Fueled by fears over the coronavirus pandemic, early voting and voting by mail in the Nov. 3 presidential election is expected to occur in unprecedented numbers.
By mid-July, Chicago election officials had received a record-high 121,000 applications for mail-in ballots, and that was before the effects of a new state law kick in that will see every Illinois resident who voted in recent elections automatically getting an application to vote by mail.
Here are answers to some questions about voting by mail in Illinois:
Am I eligible to vote by mail?
Yes. Illinois has some of the most open voting access laws in the nation and allows anyone to vote by mail without having to give a reason. Ballots have to be postmarked by Election Day and they are valid even if election authorities don’t get them until two weeks afterward.
How do I vote by mail?
Voters can download the application for a vote-by-mail ballot. Ballots will be mailed out beginning Sept. 24. Anyone who sends in an application after that date should receive a ballot within two business days. Instructions for filling out the ballot and mailing it back will be included. The last day that election authorities can receive a mailed application for a mail-in ballot is Oct. 29.
Under a state law the General Assembly passed in May, some 5 million voters who participated in the 2018 general election, the 2019 municipal election or the March 17 primary will be sent vote-by-mail applications. Applications also will go out to anyone who registered to vote or updated their address after the primary.
Once received, mail ballots must be returned and postmarked before midnight on Nov. 3. The law will allow local election authorities to set up secure drop boxes for collecting mail-in ballots without postage and to establish curbside voting. Mail-in ballots can also be dropped off at the voter’s polling place on Election Day.
What are the dates I need to know for voting early?
Registered voters may cast a ballot before Election Day without having to provide a reason for wanting to vote early. For mail-in-ballots, you can drop it in the mail as early as Sept. 24. Online voting and early voting at the local election authority or designated early polling places also begin Sept. 24. Early voting by those methods ends Nov. 2.
Are mail-in-ballots a COVID-19 health risk?
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization have indicated that there is currently no evidence that COVID-19 is being spread through the mail.
Scientists generally agree that the main method COVID-19 spreads is through the tiny droplets that are sprayed into the air when an infected person coughs, sneezes or talks. Still, the Postal Service has undertaken several protective measures for its employees in the Chicago district and around Illinois.
Even if you choose to vote in person this November, there are ways to reduce risk. The CDC recommends reducing crowd size at polling stations and to use voting methods that minimize direct contact with other people. If you do choose to vote in person, the CDC recommends arriving at the polling site at off-peak times, when the crowds might be lighter.
Is mail-in voting more susceptible to fraud?
Nationally, efforts to expand mail-in voting because of the coronavirus pandemic have become a focus of partisan debate, with Republicans led by President Donald Trump opposing voting by mail, based in part on unsubstantiated claims that it leads to fraud. Numerous investigations have found no evidence that voting by mail results in increased voter fraud.