.

"Voted yesterday. End of line was at Gazebo when I got in it. Took 40 min from getting in line till walking out door all done. Not bad at all. I did not mind the wait. Little more congested once inside the chambers to vote than I would like but it went pretty fast and they are cleaning machines between each voter," another voter said.

See more about voters experience at the polls below:

Should you change your mind at the last minute about whom you voted for before submitting your mail-in ballot in the drop box, get in line. You can still vote for your candidate at a polling place.

Suburban Cook County sites are open 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, through Nov. 2, the day before election day on Nov. 3.
To find out how long of wait there is to vote at an early voting site, check the Cook County Clerk's Early Voting Wait Time Viewer. Be prepared to wait in line if voting early, and dress for the weather.

If you have requested a mail ballot from the Cook County Clerk, there is no need for further action on your part. The office is currently processing these applications and began mailing ballots to voters on Sept. 24. To check on the status of your mail ballot, please visit Cook County Clerk Voter Info and click the "What Is My Mail Ballot Status" tab.

Related:
Tell Patch If You See Election Shenanigans In Oak Forest
Oak Forest Voter Guide 2020