Campaign is now for early votes

[October 23, 2010]  SPRINGFIELD -- As many as 1 in 10 votes cast this year could be cast before Nov. 2 That's millions of voters from Chicago to Cairo who will miss or ignore the October push, and millions of voters that campaigns need to reach out to right now.

And that's just what is happening across Illinois as local political parties refine their approach to early and absentee voting.

Voters in Illinois have been able to request an absentee ballot since Sept. 23, and they'll be able to vote early in person starting Oct. 11. Voters have the right to a pre-Election Day ballot without needing a reason. And since 2006, when early voting became an option, early voting turnout has steadily grown.

Mark Guethle, Kane County Democratic chairman, said he's seen more and more of the county's 400,000 voters cast an early or absentee ballot.

"From '06 to '08 it's increased -- I want to say 10 percent. I know that we had 40,000 votes cast (as) early votes in '08," he said.

Guethle said lifting restrictions and making early voting more accessible has gone a long way to making it popular. But that popularity is also impacting how he has to do his job. Guethle is already having to send campaign troops out to "get out the vote."

"We have about 150 committeemen, and about half of them will go out this Saturday and canvass their precinct. ... Part of that script will be we have early voting, which starts Oct.12th and goes through the 28th. Or if you can't get to the polls on Election Day, there is the option of absentee," he said.

It is more work for local political parties to work a longer voting season. But David McBride with the Woodford County Democratic Committee said there's also a lot more time to get out the early and absentee vote.

"I think it helps voter turnout; I think it gives you more time to contact people. I like it. You can (be) more leisurely; you don't have to make that big push," he said.

Rudy Lewis with Peoria County's Republican Committee adds that there are new calculations to be made. He's already having to fine-tune his strategy and message.

"What we try to do is get our message out well before the early voting starts. ... We work on supporting our state legislators and making sure that constitutional candidates get their signs up and are in strategic locations to have the maximum impact," he said.

Lewis said that's work that previously could be done in October, not early and mid-September.

Mary Simons from the Republican Party in DeKalb County said the candidates are also having to move up their get-out-the vote messages.

"Some of the candidates are sending out postcards on their own. We're trying to keep a very close watch on the voter registration list for new people coming into the area and to make people who have moved aware that their voting places have changed. We want to encourage early and absentee voting," she said.

Lewis, from Peoria County, said encouraging early and absentee voting makes the math of Election Day a bit easier.

"The process of elimination. If 30 percent of people have already voted, that leaves you only 70 percent to concentrate on," he said.

But Lewis is quick to say early voting in Peoria County is closer to 15 percent. Double-digit percentages seem to be common across the state.

Even down in tiny Saline County, Republican chief Robert Holmes said close to 20 percent of people vote early.

"In our county of about 18,000 registered voters, we're looking at 1,000 absentees and you're looking at another 1,900 early voters," he said.

Holmes said he's come up with a plan to get more of those early votes for the Republicans this year.

But next door in Gallatin County, Democratic chairman Hugh Scates said he's not going to worry too much about early and absentee voting. Scates said Gallatin County has a strong turnout, and a strong Democratic turnout, on the real Election Day.

"We do most of (our work) on Election Day. We'll hire some cars and have people get out and get the vote out," he said.

[Illinois Statehouse News; By BENJAMIN YOUNT]