Kane County Clerk John Cunningham said that residents who want to vote by mail must complete an application for each election in which they intend to use that method to vote.
The Kane County Clerk’s Office mailed vote by mail applications to more than 200,000 registered voters for the November 2020 election per a state mandate, but the law did not provide additional funding for the 2021 elections, according to a press release from the clerk’s office.
“I want to make sure that Kane County voters are aware that a vote by mail application will not be mailed automatically to voters for the February or April elections,” Cunningham said in the release. “If you wish to vote by mail in either the Feb. 23 primary or April 6 consolidated election, you will need to apply for a vote by mail ballot for each election in which you want to vote. According to state law, if you do not complete an application for a vote by mail ballot, you will not be able to receive a vote by mail ballot.”
The online vote by mail ballot application is available at kanecountyclerk.org/Elections/Pages/Vote-by-Mail.aspx. Online applicants must have a valid e-mail address, according to the release. Voters can also request a vote by mail application by phone at 630-232-5990, in person at the clerk’s office or through the clerk’s website.
For the Feb. 23 primary election, vote by mail ballot requests must be received in the Kane County Clerk’s Office no later than Feb. 18. Completed ballots must be postmarked on or before Feb. 23. Sample ballots for the Feb. 23 election are available at kanecountyclerk.org/Elections/Pages/Voter-Search.aspx.
Early in-person voting for the Feb. 23 primary election continues from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday at the Kane County Clerk’s Office locations at 719 S. Batavia Ave., Building B, in Geneva; and 5 E. Downer Place, Suite F, in Aurora, until Feb. 5. On Feb. 8 additional early voting sites will open up. Early voting dates, times and locations for the Feb. 23 election are available at kanecountyclerk.org/Elections/Pages/Early-Voting.aspx
The primary election on Feb. 23 will only be held in jurisdictions where the parties elected to have a primary election or the number of filed candidates triggered a primary election. The primary election will occur only for certain township contests in Aurora Township, Dundee Township and Elgin Township and for certain municipal contests in Campton Hills.
All Kane County voters will be able to participate in the April 6 general election.
