The Peoria County Elections Commission reports a consistent stream of mail-in ballots and early voters at all early voting sites in the area.
Peoria County Elections Commission executive director Elizabeth Gannon said the office has seen more than 2,000 early voters so far.
“In 2018, we saw just over 56% turnout. So, we can surpass that in this election. You know, anywhere between 55% and 56% would be great,” Gannon said, “There's plenty of opportunity to vote, there's still time to request a vote by mail ballot.”
Gannon also said she doesn’t expect any problems to arise during this election season regarding the voting process, and hopes people are able to educate themselves and get out to vote.
The Peoria County Elections Commission website provides voters with information regarding the next election, how to request a mail-in ballot, where to vote, and sample ballots by district.
The Tazewell County Clerk’s office expressed a similar sentiment. Elections supervisor Vanessa Reynolds said that pre-Election Day activity has been heavier than usual.
Reynolds also said that despite the heavier number of mail-in ballots, she doesn’t expect any operational issues.
“After 2020, we increased some of the staff we have on hand. So we have been able to control the volume fairly easily,” she said.
Reynolds also hopes that people are able to exercise their civic duty and vote.
The Tazewell County Clerk's Office website provides a guide to the 2023 candidates, applications for a mail-in ballot, and an elections calendar so voters are heading to the polls educated on what is on their ballots.
