Residents in Will County will have a shorter window to cast their early votes prior to the April 1 consolidated election.
Will County Clerk, Annette Parker announced that ballots will be mailed out beginning Monday, March 17, to anyone on the permanent vote by mail list or anyone who has requested a single election vote by mail ballot. Early voting also begins at 23 locations.
The Vote by mail ballot is typically sent 40 days before an election but due to the consolidated primary election that took place on February 25 in Homer Township and the City of Aurora, mailing of the vote by mail ballots and early voting have been delayed, said Parker.
For those who will vote by mail the last day to receive applications is March 24. The Last day to cast an early vote in person is March 31.
The results from the consolidated primary election were only certified or made “official” on March 12, therefore, affecting when ballots will be available for residents to vote in the consolidated election, Parker added.
“The Will County Clerk’s Office has been preparing and coordinating both elections simultaneously over the last six months to ensure residents have an opportunity to participate in the election process and voice their choice with a vote,” she added.
Additionally, according to Parker, the Will County Clerk’s Office had several conversations with the State Board of Elections as well as neighboring county clerks, who also held consolidated primary elections impacting Will County on when vote by mail and early voting could begin.
Additionally, she said, “after consultation with our vendor regarding the impact of the consolidated primary election, it was determined that the election equipment is coded as a unified county, thereby prohibiting voting in areas of the county that did not have a primary election on Feb. 25.”
Taking everything into consideration, March 17 was the date selected for the mailing of vote by mail ballots and the beginning of early voting for all residents of Will County, Parker noted.
Having less than three weeks for early voting could impact results negatively as witnessed by earlier elections. In March 2024, voter turnout in Will County was only 15.54 percent as only 66,857 of the 430,310 registered voters in the county voted.
But voter turnout was much better during the November presidential election as 75.06 percent voters cast their ballots. There were 441,483 registered voters in Will County in November and 331,367 ballots were cast.
Having less days for early voting concerns some area residents like Mary Bajorski of Plainfield. “A lot of people who vote early typically get out the first week when they can cast their ballots,” she said. “Most people typically are not excited with municipal elections anyway.”
But Jessica Barnes does not like the fact the start of early voting is so close to the April 1 election. “That is way later than it should be,” she said.
To view a list of early voting locations, dates and hours visit www.willcountyclerk.gov/2025consolidated/
