Early voters streamed into the DuPage County government complex Tuesday to drop off absentee ballots or cast votes in person amid the COVID-19 pandemic social distancing efforts.
Absentee ballots began arriving in mailboxes this week. Voters who received them can follow the directions and deliver them to a drop box outside the Jack T. Knuepfer building, 421 N. County Farm Road in Wheaton. There is still time to request a ballot, which can be returned by mail or by dropping it into one of the special boxes set up for this election.
On the fifth day of in-person voting, a long line and 45-minute wait was still standard Tuesday morning at the DuPage Fairgrounds in Wheaton. In-person early voting, which started Thursday, is only offered at the 2015 Manchester Road location until Oct. 19. Social distancing required by the COVID-19 crisis limits the number of booths allowed in the space, and all voters are required to wear a mask inside the building.
Instead of licking an envelope seal, voters use a glue stick to secure the envelope that contains their ballot.
The in-person voting site is open 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekdays and 9 a.m. to noon on Saturdays. Additional early voting locations and expanded hours begin Oct. 19 in DuPage County. Because of COVID-19, all voters are encouraged to cast their ballot before the Nov. 3 election, according to the DuPage County Election Division website. For more information, go to dupageco.org/Election/Voting/EarlyVoting/.
Free COVID-19 testing also is available at the DuPage Fairgrounds in Wheaton. That service is offered from 7 a.m. to noon weekdays or until the daily test capacity of 600 tests is met. For more information, go to dupagehealth.org
