Applications, not ballots being sent to voters

Applications, not ballots being sent to voters

In his letter ("The problem with wide-scale mail-in voting") Sunday, Bob Stozek incorrectly implied that inaccurate, outdated voter databases are being used to mail out ballots to every name on voter rolls.

In fact, in Illinois, what is happening, is that those who have voted in the last three elections should be mailed an application they can choose to use to apply for a vote-by-mail ballot.

Those who do apply must provide either a signature or other identification to election authorities, who then match that information to voter rolls.

As has been the practice for years, those who vote by mail must sign their ballot and that signature will be checked by election judges against the signature on file, just as occurs when people go to their local polling place to cast ballots in person.

As the Daily Herald reported in a news story Sunday, Cook County Deputy Clerk of Elections Edmund Michalowski said, "Systems are in place to track the activity of voters and ensure nobody is able to cast more than one ballot, regardless of whether it's done by mail or in person." No one should be discouraged from voting this fall and everyone should make a plan now to vote safely in what will be one of the most significant elections in years.

Madeleine Doubek, Executive Director, CHANGE Illinois)

Des Plaines