SPRINGFIELD – Early voting for the Primary Election begins on Feb. 5 in Illinois.
In the election, voters will collectively be deciding what candidates run in the General Election on Nov. 3.
The day of the Primary Election is March 17.
Here’s a look at when and where you can vote early in Sangamon County.
Early voting in Sangamon County
Below are dates and times that voters can cast their ballot early in Sangamon County.
Early voting takes places at the Sangamon County Election Office at 200 S. 9th St. in Springfield. Their office is on the first floor.
There is another temporary early voting location for residents in Precincts: Capital 14, 21, 37, 60, 70, 82, 92, Woodside 02 and Woodside 04. Those residents can vote at the University of Illinois Springfield — at the Student Union Building.
The dates and times to vote at that location are March 4 through March 7th, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., as well as March 11 through March 13, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
How to vote by mail
Vote by mail is available before each election. This voting method allows registered voters to cast their ballots without having to go to the polling place. The ballots are then tabulated election night.
Registered voters interested in casting a ballot by mail for the March 17th Primary or enrolling in the Permanent Vote by Mail Program must submit an application to the Election Office either online at countyclerk.sangamonil.gov or bycalling the Election Office at 217-753-8683.
The opportunity to vote by mail ends on March 12. More information is available on Sangamon County Clerk website.
County Clerks and recorders express concern
County clerks and recorders in Illinois this year expressed concern with a change that the United States Postal Service has made as it pertains to mail-in-voting.
If you feel your ballot may not be delivered in time, you can go inside your local post office to ask for a hand-stamped postmark on the date you mail it.
USPS also offers Certified Mail or Registered Mail service at the Post Office retail counter for purchase.
There are also ballot drop boxes located in Springfield that are free to use. Sangamon County Clerk Don Gray says the boxes are secure, monitored, tamper-proof, and he says it will ultimately get to the clerk’s office more quickly.
Ballot drop boxes are located at the south side of the Sangamon County Complex, on Monroe Street, and at County Juvenile/Regional Office of Education, 2201 S. Dirksen Parkway. No postage is necessary. Personal or third party hand delivery is also allowed to the election office.
That being said, Gray also wrote in a statement that the public should have “great confidence in the manner in which Sangamon County processes, validates and secures our vote by mail system for an accurate and accountable election.”
He encouraged voters to “utilize the convenience of voting by mail and returning it in our secure, tamper proof and video monitored ballot return dropboxes.”
The USPS recommends mailing the ballot back no later than March 10th. Vote by Mail ballots returned through the USPS must be postmarked by Election Day and received within 14 days of the election (by March 31st). To confirm proper postmark, the USPS urges voters to bring their VBM ballot package to the retail counter and request a manual postmark, free of charge, according to a press release from Gray.
Tom Ackerman covers breaking news and trending news along with general news for the Springfield State Journal-Register. He can be reached at tackerman@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: Early voting begins Feb. 5. Here’s what to know in Sangamon County
Reporting by Tom Ackerman, Springfield State Journal-Register / State Journal-Register
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