Early voting offers greater convenience

Thelma Sardin |

In Chicago and suburban Cook County, early voting begins on October 12 through October 28th and polls open from 9 am to 5pm. Chicago sites are open Monday- Saturday and on Sunday

from 9 am-3pm at specified locations. Additionally, for Chicagoans, early voting is available at any of the citys 54 early voting sites.

Jim Allen, spokesperson for the Chicago Board of Elections, cites convenience among the advantages of early voting. People get to vote when and where they want, he said. Allen also

noted political campaigns benefit when campaign workers can get their own voting out of the way and dedicate themselves to the campaign for election day. He suggested that the numbers of individuals who vote early are, a reflection of people who [have] made up their minds weeks in

advance.

For the 2008 Presidential Election, Allen indicated, a lot of people had made up their minds by August. Once early voting began for the 2008 General Election, Chicagoans participated in

record numbers.

Since their debut during the 2006 Primary Election, touch screen machines have made voting in Chicago effortless. The touch screens store voter information that would otherwise be available at their neighborhood polling places on election day. The touch screens include every precincts ballot, style, an audio component for the blind and several language options. With early voting,

everyone can vote independently and in private, said Allen. People of all ages have embraced the new technology. Paper ballots are only used at polling places on election day.

On Sep.30, the Chicago Board of Elections held a training class for individuals recently hired as Polling Place Administrators (PPA). PPAs are not election judges; rather they perform technical

support duties where they manage equipment on election day. Though the touch screen machines have been successful through two election cycles,they are not error proof. According to Colin Loftin, a training consultant,there is always a small chance something will go wrong. [PPAs are there] just in case that happens and try to troubleshoot issues with machines.

The deadline for voter registration in Illinois was Oct. 5. However, Chicago and Cook County voters still have time to register during the voter registration grace period from October 6 through October 26th. For more information contact, cookcountyclerk.com.

Latest Stories

Latest Podcast

STARR Community Services International, Inc.