Lake County adopts Election Day vote center model

WAUKEGAN – The Lake County Clerk’s Office announced the transition to a vote center model for Election Day voting, offering increased accessibility, convenience and efficiency for all voters in Lake County.

Under this model, starting with the Feb. 25 consolidated primary election cycle, Lake County voters still will be assigned a preferred Election Day voting site but are no longer restricted to voting at that location, according to a news release.

Instead, voters can cast their ballot at any of the fully equipped vote centers located throughout Lake County, regardless of their residential address.

Although the Feb. 25 consolidated primary election applies only to voters in the cities of North Chicago and Waukegan, the vote center model will be implemented for all subsequent elections including the April 1 consolidated election, which is for all voters in Lake County.

“Lake County is joining counties in Illinois and across the country that make elections as convenient and accessible as possible to our voters,” Lake County Clerk Anthony Vega said in the release. “With the implementation of our Tenex Touchpad pollbooks and on-demand printing capabilities in 2024, we are reaffirming our commitment to accessibility by giving Lake County voters increased opportunity to cast their ballots. Gone are the days of a voter showing up to the wrong polling location and having them be redirected or vote provisionally.”

The vote center model is designed to reduce common frustrations associated with traditional precinct-based voting. Under this system, Lake County voters will no longer face the inconvenience of being in the “wrong” voting site within the county. All vote centers are fully equipped to serve any registered voter in Lake County, ensuring a seamless and efficient voting experience.

Although this model applies to Election Day voting within Lake County, voters must ensure they visit a polling location in Lake County to cast their ballot. Voters trying to vote outside of Lake County or non-Lake County voters trying to vote in the county may need to vote provisionally or could be redirected depending on the circumstances.

Vote centers successfully are used in many counties across the nation and have been shown to make voting more accessible and convenient while streamlining the election process.