|
Dietrich said he is seeing a strong response on vote by mail.
“In 2022 we had about 275,000 vote-by-mail ballots cast for the
primary. We’re already at 290,000, and we’ll have quite a few of
those coming in now and up until two weeks after Election Day
that will still be added to that count,” Dietrich said.
Dietrich said the state does not track partisan turnout in its
pre-election reporting, but Illinois generally sees more
Democratic ballots than Republican ballots in primaries.
“I would expect that to continue this year, mainly because,
first of all, you have a very hotly-contested U.S. Senate race,”
Dietrich said.
Dietrich said open congressional seats would also draw voters.
The Chicago Board of Elections reported more than 123,000
ballots received as of Thursday night, up from under 71,000 five
days before the 2022 primary.
The Chicago board would not provide a breakdown of votes by
party without a Freedom of Information Act request.
Pike County Clerk/Recorder Natalie Roseberry said her county is
set to have a higher early vote and vote-by-mail count than in
2024. Roseberry said the early partisan turnout of 83%
Republican and 16% Democratic is within one or two percent of
the county’s 2024 numbers.
Roseberry said she is not aware of voter integrity issues in
Pike County.
“We know what the voter looks like. Sometimes they’re our
neighbors, our friends, we went to school with them. It’s a lot
easier in a smaller jurisdiction than being in a larger one
where you might not have that familiarity,” Roseberry told The
Center Square.
Roseberry said her office constantly verifies addresses and
signatures and follows all state election laws and procedures to
ensure the integrity and security of every election.
Dietrich said early voting continues through Monday.
Hours and locations are available at the State Board of
Elections website.
Dietrich advised voters who still wish to vote by mail to have
their ballots postmarked manually.
|
|
