Kane County Clerk's Office protects staff, public from coronavirus

GENEVA – The Kane County Clerk’s Office has taken health and safety measures to protect employees and customers in light of the COVID-19 outbreak, according to a news release.

Safety shields have been installed at all the counters and staff has personal protective equipment, including masks and gloves to protect themselves, and hand sanitizer is available for customers when entering the building.

“We are the only election authority in the area to have installed hand sanitizing stations at all polling places for the March primary,” Kane County Clerk John Cunningham stated in the release.

The clerk’s office will continue to have sanitizing stations going forward to prevent the spread of not only COVID-19 but also colds and the flu.

“We want to ensure that we do everything we can to help the public feel comfortable whether at our office or at a polling place,” Cunningham stated in the release.

“In order to protect the public and our employees, I want to encourage voters to consider voting by mail in the Nov. 3, 2020 general election,” Cunningham stated in the release. “Voters who choose to vote by mail can vote from home and avoid public interaction on election day.”

Vote by mail ballots for the Nov. 3 election can be requested beginning Aug. 5.

As a precaution, the clerk’s office temporarily began “by appointment only” public access and temporarily closed the Aurora office.

These procedures have helped to limit the number of people in the office at one time, as suggested by the CDC, while still allowing the office to provide the essential services as defined by the governor’s stay at home executive order.

The clerk’s office staff continue to clean and disinfect counters, desks, and other frequently touched surfaces in the office and follow CDC and IDPH guidelines, the release stated.

Customers can visit the clerk's website, kanecountyclerk.org, to find instructions on how to order documents by mail and online or for information and links to all departments within the clerk's office.

Customers who wish to make an appointment to visit the office can call 630-232-5950.

Those who have traveled to an area that has been affected by the COVID-19 outbreak – including parts of the United States – have had contact with any person diagnosed with COVID-19, or have any symptoms of a respiratory infection, such as a persistent cough, fever, or shortness of breath, are asked to avoid coming to the office. Instead, they should call 630-232-5950 for assistance.

The Kane County Clerk’s Office performs several major functions, including custodian of County records, election administration, registrar of vital records, passport acceptance agency, and tax extension.