McHenry County’s announcement on a permanent vote by mail option receives mixed reactions
MCHENRY COUNTY — On Sept. 15, the McHenry County Government reported that county voters would be receiving a mailer in the upcoming days that will include an application form to allow residents to opt into the option to receive a ballot by mail for all future elections.
Enrolled voters will stay on the permanent vote-by-mail list until they request to be removed or move outside of the county, stated county officials.
“Even if you don’t intend to vote by mail, requesting the ballot serves as a reminder to vote,” said McHenry County Clerk Joe Tirio. “You can always choose to vote in person by simply bringing your vote-by-mail ballot with you and surrendering it to the poll worker.”
The voting by mail process has been around since 2010, having replaced absentee balloting, which required voters to provide a reason for not being available on Election Day.
This newer method of voting has only grown in popularity since that time, prompting Gov. JB Pritzker and other Democrats to petition and eventually have signed into law a massive voter access expansion bill back in 2021.
The new law allows counties all across the state of Illinois to establish permanent lists for voters who have signed up to receive mail-in-ballots sent to them.
Much of the terminology of the new law expands upon a voting by mail expansion practice that was put into place during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. That practice and the current vote-by-mail law have been heavily criticized primarily by some members of the Republican party.
Much of the criticism stems from the fear that permanent vote-by-mail ballots would take a financial bite out of county budgets and in addition, could have the potential to increase errors and electoral fraud.
“More than any other state in the nation, Illinois has a track record of both corruption and incompetence—and its residents have no reason to believe that the government can conduct an honest and accurate vote-by-mail in the upcoming election,” said the Chairman of the Cook County Republican Party Sean Morrison in a statement.
Illinois Republican Party Chairman Don Tracy echoed Morrison’s statement, expressing that Democrats permanently changed election laws to “remove important election safeguards, opening up the election process to more opportunities for fraud.”
“As Republicans, we believe legal voting should be easy, and illegal voting should be hard. Democrats seem to only want voting to be easy regardless of the potential for fraud,” added Tracy.
Despite the outcry from some individuals against the vote-by-mail practice, the new law has its pocket of supporters especially given the benefit for those with disabilities.
“The COVID-19 pandemic made voting by mail a critical option for all Illinois citizens,” said President and CEO of Equip for Equality Zena Naiditch. “Courts around the country have found that accessible vote-by-mail is required under the Americans with Disabilities Act. These actions by Governor Pritzker and the State Board of Elections will help bring Illinois’ system into line with these federal requirements and ensure the civil rights of voters with disabilities.”
Regardless of the mixed reactions to the news from residents, the new law will hopefully lead to expanded voter access to those who have previously had trouble voting in person.
“The availability of a permanent vote-by-mail list should make this method of voting more convenient for voters,” stated Illinois State Board of Elections Spokesman Matt Dietrich.
Vote-by-mail ballots for the upcoming Nov. 8 election will be sent out on Sept. 29, which is also the same day that early voting opens at the McHenry County Clerk’s Office.
Early voting will expand to 10 additional locations across McHenry County starting Oct. 24.
Registered voters can find a complete list of voting locations and their dates and hours of operation on the voter information page of the County Clerk’s website at www.mchenrycountyclerkil.gov.
