With the Illinois Primary Election less than six weeks away, Cook County Clerk Monica Gordon is urging voters who plan to vote by mail to take extra precautions following a recent United States Postal Service policy change that could affect whether mail ballots can be counted. Effective January 1, the postal service implemented a nationwide change to how it defines a postmark. Under the new policy, a postmark no longer reflects the date a ballot is received by USPS. Instead, it reflects the date the mail is processed, an event that can occur days after a ballot is dropped in the mail. In Illinois, vote-by-mail ballots must be postmarked by Election Day and received within 14 days to be counted. To help ensure that all mail ballots are counted, the Clerk’s Office is urging voters to take the following steps:
• Do not wait until the final days – or Election Day – to mail your ballot.
• If possible, bring your ballot directly to a local post office as far in advance as possible and request a postmark to help ensure timely processing.
• Beginning March 2, when Early Voting begins, voters may drop their mail ballots at any of the 55 secure mail ballot drop box locations that will be available throughout suburban Cook County.
For more information about vote-by-mail options and drop box locations, voters are encouraged to visit www.cookcountyclerk.com/elections.
Photo 1: Cook County Clerk Monica Gordon speaks at a press conference at the Cook County Clerk’s Office, addressing recent USPS postmark changes that could impact vote-by-mail ballots ahead of the March 17 Primary Election.
Photo 2: Priscilla Mims of the League of Women Voters speaks during a press conference at the Cook County Clerk’s Office, joined by Ed Michalowski, Deputy Clerk of Elections, and Cook County Clerk Monica Gordon, as officials discuss USPS postmark changes affecting mail ballots.
Photo Credit: Cook County Clerk’s Office
