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The
primary election in Illinois is June 28, about three months
later than usual.
Tazewell County Clerk John Ackerman said voters in early primary
states have been returning to in-person voting this year and
that appears to be playing out in Illinois.
“Saw the same thing so far play out in Indiana and Ohio as well
where they had the primary election already,” Ackerman said.
“I’m hearing that from all of my colleagues across the state
that vote by mail numbers appear to be down at this point.”
In Georgia, about 85,000 voters had requested mail ballots for
the May 24 primary as of May 12, according to the Associated
Press,. That is a dramatic decrease from the nearly 1 million
who cast mail ballots in the state’s 2020 primary during the
pandemic.
Ackerman said the later primary date for Illinois may be
contributing to the lack of interest from voters.
“I really believe with the change from March to June for the
primary election itself that it has thrown individuals off. It’s
just not the time they are thinking about it,” Ackerman said.
Ackerman notes a new feature this year is “permanent vote by
mail.” A voter can be added to a list and will be sent a mail-in
ballot automatically for every election.
All in-person early voting requests must be made by June 27, and
requests by mail must be received by June 23.
If you haven’t registered to vote yet, you can do so online on
the Illinois State Board of Elections website until June 12, or
in-person at early voting or Election Day polling precincts,
driver’s license facilities and libraries.
Kevin Bessler reports on statewide issues in Illinois
for the Center Square. He has over 30 years of experience in radio
news reporting throughout the Midwest.
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