With the March 17 primary election a month away, leaders from the League of Women Voters of Kane County on Tuesday cautioned voters planning to use mail-in ballots to send in their ballots by March 10 — or drop them off in person at official ballot drop-off sites in the week before the election — to ensure their vote is counted.
Standing outside the Batavia Post Office at 500 N. Randall Road on Tuesday, Patti Lackman, the League of Women Voters of Central Kane County co-president, described how changes within the United States Postal Service have led the group to issue updated guidance on voting by mail.
One change is a recent USPS decision that went into effect Jan. 1 that means mail is postmarked the day it is processed at a USPS facility, rather than the day the item was mailed. That means ballots mailed close to the March 17 deadline could potentially not be postmarked by Election Day and therefore deemed invalid.
At Tuesday’s press conference, Lackman said there has been “quite a bit of public discussion lately” about ensuring ballots are postmarked by Election Day, but said that a state requirement that ballots be received by election authorities within two weeks after Election Day has gotten less attention, in light of potential disruptions or delays in mail delivery because of changes to USPS services.
Changes to USPS processes are part of the Delivering for America plan, a years-long strategy of service cuts and other changes that began in 2021 under former Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, according to the Associated Press.
Among the changes is an initiative called Regional Transportation Optimization that went into effect in 2025, which means that mail dropped off at post offices and collection boxes more than 50 miles from a regional hub is collected the next day instead of the same day, according to the Postal Regulatory Commission, the regulatory agency that oversees USPS. The commission has said that slower service standards for some locations is included within the plan, and has highlighted possible negative impacts on rural communities.
In December 2025, the postal service changed its rules to clarify that the postmark does not necessarily mean the date the piece of mail comes to the postal service, according to the Associated Press. For opponents, that change brought with it concern over mail-in ballots, spurring, for example, a letter by U.S. senators to USPS expressing fear that it could mean more mail-in ballots being rejected.
At Tuesday’s press conference, Lackman acknowledged the postmarking changes and the possibility that the changes being undertaken by USPS will make first-class mail delivery “slower and less predictable.” She also noted that first-class mail in Illinois was delivered on time — within the three- to five-day standard given by USPS — only 71.5% of the time, according to data from USPS for mail delivered between July and September 2025. The national average during that time was just under 80%.
She also cited the possibility of winter weather impacting mail service.
“The truth is that we don’t know yet how the changes made … to the mail process infrastructure could worsen with the impact of weather,” Lackman said.
As a result of these concerns, Lackman referred to March 10 as a “cut-off date” for mailing ballots. After that date, she encouraged those voting by mail to drop off their ballots at a ballot drop-off location — which essentially bypasses the use of the postal service by taking one’s ballot directly to the local election authority.
The League of Women Voters of Central Kane County is not alone in sounding the alarm about getting mail-in ballots mailed well in advance of the election.
For example, Democratic Cook County Clerk Monica Gordon recently urged mail-in voters to send in their ballots early, tying her concerns to the recent postmarking change.
A USPS spokesperson did not immediately return a request for comment on Tuesday, but USPS has previously pushed back against the concerns about mail-in ballots, though it says it has long recommended voters drop off their ballots before Election Day.
The USPS change comes after President Donald Trump said last year he might take control of the postal service, which operates as an independent agency with leaders appointed by the president. It also follows numerous unsupported claims by Trump that mail-in voting is prone to rampant fraud. In addition, Republicans, led by U.S. Rep. Mike Bost of downstate Murphysboro, have challenged the Illinois law allowing mail-in ballots postmarked by Election Day to be counted 14 days later, a case that the U.S. Supreme Court recently said could move forward.
Karen Brooker, of the LWV of Central Kane County, explained that changes to how the postal service operated had been in discussion for years, starting when President Donald Trump brought on former Postmaster General Louis DeJoy during his first presidential term.
But concerns over the possibility of postal delays and an interest in ensuring voters had “clear instructions” prompted the organization to provide additional guidance to voters in advance of the upcoming primary.
“We just want to make sure that voting by mail is accessible, and that people aren’t disenfranchised because their … ballots arrive late,” Brooker said.
Brooker also noted that changes to the postal service are still being implemented, meaning there could be other impacts to voting in November that the League of Women Voters is not aware of at this point.
Nevertheless, Lackman on Tuesday reiterated that the LWV of Central Kane County has “complete confidence” in the safety and security of mail-in ballots.
“Your vote is your voice, and every vote should be counted,” Lackman said Tuesday.
Early voting for the March primary in Kane County began on Feb. 5, according to Kane County Clerk John Cunningham, and continues through March 16. Early voting is currently open Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the County Clerk’s Office locations at 719 S. Batavia Ave., Bldg. B, in Geneva, and 5 E. Downer Place, Suite F, in Aurora.
On March 2, early voting will become available at 23 sites in Kane County, including on nights and weekends at some sites, the County Clerk’s Office said in a recent news release. A list of all early voting sites, dates and times is available on the Kane County Clerk’s Office website: https://clerk.kanecountyil.gov/Elections/Pages/Early-Voting.aspx.
Drop boxes for mail-in ballots are available at the Kane County Clerk’s Office locations in Geneva and Aurora and at Elgin City Hall, the news release from Cunningham said.
Voters can also cast their ballots at any polling location in the county on March 17, the day of the primary election.
Voters can enter their last name and address to find all the candidates and local referendum questions they will see on their ballot using the clerk’s website at: clerk.kanecountyil.gov/Elections/Pages/Voter-Search.aspx.
Early voting is currently available at sites in DuPage, Will and Kendall counties as well.
DuPage locations include the Naperville Municipal Center, 400 S. Eagle St.; the DuPage County Fairgrounds in Wheaton, Downers Grove Village Hall, Bartlett Community Center and the Addison Township Office. Hours are 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekdays and 9 a.m. to noon Saturdays.
Will County residents can vote early at the Will County Clerk’s Office, 302 N. Chicago St., Joliet. Hours are 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekdays through Friday, March 6. Starting March 7, weekend and early evening hours will be available.
Starting March 2, voters also can cast ballots at 23 satellite locations throughout Will County.
In Kendall County, early voting is currently available in the Election Office of the Kendall County clerk in the Kendall County Office Building at 502 S. Main St. in Yorkville. Hours are 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekdays through March 6. Starting March 7, weekend and early evening hours will be available.
The Associated Press contributed.
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