Kane Clerk reports 9,007 early voters, mail-in ballots received – so far

GENEVA – Kane County has 319,000 registered voters and so far, the Kane County Clerk’s Office has received 9,007 early voting and mail-in ballots of the 12,234 ballots issued for the April 6 consolidated election.

“I’m disappointed people don’t go out and vote more,” Kane County Clerk John Cunningham said. “These are elections that affect local taxes.”

Vote by mail numbers were much smaller in 2017, with about 500 requested, Cunningham said.

In contrast, by Thursday, there were nearly 6,000 vote-by-mail requests, according to latest data.

in 2017, there were 248,904 registered voters and 39,112 voted in the consolidated election, a turnout of 15.71%, according to the clerk’s records.

Cunningham said you can’t compare voter interest in consolidated elections – which are local – to elections that have a president or governor’s race on the ballot, as occurred in November.

He said that with mayors’ races in Aurora, St. Charles and Geneva, more people might be motivated to come out on election day to vote.

Another thing for voters to consider is that it costs as much to run an election for a small turnout as it does for a big turnout, Cunningham said.

April 5 is the last day to request, in person, a vote-by-mail ballot at the clerk’s office. It is also the last day for early voting at all sites.

The polls open April 6 from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m.

April 20 is the last day to count mail-in and provisional ballots, according to the clerk’s website.