Peoria-area elections officials say early voting and vote-by-mail numbers have been higher than typical midterms this year, but they’re not sure that will translate into an increase in overall voter turnout.
Peoria County Election Commission executive director Jessily Joseph said her office had received more than 14,500 mail-in ballots as of midday Monday.
Additionally, more than 14,000 early voters cast their ballots in-person, she said.
“At this point, I’m unsure if some of those Election Day voters are choosing to vote early instead of voting on Election Day,” said Joseph. “We’ll find that out tomorrow, but we’ve had really good turnout so far.”
Across the Illinois River, Tazewell County Clerk John Ackerman reported sending out more than 11,400 vote-by-mail ballots with close to 7,900 of those already returned. Almost 7,900 more voters opted for in-person early voting.
“It’s a massive increase in participation in both of those voting options,” said Ackerman, putting the figures at an almost 60% increase in mail-in participation and a 40% jump in early voting compared to the 2022 midterms.
“I know a lot of my colleagues speculated that this could mean increased turnout. I hope that's the result; there's no facts yet, of course, to show that.”
Ackerman said turnout for the midterms in Tazewell County typically lands between 56-58%, while the figure climbs to 75-78% in presidential election years.
“If we could see an uptick, I would be overwhelmingly pleased to see the turnout level that we see in a presidential election,” said Ackerman.
Both Ackerman and Joseph seemed hopeful but skeptical about the possibility of higher than usual voters going to the polling places Tuesday.
“I just have a feel that a lot of the individuals knew who they wanted to vote for and just wanted to cast their vote and put it behind them,” said Ackerman. “I just feel like they made up their mind early in the process.”
Joseph noted Tuesday’s weather could play a big role in how busy the election sites will be.
“Especially since there are reports of rain tomorrow, I’m unsure if some of those voters were just choosing to vote early,” she said. “I am really curious to see what our turnout will be tomorrow, and I’m hopeful the rain does not deter our voters.”
Early voting locations in both counties were active Monday, and the polls will be open Tuesday from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m.
“We’ll be open at 56 different locations in Peoria County, and we do have ‘vote centers,’” said Joseph. “What that means is that you can vote at any location; you’re not limited to your assigned polling place anymore in Peoria County.
“If you have a location that’s closer to your job, for example, you can vote at that location instead of your ‘quote-unquote’ home polling place.”
Ackerman said anyone who still intends to file a vote-by-mail ballot should go directly to their post office in person.
“At this point, do not put it in the mailbox and expect that that ballot will be counted,” said Ackerman. “Because of changes at the post office with postmarking, there’s a good chance that will not be counted if it's put in the mailbox at this point.
“You need to drive it to the post office and ask the clerk at the postal counter to postmark your ballot. That is the only way to guarantee that that postmark date of tomorrow will be on your ballot and that your ballot will count.”
