With coronavirus, how safe will voting be this Election Day?
Potentially late changes to polling locations, new hygiene protocols and even the amount some election judges are being paid are among the ways Tuesday's primary will be different from many voters' memories of casting a ballot due to the COVID-19 outbreak.
Despite the efforts being made to make polling places safe, county clerks' officials say it's still up to people to consider their own circumstances while weighing the decision whether to vote.
“Our office wouldn't provide different messaging to different populations,” said John Mirkovic, Cook County deputy clerk for policy and communications. “Our message for an 85-year-old is the same as for an 18-year-old: The polls are open and if you want to vote, you can.”
But he added that people should be as mindful of public health agencies' guidance on Tuesday as every other day.
“Accordingly, please don't mistake a general 'Vote today' appeal as 'Everyone should vote regardless of health or safety,'” Mirkovic said. “That is all we can say beyond the additional message that we are doing all we can to increase cleaning and sanitation at the polling place. It is our duty to provide the opportunity for all to vote, but it is the public's duty to do what they feel is necessary to protect themselves and their families.”
Suburban voters are being encouraged to visit the relevant links on county clerk websites to confirm the location of their polling place, since there have been several last-minute changes.
The cleanliness being planned for polling places will be more stringent and the advice to voters themselves possibly more specific this year.
Lake County Clerk Robin O'Conner, for instance, has recommended that voters bring their own black or blue pens to sign and mark their ballots.
While pens will be provided, using one's own will limit physical contact at the polling place to just the paper ballot itself and provide a greater sense of comfort to anxious voters.
As they have during early voting, Lake County election workers will be using sanitizing wipes to routinely clean frequently touched voting equipment and materials at Election Day polling sites to reduce risk of exposure to the coronavirus.
The DuPage County clerk's office reports that supplies of hand sanitizer provided to polling places have been increased and that it remains in close contact with state and local agencies regarding recommended cleaning procedures and assistance in obtaining needed supplies.
Among the reasons for many of the polling place changes throughout the suburbs is guidance from the Illinois Department of Public Health to protecting vulnerable members of the population.
DuPage County is among those that will not use any long-term care or senior living facilities as polling places on Election Day. Seventeen polling places in the county have been relocated for that specific reason to the DuPage County Fairgrounds at 2015 Manchester Road in Wheaton.
McHenry County, too, is relocating polling places from four senior care facilities in Algonquin, Crystal Lake, McHenry and Woodstock to other sites in those communities for the same reason.
A shortage of Election Day judges prompted some county clerk's offices to raise their pay and resort to last-minute appeals, hoping to attract displaced college students as well as others in need of some extra money.
The Cook County clerk's office is offering $150 and waiving training requirements for anyone willing to help. They can contact the clerk's office by emailing to elect.judge@cookcountyil.gov.
DuPage County has increased its pay from $130 to $200 and is asking those able to work to apply at dupageco.org/Election/JudgeApplication/.
The most up-to-date information on polling locations and their changes can be found on the county clerk websites at cookcountyclerk.com, dupageco.org/election, kanecountyclerk.org/Elections/Pages/Vote.aspx, lakecountyil.gov/4085/Where-Do-I-Vote and mchenrycountyil.gov/county-government/departments-a-i/county-clerk.