Early voting starts Thursday at DuPage County Fairgrounds

The November election may still be more than a month away, but that doesn’t mean DuPage County residents have to wait until then to cast their ballots.

Those who want to vote before Nov. 8 can do so beginning Thursday at the DuPage County Fairgrounds, 2015 Manchester Road, in Wheaton, just off County Farm Road.The early voting program allows any eligible DuPage County voter to vote before Election Day.

The fairgrounds location will be open from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 9 a.m. to noon Saturdays, through Oct. 24, when additional early voting sites will open, according to the County Clerk’s website at www.dupagecounty.gov/earlyvoting/.

DuPage County now features 100% paper ballots on new voting equipment for both early voting and Election Day, according to a news release from DuPage County Clerk Jean Kaczmarek.

In addition to new voting equipment, the fairgrounds have a new parking lot and driveway near its polling site. Funding for the paving was made possible by a $149,000 grant from the Illinois State Board of Elections to the County Clerk’s Office for polling place improvement and safety, Kaczmarek said.

“Nearly 34,000 people voted at the fairgrounds during the 2020 General Election. Voters returning in 2022 will notice a night-and-day difference in the condition of the main parking lot. All the bumps, potholes, gravel and puddles are now gone,” she said.

Beginning Oct. 24, early voting will expand to 22 locations throughout DuPage County – twice as many as the General Election in 2018, Kaczmarek said.

For a complete guide to all early voting locations and dates, as well as information about voting by mail, visit the clerk’s election website at www.dupagecounty.gov/election.

Individuals are also urged to follow the clerk’s office on Twitter at Twitter.com/DuPageCoClerk, Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/dupagecountyclerk/), and Facebook (Facebook.com/DuPage-County-Clerk) to stay up to date on the latest election news.