Early voting is under way in La Salle County

“This won’t be anything like the last election.”

—  La Salle County Clerk Lori Bongartz

Voting registration for the Tuesday, April 6, consolidated election ends Tuesday, March 9, and those who have already registered have until April 5 to participate in mail-in or early voting.

Early voting takes place from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday at the La Salle County Governmental Complex, 707 E. Etna Road in Ottawa.

Those wishing to vote by mail can submit an application at www.lasallecounty.org.

La Salle County Clerk Lori Bongartz said she isn’t expecting a big turnout for a consolidated election.

“It’s going very slow,” Bongartz said. “This won’t be anything like the last election.”

November’s general election, which featured the presidential contest between Joe Biden and Donald Trump, garnered a 74% turnout, the highest turnout in La Salle County for an election since November 1992. A little more than 56% of the county’s voters selected Trump.

Generating that high turnout also were nearly 20,000 votes submitted through early and mail-in voting. That represents roughly 27% of the county’s 73,000 registered voters.

In comparison, the last consolidated election in 2019 drew 22.9% of registered voters.

Bongartz said the majority of her mail-in ballots will come from snowbirds and people who don’t leave the house. She said this is the election where municipal leaders, village leaders, city councils and school boards are all selected.

Contested races include two seats on the Streator City Council held by Joe Scarbeary and Ed Brozak. Brozak is not running again. Scarbeary, Willard Price, Timothy Geary and Matt McMullen will vie for the open seats.

Also contested is a Peru mayoral race between incumbent Scott Harl and Ken Kolowski along with four aldermen races, a mayoral race in Utica, along with school board races at Ottawa and Streator high schools.

For those who miss the March 9 deadline to register, grace period registration and voting will take place at the La Salle County Clerk’s Office from March 10 through April 6.

Registration will be available on election day from 6 a.m. until 7 p.m. at the Office of the La Salle County Clerk and at all 119 precincts in La Salle County.