Election Article

Patients in Memorial Health System’s Five Hospitals on Election Day Can Make Arrangements to Vote

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[October 12, 2020]   Patients in Memorial Health System’s five central Illinois hospitals will be able to vote in the upcoming election if they’re in the hospital on Nov. 3.

According to state law, a qualified voter admitted to a hospital not more than 14 days before an election is entitled to vote using a vote-by-mail ballot delivered by either a legal family member or someone who is registered to vote in the patient’s precinct.

The five Memorial Health System hospitals are Memorial Medical Center in Springfield, Decatur Memorial Hospital, Abraham Lincoln Memorial Hospital in Lincoln, Passavant Area Hospital in Jacksonville and Taylorville Memorial Hospital.

The patient, or a representative who is a family member or registered voter who lives in the same precinct as the patient, must first fill out a form available at their county clerk’s office attesting to the patient’s reason for being in the hospital and that he or she will not be able to go to the polling place on Election Day (Nov. 3).The patient’s physician, advanced practice registered nurse or physician assistant must also fill out this form.

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Next, the patient’s representative must take the form to the county clerk’s office for review and to be notarized. At that time, the representative will receive the patient’s ballot.

Then, the representative can take the ballot back to the hospital to be filled out by the patient. The patient’s representative must return the completed ballot to the county clerk’s office by 7 p.m. Election Day.

For more information about the process, patients or their representative can visit their county clerk’s website or call their office.

[Memorial Health Systems]

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