Spanish Community Center in Joliet to host early voting in 2020

The Will County Clerk's Office announced this week the Spanish Community Center in Joliet will become an early voting location in 2020.

The Spanish Community Center will serve citizens during the two-week early voting time frame prescribed by the Illinois State Board of Elections, which starts March 2 and continues through March 14, according to a news release.

The center has locked in an agreement to serve voters on some early evenings and weekends during early voting.

Will County Clerk Lauren Staley-Ferry, who serves as president of the Spanish Community Center's board of directors, worked with Veronica Gloria, the executive director of the center, on the early voting agreement. Staley-Ferry said she was excited to have the center host early voting.

"More than 8,000 people from more than 25 Will County towns trust and rely on the center to provide important services such as daycare, job search counseling, legal assistance, educational programs and supplemental food support," Staley-Ferry said.

Before the March 17 primary, bilingual election judges will oversee early voting for Will County residents in the center's gymnasium. Early voting will take place during the following times:

•9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., March 2 to March 6

•9 a.m. to noon, March 7

•9 a.m. to 7 p.m., March 9 to March 13

•9 a.m. to 2 p.m., March 14

The Spanish Community Center is located at 309 N. Eastern Ave.

Staley-Ferry said the Spanish Community Center makes sense as an early voting location because it is an important regular destination for thousands of citizens.

"The Hispanic/Latino community is integral to a truly inclusive American democracy, but it has often faced barriers and uncertainty to exercising its full rights," Gloria said. "It is important that all citizens have welcoming locations where they feel safe and encouraged to exercise their right to vote."

Staley-Ferry said she is preparing to announce additional new early voting locations in other parts of Will County in the coming weeks.