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player ready...It’s finally here. Nov. 8 — the latest possible day that Election Day can fall on the calendar — has arrived at last.
Hillary Clinton announced her campaign for president more than a year and a half ago, in April 2015. Donald Trump made his announcement two months later. And, with the end of daylight saving time over the weekend, another hour was tacked on to Americans’ wait to find out who the next president will be.
For many, the election couldn’t come soon enough given the length of the election season, the widespread unpopularity of both presidential candidates and the state of affairs in Springfield, where state politicians remain locked in a budget standoff.
But the time has come to make a choice. So what do Lake County voters need to know before heading to the voting booth?
The polls will be open Tuesday from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m., according to Lake County Clerk Carla Wyckoff, who oversees elections in the county. There are 122 polling locations in the county — and on Election Day, residents need to vote at their assigned neighborhood location. (During early voting, residents could vote at any of the 14 designated sites.) Voters can find their polling location at the county clerk’s website.
Residents who wish to register to vote on Election Day must bring two forms of identification, Wyckoff said, one of which must have the resident’s Lake County address. Examples include a current utility bill, a lease for an apartment or a bank statement.
Many residents across Lake County have already cast their votes. As of Monday morning, about 89,000 Lake County residents had taken advantage of early voting and about 27,000 had voted by mail, Wyckoff said.
Mark Shaw, chairman of the Lake County Republicans, participated in early voting on Monday in Waukegan. He said he waited about 45 minutes in a line with 30 or 40 others.
Shaw said he has reassured voters who might be concerned about the election’s integrity in light of suggestions from Trump and others that the election could be rigged.
“I’ve told them the kind of system we have in Lake County,” Shaw said. “And I tell them about the integrity of our county clerk out here, and the machines that are used.”
Wyckoff said early voting turnout was so high in some areas, including Gurnee, that her office began encouraging early voters in those areas to vote at the Lake County Building in Waukegan to avoid long lines.
Wyckoff said the number of residents who came out early “should help a little in managing crowds Election Day.”
“We’re certainly excited there has been such a great turnout,” she said. “I certainly sense there is a heightened interest in this election. Our priority is that everyone gets to vote.”
Total voter registration for the current election stands at 430,000. About 413,000 voters were registered for the primary election.
In 2008, 83,000 residents voted early and 15,600 voted by mail.
Wyckoff declined to predict a local voter turnout percentage for Tuesday’s election but said that in terms of numbers, the county could see its largest number of voters ever. Presidential elections usually average a 70-74 percent turnout in Lake County.
Lauren Beth Gash, founding chair of the Lake County-based Tenth Congressional District Democrats, said her organization is hoping for big turnout numbers and supports the early-voting and vote-by-mail options.
“There’s no question that when more voters vote, Democrats do better,” she said.
Gash added that the Tenth Democrats will have 125 lawyers roaming the district on Election Day to make sure that “everyone who is entitled to vote is actually allowed to vote.”
Statewide, more Illinois residents voted early this year than in any other year on record, the Associated Press reported.
The State Board of Elections released totals Monday showing the number of voters who cast in-person ballots through Sunday was approaching 1.3 million, according to the AP. That surpasses the roughly 1 million who did so in 2008 and the nearly 1.2 million in 2012.
The figure is even higher when all ballots, including those by mail, are counted, the AP reported. The total number of Illinois residents who’ve already voted is more than 1.6 million.
The Associated Press and News-Sun reporter Jim Newton contributed to this report.
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Election 2016
Polls open: 6 a.m.
What’s at stake: U.S. president, U.S. senator from Illinois, representative from Illinois’ 10th Congressional District, representatives in the Illinois General Assembly and on Lake County Board
Up-to-date results: Go to newssunonline.com