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County clerk says early voting start will be delayed amid pending appellate review
Summary
Grundy County’s clerk told the Elections, Tax & Technology Committee that a statewide appellate review of a candidate petition has prompted a plan to delay the start of early voting and the mailing of vote‑by‑mail ballots to around Feb. 19 to avoid reissuing ballots if the court restores the candidate.
Kaye reported to the Elections, Tax & Technology Committee that a statewide judicial review of a candidate’s petition has left the county with uncertainty about whether the candidate will remain off the March 17 primary ballot and that the clerk’s office plans to delay the start of early voting and the mailing of vote‑by‑mail ballots to on or around Feb. 19.
“The safest option would be just to delay the start…on or around February 19,” Kaye said, explaining that delaying would allow a final appellate decision to be reached and avoid having to reissue ballots or remail vote‑by‑mail packets.
Kaye told the committee the vendor has held off mailing ballots and the county will proceed with public logic-and-accuracy testing; the public test is scheduled in the Clerk’s Office and will include representatives from both parties. She said the office currently has approximately 1,100 requests for vote‑by‑mail ballots and urged voters to mail ballots at least a week before election day, or to hand‑deliver them or use the courthouse drop box to ensure timely receipt given USPS processing changes.
Committee members asked whether the 40‑day statewide early‑voting mandate affects the county’s ability to delay; Kaye explained the statutory early‑voting window begins 40 days before election day but that in this circumstance several counties were coordinating to wait until a judicial decision is final and that the county’s approach was cleared with election officials and vendors. Questions about legal repercussions from the state were answered with a committee response that the chosen short delay would not trigger state sanctions in this instance.
Kaye also said Illinois law still allows a removed candidate to file as a write‑in up to seven days before election day and the clerk’s office has a write‑in line already configured for that race in case the appellate process results in reinstatement.
Next steps: the clerk’s office will issue a press release if early voting is delayed and will notify voters who arrive for early voting while the office is still holding mailed ballots; the committee continued with other agenda items and did not take further formal action on this report.
