Outstanding absentee ballots could be factor in close Kane races

People watching close races in Kane County might not have satisfaction until as late as Feb. 16, the last day for mail-in absentee ballots to be counted.

Linda Mitchell, elections director for the Kane County clerk, said Wednesday about 1,400 people requested absentee ballots. She was working to determine how many of those had been returned to the clerk's office, but didn't expect to have a report available until Thursday.

Mailed-in absentee ballots are valid as long as they were postmarked by midnight (the end of the day) Feb. 1, or have a certification date on their certification envelope that is earlier than the election date of Feb. 2 (if they returned the ballot by means other than the U.S. Postal Service.). Mailed-in ballots are typically those of military personnel and other citizens living out of state or overseas.

Kane County votes are also counted by the Aurora Election Commission for races that cross into the commission's boundaries. Linda Fechner, the AEC's executive director, did not have exact figures available Wednesday as to how many absentee ballots were requested. She noted that all the in-person and nursing home absentee ballots were counted Tuesday night, and estimated there might be as few as a dozen outstanding mail-in absentee ballots.