The Illinois primary is less than a week away, but preparations began months ago.
Candidates could file with the Illinois State Board of Elections from Nov. 27 to Dec. 4. Elizabeth Gannon, executive director of the Peoria County Election Commission, said they typically get the list of candidates from the state board in early January.
Local election authorities then begin building and printing the ballots, which vary based on both political party and voting precinct.
For the primary, Peoria County has more than 300 ballot types.
“So there's a lot of proofing that goes into making sure that everything is spelled correctly, lines up correctly, looks good, and the right people are getting the correct ballot,” said Gannon. “So that proofing aspect and building the ballot is a huge component.”
The voting process begins 40 days before election day with early voting and mail-in ballots. Gannon said this year they had 10,000 mail-in ballots go out the first day of voting. She said in 2016 she probably sent out 300 to 500 mail-in ballots total.
“I think it's important to know that nobody is automatically mailed a vote by mail ballot; you have to request that ballot,” she said. “That ballot is linked to your voter registration system. So you're given a unique identification code that's on your envelope. So when it comes back, I know that this envelope, this ballot is linked to this voter.”
John Ackerman is the Tazewell County Clerk. He said they sent out 4,000 mail-in ballots for the primary. For the general election, he’s anticipating 9,000 will be requested.
“Having those votes out that much earlier stretches the process in which we have to be fully manned, fully operating here within our office with unknown wants, right now, [of] just how many will be coming back in, how that flow will operate,” he said. “So it has required offices to be fully staffed immediately, preparing for the worst case scenarios, and then trying to see how this all works itself out.”
Each voting site is required to have a Democrat and Republican election judge to ensure fairness. Ackerman said they try to get as many election judges as possible, but they at least need those two at each site.
He says they work with both political parties to hire judges, and encourage poll watchers to work as judges.
“Poll watchers are just there to watch and to advise,” he said. “Election judges are the ones that guarantee safe and secure elections. So rather than as many poll watchers, we'd rather have them signing up to be election judges and serving through that process.”
Floann Clark has been an election judge for more than 15 years.
“With COVID, we lost a lot of our election judges,” she said. “And we really are needing people to come and do this. It's a community service, even though they give you a stipend for losing your whole day, it's community service.”
She said she first started working as an election judge because she saw they needed help.
“I enjoy meeting the people,” she said. “And you hear lots of interesting things, people chit chat with you. And it is just very interesting. And the knowledge, the general knowledge I've learned of the voting system in our area or in Illinois.”
Election judges make $200 in Peoria County and $220 in Tazewell County. They get a minimum of four hours of training, which can include anything from working machinery to matching people’s signatures.
Cathy Doss first started as an election judge in 1986 and hasn’t experienced much hostility from voters.
She said there are instances in the primaries where people don’t want to say which party ballot they want. Illinois voters don't register under a specific party, meaning they need to self-identify on election day to get the right ballot.
“A lot of people won't vote because they don't like that,” Doss said. “A lot of them don't want their neighbor behind them to know that they're this party or that party. And that's a shame, because, really, you're cheating your own vote.”
Doss said the 2020 election had some of that hostility, especially because of the publicity surrounding it.
“It just riles people up, and it would be nice if it was a calm election. But if it was a calm election, nobody would come out and vote,” she said.
Ackerman and Gannon both say they haven't had instances of increased hostility in the last election cycle, something they're hoping will continue.
Clark says she hasn't noticed too many changes over the years, and that the ones that have happened make the process run smoother.
“I noticed a lot more young people,” she said. “And I'm delighted to see that. And … you can register and vote on the same day; you only need two forms of ID, like a state ID or driver's license, and then maybe say an electric bill with your name and address on it, something with your address on it. And you can be registered to vote.”
Voters in Peoria County will be allowed to vote at any of the county's 55 voting sites this year, instead of their assigned polling place.
Clark says their book will include all registered voters in Peoria County, so they'll still be able to match signatures and give people the correct ballot.
