Early voting proves popular in Kane County, lines forming already

Officials expect the largest turnout in Kane County's history on Nov. 4, creating lines that make the six minutes an average voter takes to vote feel more like six days.

Turnout for the first few days of early voting indicates Kane County voters want to avoid that waiting game. In fact, early voting is so popular this year that relatively short lines have formed at some sites for the first time.

More than 7,300 people have voted early so far in Kane County - including in-person absentee ballots - through Friday afternoon. That puts the county about 25 percent of the way to its goal of 30,000 early votes before the actual election. Realizing that goal may shave waiting times Nov. 4 for the 183,000 Kane County voters that would remain.

Kane County Clerk John Cunningham said about 40,000 voters in the county are either new registrants or haven't used the newest voting machines in the county yet. That means longer waiting times wherever those voters show up.

"Those voters will take a bit longer," Cunningham said. "Like anything, the more you use it, the faster, better and more proficient you become."

Cunningham said the beauty of early voting is not just cutting wait times for all voters, but the ability to vote anywhere in the county. Early voters do not have to vote at their designated polling place, or even in their home community. Early voting ballots can be cast at any of the mobile or government office sites in the county regardless of where a voter is registered.

Cunningham said in the future he expects early voting will only become more and more popular with 50 percent of all ballots or more being cast before election day.

Where to vote early at a mobile site:

(10 a.m. to 6 p.m.)

Sunday: National City Bank, 825 N. Randall Road, Batavia

Monday, Tuesday: Montgomery Market Place, 1525 Douglas Road, Montgomery

Friday: Jewel-Osco, 375 S. Randall Road, South Elgin

Oct. 25: Dominick's, 2063 Rt. 38, St. Charles

Oct. 26: Jewel-Osco, 2073 Prairie St., St. Charles

Oct. 27: Jewel-Osco, 1660 Larkin Ave., Elgin

Oct. 28: Meadowdale Shopping Center, 100 W. Mall Drive, Carpentersville

Oct. 29-30: Strikers Fox Valley Soccer Club, 1000 S. Kirk Road, Geneva

Where to vote early at a government office:

(Monday through Friday hours, unless otherwise listed)

Kane County Clerk's Office, 719 S. Batavia Ave., Geneva (8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., special hours on weekends)

Kane County Warehouse, 540 S. Randall Rd., St. Charles (8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., special hours on weekends)

City of Elgin, 150 Dexter Court, Elgin (8 a.m. to 5 p.m.)

City of Batavia, 100 N. Island Ave., Batavia (8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.)

Aurora Township Office, 80 N. Broadway, Aurora (8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.)

Elgin Township Office, 729 S. McLean Blvd., Elgin (8 a.m. to 4 p.m.)

Dundee Township Office, 557 Barrington Road, Dundee (8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.)

City of St. Charles, 2 E. Main St., St. Charles (8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.)

Campton Community Center, 5N082 Old LaFox Road, St. Charles (8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.)

Sugar Grove Community Center, 141 Main St., Sugar Grove (Sunday and Oct. 26, 1 to 5 p.m.)

Village of Elburn, 301 E. North St., Elburn (Thursday and Friday and Oct. 29-30, 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.)