More Kane Democrats vote early, by mail than Republicans – so far

GENEVA – Some 4,239 Democrats voted early and by mail, more than the 3,337 Republicans who did – a difference of 902 – according to voting statistics released by the Kane County Clerk’s Office as of June 22.

“They’re flowing in as they always do,” Kane County Clerk Jack Cunningham said. “We’re going good for the mid-term primary. We are well able to handle what’s coming in.”

The real star of the June 28 primary is vote by mail, with 6,154 ballots requested and 2,267 returned, according to the clerk’s stats.

The vote by mail requests are dominated by Democrats: They requested 3,445 vote by mail ballots compared to 1,094 Republicans who asked to vote by mail.

Even among domestic military voters, 1,322 Democratic ballots were requested, compared with 270 Republican ones, according to the clerk’s statistics.

Considering the early votes and mail in ballots requested for all types – including non-partisan, overseas military and civilian – 12,424 ballots were requested and 8,503 have been returned.

Consider that in 1968, 269 people voted by mail in the primary and 2,462 voted by mail in that general election, according to historic voting statistics on the clerk’s website.

In those days, it was called an absentee ballot, where a voter needed to give a reason to vote by mail – such as being out of town.

But after the law changed in 2016 not to require a reason, more people chose the convenience of mailing in their ballots, Cunningham said.

Then in 2020, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker signed laws that expanded early voting and mail-in ballots during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Case in point: In the 2020 general election, 85,034 people voted by mail in Kane County, according to the clerk’s historic records.

The clerk’s office also measures how many Democrats and Republicans request their party’s ballots for the June 28 primary election by location for early voting.

At Batavia City Hall, the parties were pretty well matched, with 86 Democrats and 88 Republicans.

Votes cast at East Dundee Village Hall were one vote apart: 68 Republicans and 67 Democrats.

The Campton Township location logged 90 Republican ballots and 44 Democratic ballots.

At the Clerk’s Aurora Satellite Office, Democrats dominated with 178 ballots to Republicans’ 79.

At the Hampshire Township site, Republicans dominated with 232 ballots to the Democrats’ 85.

Similarly at the Sugar Grove Public Library, where 175 Republicans voted, compared to 75 Democrats.

At the Town and Country Public Library in Elburn, 48 Republicans voted compared to 26 Democrats.

The voting site at Kane County Branch Court in St. Charles had 335 Republicans vote to 267 Democrats.

Early voting will continue through June 27, right up to the day before the primary; same for grace period voting, which is an extension of the regular voter registration deadline.

Traditional voter registration period closes 28 days before election day, grace period registration extends it from the 27th day through Election Day. Grace period registration applies to a voter’s change of address within that period.

Those who win their party’s nominations in Tuesday’s primary will face each other in the Nov. 8 General Election.

More information is available on the clerk’s website, www.kanecountyclerk.org.