DuPage County Clerk’s Office election information mailers are arriving to more than 606,000 registered voters.
The mailer includes a permanent vote-by-mail application, polling place location and a reminder that voters may choose to cast a ballot anywhere on Election Day, Nov. 8, in DuPage County.
Some changes were made to Election Day polling places, but the clerk’s office worked to minimize those changes for the convenience of voters. DuPage increased the number of Election Day polling places from 263 to 269.
DuPage is the first county in Illinois to launch the “Vote Anywhere” option for voters to cast a ballot in any one of its 269 polling places on instead of limiting the choice to a voter’s precinct polling place or a single vote center.
“Now voters may cast their ballot conveniently at a polling place near their job or school, instead of rushing to or from their home precinct,” Kaczmarek said. “Best of all, DuPage voters will no longer be turned away on Election Day for being in the wrong polling place in the county.”
The permanent vote-by-mail application allows voters to receive a mail-in ballot for every election. Until now, voters preferring mail-in ballots had to apply one election at a time. 2022 is the first year permanent Vote-By-Mail is available in Illinois, after the Illinois General Assembly passed it into law last year.
So far, nearly 50,000 voters have already signed up for permanent vote-by-mail in DuPage County.
“Permanent vote-by-mail increases voting choices. Nothing else is taken away,” Kaczmarek said. “Voters may still vote in person on Election Day or during early voting. Also, voters may continue to choose a one-time-only mail ballot.”
DuPage voters preferring to sign up for permanent vote-by-mail or a single one-time-only mail ballot are urged to do so on the County Clerk’s elections website: https://www.dupagecounty.gov/Election/VoteByMail/
This mailer also serves as a voter verification. State and federal laws require election authorities to complete regular voter registration verifications to keep the database current by eliminating voters who have passed away or moved.
If a mailer is delivered to an individual who no longer lives at the address, residents are encouraged to mark “RETURN TO SENDER” or “DECEASED” on the mailer and drop it back in the mail. No additional postage is required. If a forwarding address is known for the individual who has moved, please include the new address on the mailer.
“I urge voters to look at the mailer and verify that the information is correct,” Kaczmarek added. “I am also requesting assistance from the public to please notify our office of voters in a household who have moved or are deceased.”
Sept. 29 is the first day of early voting at the DuPage Fairgrounds. Starting Oct. 24, 22 early voting sites will open—four more than 2020 and double the number from 2018. Nov. 8 is Election Day with 269 polling places.
