Kane County polling places on the move

Some 9,000 Kane County voters will have to report to a different polling place to vote in the March 8 special election.

That's because March 8 is a Saturday and several churches that serve as polling places conduct busy Saturday services and therefore can't accommodate voters that day. Other buildings -- such as community centers and banquet facilities -- are likewise booked on weekends.

The special election will determine which candidate will fulfill the remaining months of retired U.S. Rep. Dennis Hastert's unexpired term.

Seven polling places have notified Kane County elections officials that they can't accommodate voters that day. The busiest is Christ Community Church in St. Charles Township, where 2,371 votes were cast in the last presidential election.

Kane County elections officials plan to send letters to affected voters, but they fear hundreds or thousands of voters might not get the message and will show up to their regular polling place to find a sign on the door directing them elsewhere.

Deputy Clerk Jay Bennett announced the conundrum at Friday's meeting of the county board's public service committee. Committee member Phil Lewis suggested informing people of the change when they vote in the Feb. 5 primary election, but Bennett said officials would reach only a fraction of voters that day because turnout for general elections is traditionally much higher than turnout for primaries.

Increasing voter turnout, in fact, was the impetus behind Gov. Rod Blagojevich's decision to schedule the special election on a Saturday.

Bennett and his staff are still determining nearby alternative locations to the seven polling places that will be closed.

"I looked at a map and then looked for a location in another polling place that logistically made sense," Bennett said, adding that many voters will likely be redirected to nearby schools.

Election authorities in Kane, DuPage and six other jurisdictions in the 14th Congressional District on Thursday filed a lawsuit against Blagojevich, saying he didn't give them enough time to prepare for the special primary and special general elections he scheduled.

The 15-page complaint, filed in U.S. District Court, asks the court to approve new deadlines for various tasks that must be completed in relation to the Feb. 5 special primary and March 8 special general election.

New polling places for March 8 election

About 9,000 Kane County voters will have to report to a different polling place to vote in the March 8 special election, which is on a Saturday, because churches with Saturday services and other busy locales that serve as polling places cannot accommodate them. The following polling places will be closed:

• Blessed Sacrament Church, North Aurora

• Fox Valley Presbyterian Church, Geneva

• Gaslite Manor Banquets, Aurora

• King of Glory Lutheran Church, unincorporated Elgin Township

• St. Charles VFW

• Thornwood Sports Core, South Elgin

• Christ Community Church, unincorporated St. Charles Township

Source: Kane County clerk's office