Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul sent teams of attorneys and investigators to polling places across the state starting Monday, Sept. 28, expanding election monitoring to cover early voting for the first time ahead of the Nov. 3 general election.
The monitors began work the same day early voting opened statewide, Shaw Local reported. Raoul said in a Tuesday, Sept. 29, statement that his office expanded monitoring because voting no longer happens only on Election Day. He said Illinois is focused on facilitating access to the ballot box, not limiting it.
Residents in Glen Ellyn, Lombard, Carol Stream and Glendale Heights fall under the northern Illinois hotline: 866-536-3496. The line is already active. It will stay open through Nov. 17. Voters who encounter suspected improper or illegal activity at any polling place can call to report it. People with hearing or speech disabilities can reach the office through the 711 relay service.
Local early voting sites
DuPage County operates early voting on a "vote anywhere" basis, meaning residents can use any site in the county. Three permanent locations serve the Glenbard area, according to the DuPage County election office:
- Glen Ellyn Civic Center, 535 Duane St.
- Glendale Heights Sports Hub, 250 Civic Center Plaza
- Yorktown Center, 203 Yorktown Shopping Center, Lombard
Those sites are tentatively set to open Oct. 19. Hours will run weekdays 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. and weekends 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The DuPage County Clerk's Election Division can confirm dates at 630-407-5600.
Mail-in ballots and registration
Illinois voters can vote by mail for any reason, according to Raoul's office. Applications must be submitted by Oct. 29. Completed ballots must be postmarked by midnight on Election Day, Nov. 3. The U.S. Postal Service recommends mailing ballots at least a week before the deadline. Ballots can also be returned in person to a local election authority or placed in a secure drop box.
Raoul's office said vote-by-mail operations will proceed without federal restrictions this cycle. Courts blocked rules, ordered under a Trump executive order, that would have let the Postal Service restrict who could receive and return mail ballots.
The U.S. Supreme Court, in a 7-2 emergency order in mid-September, left a federal judge's injunction in place, saying the government was "unlikely to succeed on the merits" of its appeal. When the ruling came down Sept. 15, Raoul said in a statement reported by the Chicago Tribune that the proposed changes "would have created chaos and undermined confidence in our upcoming general election."
Voters who are not yet registered can submit a form to their local election authority by Oct. 6 or register online through Oct. 18, according to the Quincy Herald-Whig. After those deadlines, in-person registration remains available under the state's grace period rules.
The Nov. 3 ballot includes races for U.S. Senate, governor and state attorney general, among others, according to the Daily Herald.
