Early voting begins Thursday

It’s 40 days until Election Day, and there’s still plenty of time to register and to vote early.

La Salle County Clerk Lori Bongartz has a special message for voters this year: Don’t be surprised to find more poll watchers this year, and don’t be afraid to call her if there’s a problem.

Voting rights and election integrity have been hot topics across the nation and Bongartz anticipates an unusually large number of poll watchers. Poll watchers may observe the proceedings if they have appropriate credentials — Bongartz said election judges have been instructed to request a showing of credentials — but they may in no way impede anyone from voting.

“They are only supposed to be there to observe, not to disrupt the process,” Bongartz said. “If there is a problem, voters should call my office and I will dispatch a sheriff’s deputy to the polling place.”

Bongartz is in the process of training election judges, but still has room for more. An additional training session for new election judges has been scheduled and seats are available.

For inquire about becoming an election judge or to report a problem at a polling place, call the La Salle County Clerk’s Office at 815-434-8202.

What to know about voting

Early voting with grace period registration begins Thursday and continues through Monday, Nov. 7, 2022. Voters wishing to vote early may do so at the La Salle County Governmental Complex at 707 E. Etna Rd., Ottawa.

Hours are 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and on Saturdays, from 8 a.m. to noon, beginning Oct. 15. Office hours will be extended to 7 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 27, and the week of Oct. 31. The office also will be open for early voting 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 6.

Registered voters also may vote by mail. The last day to accept an application for a vote-by-mail ballot is Thursday, Nov. 3, and the last day for early voting is Monday, Nov. 7. Vote by Mail applications are available at: www.lasallecounty.org.

Grace Period Registration is for those who miss the Oct. 11 deadline for registering to vote. Grace period/Election Day registration also will be available on Election Day from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the clerk’s office and at all 119 precincts in La Salle County.

For further information, call the La Salle County Clerk’s Office at 815-434-8202.

Voter registration also can be completed by filling out an application on the Illinois State Board of Elections website, or downloading a form to register by mail, the release states.

Those interested in registering must be a U.S. citizen, be 18 years old on or before the date of the election, must live in their precinct at least 30 days before the election, not be serving a prison sentence as a result of a conviction, and cannot vote anywhere else, the website states. The last day to register online is Oct. 23, according to the state board’s website.

Who’s on the ballot

In La Salle County, voters will cast ballots for statewide races including U.S. Senator, governor and lieutenant governor, secretary of state, comptroller, treasurer and attorney general. Voters also will settle contested races for the Illinois House and Senate.

The race for La Salle County Clerk is contested. (La Salle County’s sheriff, treasurer and the regional superintendents of schools are unopposed.) Nine of the 29 seats on the La Salle County Board are contested.

Voters will choose a judge for the 13th Judicial Circuit (La Salle, Bureau and Grundy counties), an appeals court judge for the 3rd District Appellate Court and fill a seat on the Illinois Supreme Court.