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Get ready for a tsunami

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Illinois

* Dan Vock for the Center for Illinois Politics…

In Ogle County, a rural area in northwestern Illinois, the clerk’s office has already received 4,000 applications for mail-in votes by late August, compared to roughly 750 two years ago, said County Clerk Laura Cook. The county hired extra staff to do data entry and process the ballot applications, she said.

To put that into context, about 23,000 Ogle County residents voted for president in 2016.

Whew.

Dan’s entire story is definitely worth a read, so click here.

posted by Rich Miller
Monday, Aug 24, 20 @ 9:55 am

Comments

Would be interested to know how many people are applying to vote because they prefer to, vs how many believe they must vote by mail, based on what they hear and see in the news, and the nature of the communication they receive from the county clerk’s office.
The application I received clearly said vote by mail was not required. But that text was on the second page of the letter/application form from the clerk, listed after extensive info about how to obtain a mail-in ballot.
I can see how some could be confused into believing this is now mandatory, if you wish to vote in Illinois in 2020.

Any enterprising reporters monitoring this blog care to tackle that question?

Comment by JB13 Monday, Aug 24, 20 @ 10:06 am
===vs how many believe they must vote by mail, based on what they hear===

Sorry, but you can’t fix stupid.

Comment by Rich Miller Monday, Aug 24, 20 @ 10:15 am
If you’re not reading Dan Vock’s work, you are missing out on a writer/reporter that goes deep into the weeds and you can’t help but learn something. Do yourself that solid, check him out.

To the post,

Campaign calendars have accelerated too, so as this tsunami starts to build and build and the intensity of campaigns to focus on encouraging and promoting vote by mail as part of the process of not only a campaign, but an integral part of GOTV… in this last week of August, now is the time for all, (voters, campaigns, clerks and their offices), to prepare and make ready, not sit idly by with mere “amazement” at the requests.

Comment by Oswego Willy Monday, Aug 24, 20 @ 10:26 am
And Ogle County voted 60.3% for Trump and 33.7% for Clinton in 2016.

Comment by Grandpa2 Monday, Aug 24, 20 @ 10:28 am
McLean County has already had about 15,000 applications for VBM. Or if you expect a 80% turnout of eligible voters that is 17.3% already applied to VBM. This is a county that Hillary beat Trump in but didn’t get 50%.

Comment by The Real Captain Monday, Aug 24, 20 @ 10:32 am
My wife and I already requested our ballots from our rural county. And will vote and mail them in as soon as they arrive. I haven’t heard any numbers from our county, but I am assuming it will be huge.

Comment by Bruce( no not him) Monday, Aug 24, 20 @ 10:36 am
Mail-in voting across the country will be a total mess.

Comment by MOON Monday, Aug 24, 20 @ 10:46 am
It’s looooong past time for election authorities and the press to start preparing the public for an election in which the final tally won’t be known until many days (weeks?) after Election Day.

– MrJM

Comment by @misterjayem Monday, Aug 24, 20 @ 10:52 am
I left out almost HRC almost beat DJT but he didn’t get 50%. 80% turnout would mean just over 80,000 voters.

Comment by The Real Captain Monday, Aug 24, 20 @ 10:57 am
MrJM is so absolutely right on this. There should be daily Public Service Announcements and political mailings should address this. If it goes several weeks after election people will not understand and the nut cases will be all over social media

Comment by DuPage Saint Monday, Aug 24, 20 @ 11:21 am
Nut cases are already all over social media. The dumbing down of America.

Comment by SSL Monday, Aug 24, 20 @ 11:40 am
I disagree Rich. I have never voted by mail but you have to read the Clerks letter carefully to know you are not supposed to vote by mail. I found it very odd wording and agree with the first poster.

But thank you for linking to this article. Good read.

Comment by Lurker Monday, Aug 24, 20 @ 11:42 am
everyone is focused on the post office. it’s not the post office you need to worry about, it’s the clerk’s office. remember 2014–it took the city 3 weeks to count all the absentee ballots–now triple the volume and hope they can get it done before the new year.

Comment by dirksen Monday, Aug 24, 20 @ 11:44 am
Real Captain, where do you get 15,000 for McLean County?

My email (from the county clerk) as an election judge on Saturday said we are getting close to 8,000 requests for vote by mail.

Do you have numbers for Bloomington which has its own election commission?

Comment by Nearly Normal Monday, Aug 24, 20 @ 2:09 pm
==Nut cases are already all over social media.==

Like DJT tweeting ballot boxes as possible Covid hotspots? https://tinyurl.com/yxt77bk6

Comment by Jocko Monday, Aug 24, 20 @ 2:09 pm
===vs how many believe they must vote by mail, based on what they hear===

Why do you care how they vote? Why are you making vote my mail sound like a terrible thing to do. I’m happy people are voting.

Comment by Mana Monday, Aug 24, 20 @ 7:11 pm
==Mail-in voting across the country will be a total mess.==

If all the counties do their job and prepare for a lot of mail, it will not be a mess.

Comment by Mama Monday, Aug 24, 20 @ 7:14 pm