Vote-By-Mail Ballots Spike In Suburban Cook Due To COVID-19 Fears

COOK COUNTY, IL — The Cook County Clerk’s Office announced that it is closing an early voting polling site in a south suburban nursing home due to coronavirus concerns. Sunrise Villa Senior Living in Olympia Fields, 3633 Breakers Drive, will be closed for the remainder of early voting in the 2020 Illinois Presidential Primary which ends on March 16. Voters can utilize a number of other early voting sites in the area, including the Matteson Community Center, Markham Courthouse and Prairie State College in Chicago Heights.

Voting by mail in suburban Cook County has also surpassed previous milestones. The clerk’s office said more than 40,000 suburban voters have requested a vote by mail ballot, already higher than the approximately 40,000 who requested a mail ballot for the 2016 primary, when 31,409 ballots were cast by mail.

Coronavirus In Illinois: March 11 Update

Don't miss updates about precautions in the Chicago area as they are announced. Sign up for Patch news alerts and newsletters.

The last day to request a mail ballot from the Cook County Clerk’s Office is Thursday, March 12. Voters don’t need an excuse to request a mail ballot. As long as ballots are postmarked by March 17 and received at the Cook County Clerk’s office within 14 days of Election Day.they will be counted in primary.

Cook County Clerk Karen Yarbrough acknowledged the concerns of some voters over COVID-19. The clerk’s office has more than enough paper ballots for mailing and the office’s mail ballot sorting equipment can handle any increased capacity that an uptick in voting by mail would bring.

>>> Patch's 2020 Illinois Primary Voters Guide For Cook County

For voters who prefer to cast their ballots in person, the clerk’s office is following the strictest guidelines from Centers for Disease Control, as well as the Illinois Department of Public Health guidelines in relation to COVID-19. The clerk’s office has made an emergency purchase of hand sanitizer and disinfectant wipes to every polling place has ample supplies.

For a complete list of early voting locations and hours, please visit the Cook County Clerk website. An online early voting map, complete candidate list; referenda list; and historic turnout results is also available.

More from Patch:

• Coronavirus In IL Now Outside Cook County: 'We Expect More Cases'
• New IL Coronavirus Cases; Pritzker Issues Disaster Proclamation
• Free Coronavirus Testing Under Largest IL Insurance Companies
• Coronavirus Closes 4th Chicago-Area School
• Chicago St. Patrick's Day Parade Still On Amid Coronavirus Fears