Thursday last day to apply for mail-in ballot

Thursday, April 2 is the last day to apply for a mail ballot for the April 7 suburban election.

“Voting by mail has become more popular with every election,” Cook County Clerk David Orr said Tuesday, “but for voters who want to take advantage of the opportunity to cast their ballots from the comfort of home, they need to act quickly.”

Apply for a mail ballot at cookcountyclerk.com/votebymail, for the most efficient turnaround. The completed ballots must be postmarked on or before April 6 for acceptance at the clerk's office. You can also download a mail ballot application from the clerk's website, print and sign it, and return it to the clerk's office by mail.

Through Monday, more than 13,000 suburban Cook County voters have applied for mail ballots, and 78 percent of the applications were submitted online. In the last two comparable consolidated elections, voters requested 8,517 mail ballots in 2013 and 6,169 mail ballots in 2011.