Want To Vote Early In Lake Co.?: Here's What You Need To Know

LAKE COUNTY, IL — Residents in Lake County can start casting their ballot for the 2020 presidential election Thursday as one early voting location will open for in-person voting and the clerk's office will begin sending out mail-in ballots. Lake County voters can use any early voting site regardless of where they live and grace voter registration will also be available at all early voting sites.

On Tuesday, more than 126,000 mail-in ballots were sent out to Lake County residents, said Lake County Deputy Chief Clerk Todd Govain. Those wishing to request a mail-in ballot can still do so through Oct. 29, Govani said.

• Illinois Mail-In Voting: How To Get A Ballot

Also on Sept. 24, the lobby of the Lake County Main Courthouse, 18 N. County St. in Waukegan, opened for early voting. Any Lake County resident can cast their ballot at the courthouse from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays through Oct. 16.

Early voting will be expanded to 17 locations across Lake County starting on Oct. 19. The locations will be open from 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays and from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekends.

Most locations will close to voting on Sunday, Nov. 1, but four will remain open on Monday, Nov. 2.

Voting by Mail

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Lake County Clerk's Office is encouraging residents to to vote by mail to avoid standing in line at a polling place leading up to the Nov. 3 election. More information on how to apply for a ballot can be found here.

To be counted, your filled-out ballot can be returned by any of these methods:

• Placing it in one of the several drop boxes that have been installed ahead of early voting. A list will be included with ballot and is also available here.
• Mailing it to the Lake County Clerk’s office with a postmark no later than Election Day
• Hand delivering it to the Lake County Clerk's Waukegan office by 7 p.m. on Election Day
• Bringing it to a voting site, surrendering it to the election judges, and exchanging it for a ballot you can cast in the voting site

When voting by mail, early, or on Election Day in Illinois, election judges always confirm your identity by comparing and matching your ballot application signature with the one on your voter registration record, according to a news release from the Lake County Clerk's Office.

On the rare occasion that your signature is missing or cannot be matched, you will be given chances to correct the issue, and your ballot will be counted.

You can track the Lake County Clerk’s receipt of your application and ballot by logging onto LakeVoterPower.info. Other information available on the Lake County Clerk's November 2020 election website includes:

• the candidate list
• public questions on the ballot
• your sample ballot
• voter registration locations, forms, and acceptable forms of identification
• vote by mail applications and postage-free drop box locations
• your Election Day voting options

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