Daily Herald opinion: No time like the present: Voting early just got easier; do it at your convenience — but do it

We didn’t need to look back far to find a local example of why every vote matters.

Just four years ago, Democrat William “Bill” White became the DuPage County auditor when he defeated the then-incumbent Bob Grogan, a Republican, by a razor-thin margin. A mere 75 votes — out of more than 466,000 ballots cast — separated the two candidates.

With White and Grogan facing off again for the auditor seat in DuPage, it’s unknown if the rematch will be as close. But the lesson is clear: If you support a particular candidate or proposition on the November ballot, make sure you vote. And there’s no need to wait.

Early voting expanded in the suburbs on Monday, with county clerk’s offices opening additional early voting locations. The sites enable voters to cast traditional ballots before Election Day on Tuesday, Nov. 5.

In a story published Monday, staff writer Alicia Fabbre reported that more than 50,000 suburban voters have already cast their ballots since early voting started on Sept. 26.

“I’d encourage people not to wait until the last minute,” Kane County Clerk Jack Cunningham told Fabbre.

That message also can be applied to voting by mail. The last day you can request a vote-by-mail ballot is Thursday, Oct. 31. But you don’t want to delay completing the ballot. All mailed ballots must be postmarked no later than Election Day and received within 14 days of the election.

For in-person voters, the list of early voting sites in suburban Cook County grew this week to more than 50 locations. DuPage County now has 24 early voting sites, Lake County has 18, McHenry County has 12, and Will County has 25. Kane County has a total of 25 locations, including mobile sites.

Fabbre reported that early voting and vote-by-mail requests are lagging compared to the 2020 election.

However, election officials said they anticipate in-person voting to spike as Election Day nears.

With expanded early voting, there’s no excuse to delay heading to the polls and getting it out of the way.

And while many of us are understandably fixated on who will be the next president of the United States, we must not forget that down-ticket races matter.

The Daily Herald has endorsed candidates in more than 60 races this election, including for Congress, state representative, and countywide office. Even if you disagree with some or all of the endorsements, you should show support for your chosen candidates.

In addition, some of the propositions on suburban ballots could affect your pocketbook, such as property tax requests from schools, libraries, and park districts. And you can’t complain about something you refuse to weigh in on.

So, get out and vote. It’s a civic duty - and it makes a difference in our communities and our daily lives.