More Kane Democrats seek mail ballots than Republicans

GENEVA – Kane County Democratic voters requested 10,161 mail-in ballots and Republican voters requested 5,787 mail-in ballots as of Oct. 12, according to statistics from the Kane County Clerk’s Office.

In all, Kane County voters requested 29,376 mail-in ballots as of Oct. 12. Statistics show that 10,161 nonpartisan voters asked for mail-in ballots.

Statistics are based on how people voted in the primary, Kane County Clerk Jack Cunningham said.

Republican and Democratic leaders in the county each had their own take on what it might mean for the Nov. 8 general election.

“We are energized on the Democratic side and we are working hard to earn people’s votes,” Kane County Democratic Chairman Mark Guethle said. “Kane has voted blue the last two election cycles and we look forward for that trend to continue.”

Guethle said the undoing of Roe v. Wade by the Supreme Court will play a role in the midterms.

“I have been doing a lot of canvassing myself and just about every woman I talk to is not going to support anybody who’s anti-choice,” Guethle said. “There’s other issues, too, but that’s what I’m hearing when I go knock on doors.”

Kane County Republican Chairman Andro Lerario said he is not troubled by the statistics.

Republicans tend to vote in-person on election day and nonpartisan voters are both Republican and Democrat and are looking at candidates, not parties, Lerario said.

“The numbers showed me we are doing much better than I expected on the Republican side,” Lerario said. “I’m starting to learn that it’s getting more and more not about Democrats or Republicans anymore, but they’re starting to look at candidates and who is coming to visit and talk to them.”

Lerario said he’s been knocking on doors, too, and no one said anything to him about abortion rights.

“My experience is in the last couple of weeks knocking on doors for Lucio Estrada [District 20] in Elgin, a lot of Democrats say their concerns are crime and taxes, crime and taxes,” Lerario said. “In a three-hour span of knocking on doors, not one single person said anything about Roe v. Wade or abortion, man or woman.”

One voter in Elgin told him he voted Republican straight down with the exception of one Democratic candidate, he said.

“We are energized,” Lerario said. “We are setting up phone banks, going door to door, there’s an excitement within our party.”

As for what it might mean for Kane Democrats or Republicans, Cunningham said voting is what matters.

“I welcome all the votes I can get,” Cunningham said. “Every vote is welcome.”

Cunningham also is on the ballot seeking reelection.

Information about registering to vote, where to vote, early voting and voting by mail is available at the clerk’s website, www.kanecountyclerk.org.