Kane County Clerk offers numerous options for voters to vote in Nov. 3 election

The Office of Kane County Clerk John A. Cunningham recently mailed "Vote by Mail" ballot applications for the Nov. 3 General Election to approximately 211,000 registered voters in Kane County as required by state law (Public Act 101-0642) and signed into law on June 16, 2020.

Clerk Cunningham said, "We have received calls from voters asking about why they received the applications in the mail and what is happening with the November election. My office mailed Vote by Mail ballot applications to voters as required by state law. We are encouraging voters to consider applying for a Vote by Mail ballot for the Nov. 3 General Election, especially those who have concerns about their health due to the COVID-19 pandemic."

Voters who wish to vote on Election Day at their polling locations or through Early Voting will be able to do so as they have done in previous elections.

Cunningham added, "We are preparing for a presidential election with an expectation of a large voter turnout. All voting options will be available to the voters, including in person voting, Early Voting, and Vote by Mail. We are adding safety precautions at the polling locations to protect election judges and voters at the polling locations because we expect some voters will choose to vote in person as they always have. We want to make sure that we have safe options for all Kane County voters, so that they vote in the manner they think is best for them."

Voting by Mail is a safe and secure method of voting. The signatures on all Vote by Mail ballots are reviewed by election judges from both parties, just as they are for in-person voters who vote early or on Election Day, to verify that the signatures match and that the voters are indeed registered.

Voters can complete an application for a Vote by Mail ballot online at kanecountyelections.org/votebymail. Voters who complete the online application do not need to mail back the paper application that was mailed to them. Online applicants will receive an email confirmation of their successful application.

So far, more than 25,000 online applications for Vote by Mail ballots have been received for the Nov. 3 election, which is nearly double the number of Vote by Mail votes cast in the 2018 general election and more than double the amount received in the 2016 presidential election.

Early Voting and Election Day polling locations will be updated on the Clerk's website, www.kanevotes.org, in the next few weeks as they are finalized for the Nov. 3 election.

Per state law, ballots cannot be mailed to voters until Sept. 24. Completed ballots must be returned on or before Election Day.

The Kane County Clerk's Office is the election authority for Kane County. Cunningham promotes availability and access to voting for Kane County residents. The Clerk's Office has developed new and innovative ways to serve the public, including expanding the number of early voting sites in Kane County, establishing a call center for residents and election workers to resolve Election Day problems, developing a Voter Outreach Program to encourage voter registration and participation in early voting, and improving election technology. Updated information is available to the public at kanevotes.org, www.facebook.com/kanecountyclerk, and twitter.com/KaneCoILClerk.