Kane County vote by mail ballot applications for Nov. 8 election mailed to residents

Kane County Clerk John Cunningham’s office has mailed vote by mail ballot applications for the Nov. 8 general election to the about 300,000 registered voters in Kane County, according to a news release.

Pursuant to state statute, Public Act 102-15, which expanded voting options for registered voters in Illinois, the clerk’s office recently mailed an explanatory letter and an application for a permanent vote by mail ballot to all registered voters in Kane County. Voters should expect to receive the clearly marked envelope this week.

According to statute, registered voters who wish to vote by mail can now choose either to apply for a one-time vote by mail ballot for the Nov. 8 election only or apply for permanent vote by mail status where the voter will receive a ballot for the Nov. 8 election and subsequent elections in the future, according to the release.

Voters who wish to apply for permanent vote by mail status should complete and sign the application they received in the mail and return it by mail to the Kane County Clerk’s Office at 719 S. Batavia Ave. (Building B), Geneva, IL 60134, or by hand delivery to the clerk’s office. Voters who already have applied for permanent status can disregard the application.

Voters who wish to apply for a one-time vote by mail ballot for the Nov. 8 election can apply through the online portal at kanecountyclerk.org/Elections/Pages/Vote-by-Mail.aspx or by contacting the Kane County Clerk’s Office at 630-232-5990 to request an application. According to state law, vote by mail ballots cannot be mailed to voters until Sept. 29.

“For those voters who choose to vote by mail, the Kane County Clerk’s Office is ready to accommodate you,” Cunningham said in the release. “Two years ago, we were prepared to handle vote by mail ballots and were the only election authority in the area to report results quickly and accurately. Our automated system has been praised and recognized from election authorities across the nation, and we did it while saving the taxpayers of Kane County hundreds of thousands of dollars.”

The clerk’s office is aware that political organizations and campaigns have mailed unsolicited VBM applications to voters. Voters who wish to vote by mail should complete the application from the clerk’s office to ensure their application includes the correct information and is returned to the Kane County Clerk’s Office, according to the release.

“As clerk, I’ve worked to increase accessibility and voting options for all Kane County registered voters while increasing transparency and security,” Cunningham said. “We want voters to feel confident knowing that we’ve done everything possible to provide them with every opportunity to vote, that the process was safe and secure, and that the results are fair and accurate – whether they vote in person at one of our early voting sites, by mail or at a polling place on Election Day.”

As with previous elections, all voting options will be available to voters, including in-person early voting, Election Day voting and vote by mail. Early voting and Election Day polling locations are available at kanecountyelections.org. Personalized sample ballots soon will be available on the clerk’s website, according to the release.