Voting Moved From Nursing Homes Due To Coronavirus Concerns

CHICAGO — Early voting sites in north suburban Cook County will not be impacted by concerns over the spread of coronavirus, but at least one south suburban early voting location will be shuttered and Election Day polling places at senior facilities will be relocated, according to the Cook County Clerk's Office.

Meanwhile, more suburban residents are choosing to vote by mail than ever. According to the clerk's office, more than 40,000 voters in suburban Cook County have requested a mail-in ballot, already surpassing the total requested in 2016. Just over 31,400 ballots were returned in the presidential primary election four years ago.

The early voting polling site at Sunrise Villa Senior Living, 3633 Breakers Drive, Olympia Fields, will be closed for the remainder of early voting, according to the clerk's office. Early voting at senior centers in Park Ridge, Crestwood, South Chicago Heights and Lynwood will not be impacted.

A full list of early voting locations is available from the clerk's office. The last day to cast ballots at an early voting site in the upcoming primary election is Monday.

Senior citizens, along with people with pre-existing health conditions and weakened immune systems, are most at risk of developing a severe case of COVID-19. Public health officials hope to minimize the growth rate of infections to reduce the risk of overloading the health care system.

Dozens of suburban nursing homes in the Chicago area have opted out as polling places for Election Day, and in Chicago, 24 precincts did not have a defined polling place as of late Tuesday. Voting locations for an estimated 15,000 registered voters would reportedly be impacted by the relocation of polling places at senior living facilities.

As of 6 p.m. Wednesday, polling places for the north suburban voting precincts listed below were relocated to new locations, according to the Cook County Clerk's Office.

New Coronavirus Concerns To Close 39 City, Suburb Polling Places »

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 the primary.

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

Cook County Clerk Karen Yarbrough acknowledged the concerns of some voters over COVID-19. Her office said it 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.

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For voters who prefer to cast their ballots in person, the clerk's office said it 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.

A complete list of early voting locations and hours is available at Cook County Clerk's Office website, as well as a list of candidates, referendums and past results and turnout.

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