Illinois election law has changed significantly in recent years. This election cycle another aggressive election change in Illinois is hitting voter mailboxes. Any political campaign or advocacy group can now create its own version of an official application for ballot by mail. These forms are designed by political groups and are not restricted from including partisan or political information about specific candidates.
These mailing are not provided by, approved by or endorsed by the Lake County Clerk. Voters who receive these forms can legally use the form to request a ballot. The voter must sign, date and affix postage for mailing to the Lake County Clerk’s office.
Take care to note that each form should have a return address or statement indicating who paid for the mailing. Some that have been distributed include: the Voter Participation Center, (a project of Women’s Voices Women), 27 N. Wicker Drive, Suite 515, Chicago, Ill. 60606; RGA Illinois 2010 PAC, 1747 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Suite 250, Washington, D.C. 20006 and a form the Illinois Senate Democrats have sent us as a sample of what they intend to mail.
While the Lake County Clerk’s office strives to make voting accessible and convenient, we are not mailing these unsolicited requests for ballot. Our return address may be on the form you receive but the mailings are from political organizations.
— Willard R. Helander, Lake County Clerk
