Here's how DeKalb County Clerk plans to count mail-in ballots election night

Until Oct. 29, registered DeKalb County voters can request and apply for a vote-by-mail ballot via email, mail or in person at the DeKalb County clerk’s office in the Administration Building, 110 E. Sycamore St.

Once completed, vote-by-mail ballots can either be returned in the mail or dropped off in a receptacle located inside the Administration Building’s lobby. The lobby is open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Mondays through Fridays.

“The receptacle inside our lobby has always been available for absentee and vote-by-mail ballots,” DeKalb County Clerk Doug Johnson said.

DeKalb County Clerk Doug Johnson said his office is receiving vote-by-mail ballots daily from the post office and the receptacle. The ballots are processed daily and signatures are checked for verification. Each day, the ballots received are run through a tabulator. The ballots will be added to the total count on Election Day.

Vote-by-mail ballots postmarked by Election Day, Nov. 3, will continue to be processed as they are delivered to the county clerk’s office. Results will be certified two weeks after Election Day, on Nov. 17.

“There won’t be that many vote-by-mail ballots arriving after Election Day, so we will know who won the big races, such as senator and presidential races, on Election Night,” Johnson said.

“However, smaller races, like county board seats where a few votes could determine who wins, might not be as easy to determine on election night," he said. "All results will be certified two weeks later.”

The Secretary of State recommends early voting or voting by mail, but polls will be open for in-person voting on Election Day.

“You can mail in your vote-by-mail ballot or drop it off at my office as you always could,” Johnson said. “Or, if you’d rather vote early in person, you can surrender your vote-by-mail ballot and sign an affidavit.”

Early voting can be done in-person until Nov. 2 at the Legislative Center in the Gathertorium, 200 N. Main St. in Sycamore. Starting Oct. 19 until Nov. 2, four additional early voting locations will open in DeKalb County: DeKalb Township Building, 2323 S. Fourth St. in DeKalb; the gallery lounge on the main floor of the Holmes Student Center of Northern Illinois University; Kirkland Village Hall, 511 W. Main St. in Kirkland; and Sandwich Fire Station, 310 E. Railroad St. in Sandwich.

Johnson said early voting and voting by mail “has been running smoothly and going well.”

“We will follow [Illinois Department of Public Health] guidelines to keep voters and election judges safe,” Johnson said. “We have plenty of [personal protective equipment], people will be wearing masks and sanitizing. I want to reassure voters about safety at the polls and remind them to get out and vote.”

For information about how to register to vote and the nearest Deputy Registrar, call 815-895-7147. Voter registration also can be completed online with the Paperless Online Voter Application process on the State Board of Elections' website.

For information about the general election and voting in DeKalb County, call the DeKalb County Clerk’s office at 815-895-7147.