Early voters have minds made up
Derek Getsla has been following the political rhetoric and pomp for months. Now, his mind is made up.
So, the 27-year-old office manager eagerly took the first opportunity he could Monday to mark off his choices in the 2008 Illinois primary, much like voters in the early primary states.
"If Iowa and New Hampshire can do it, I figure, why can't I?" Getsla said Monday after casting one of the first ballots in Illinois at the Cook County courthouse in Rolling Meadows. "I pay attention to politics, and I just wanted to get involved as soon as possible."
Getsla was one of hundreds who turned out at early-voting polling places across the region for the first day of early voting, an expansion of Illinois balloting that has been in practice since 2006.
Voting early requires only that residents show up at a designated polling place with a valid government issued ID, like a driver's license or passport.
While such voters in the past have made up a small percentage of people who cast ballots, officials believe there could be many more Getslas this year given all the attention to the hotly contested presidential primary races.
"We are way beyond what was done before," reported Cook County Clerk David Orr, while noting the suburbs brought in about 1,500 early votes from 44 sites in the first day. "I hope this is a sign of things to come."
Since early voting is still a relatively new concept, election officials are expecting a continual increase in participation as more residents realize it is an option.
"As time goes on, we are going to see more and more people choosing this," said McHenry County Clerk Katherine Schultz. "The interest in this election is going to help accelerate that factor as well."
Of course, for more people to choose early voting, more have to pick a candidate early.
For Des Plaines residents Beverley Keena and Barbara Hratel, that wasn't a problem. The friends settled on New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton and registered their choice at the Rolling Meadows courthouse Monday because they will be out of town for the main election day on Feb. 5.
Like Getsla -- who backed Illinois Sen. Barack Obama -- they were sure any additional news coverage, debates or campaign speeches won't change their minds.
"We want to be heard," Hratel said. "And by this time, anything new will all just be about publicity anyway."
Voting early?
All you need is a valid government-issued ID at a polling place in your county to cast a ballot before the official Feb. 5 primary election. Early voting runs until Jan. 31. Here are voting sites in your area:
Suburban Cook County (www.voterinfonet.com or (312) 603-0906)
Barrington Township office, 602 S. Hough St. in Barrington
Des Plaines City Hall, 1420 Miner St.
Elk Grove village hall, 901 Wellington Ave.
Hoffman Estates village hall, 1900 Hassell Road
Palatine village hall, 200 E. Wood St.
Schaumburg Public Library, 130 S. Roselle Road
Streamwood village hall, 301 E. Irving Park Road
Wheeling Township office, 1616 N. Arlington Heights Road in Arlington Heights
Cook County courthouse in Rolling Meadows, 2121 Euclid Ave.
DuPage County (cms.dupageelections.com or (630) 407-5600)
Stratford Square mall, 152 Stratford Square in Bloomingdale
Addison Township office, 401 N. Addison Road in Addison
DuPage County Election Commission, 421 N. County Farm Road in Wheaton
Yorktown Center mall, Highland Avenue and Butterfield Road in Lombard
Naperville Municipal Center, 400 S. Eagle St.
Downers Grove village hall, 801 Burlington Ave.
Kane County (www.kanecountyelections.org or call (630) 232-5990)
Batavia City Hall, 100 N. Island Ave.
Elgin City Hall, 150 Dexter Court
St. Charles City Hall, 2 E. Main St.
Dundee Township office, 557 Barrington Ave. in East Dundee
Elgin Township office, 729 S. McLean Blvd. in Elgin
Kane County circuit clerk: 530 S. Randall Road in St. Charles and 719 S. Batavia Ave. in Geneva
Kane County also has a mobile voting van.
Lake County (www.co.lake.il.us/cntyclk or (847) 377-2400)
Antioch Township office, 1625 Deep Lake Road in Lake Villa
Avon Township office, 433 E. Washington St. in Round Lake Park
Cuba Township office, 28000 W. Cuba Road in Barrington
Fremont Public Library, 1170 N. Midlothian Road in Mundelein
Grant Township office, 26725 W. Molidor Road in Ingleside
Gurnee village hall, 325 N. O'Plaine Road
Lake Village Township office, 37908 N. Fairfield Road in Lake Villa
Lake Zurich village hall, 70 E. Main St.
Libertyville Township office, 359 Merrill Court in Libertyville
Vernon Township office, 3050 N. Main St. in Buffalo Grove
Wauconda Township office, 505 W. Bonner Road in Wauconda
McHenry County (www.co.mchenry.il.us and (815) 334-4242)
Algonquin Township office, 3702 Rt. 14 in Crystal Lake
Salvation Army, 290 W. Crystal Lake Ave. in Crystal Lake
Nunda Township office, 3510 Bay Road in Crystal Lake