If you plan to vote by mail in the March 17 primary election, don’t delay. That’s the message from the League of Women Voters of the La Grange Area.
Barbara Lamb, co-president of the organization, strongly advised that if voting by mail to get your ballot in a mailbox no later than March 10.
Yes, it’s a week before the actual deadline for ballots to be postmarked.
The cause for her concern, she said, is that a ballot tossed into a mailbox on March 17 will not be postmarked March 17.
For years, it’s been assumed a piece of mail would be postmarked the day it arrives at a post office. But that is no longer the case and it could impact validity of mailed-in ballots, she said.
Not having the postmark by the deadline would mean the ballot does not count.
The reason for the league’s concern is a Jan. 2 statement issued by the U.S. Postal Service, which said postmarking practices may affect the inclusion of vote by mail ballots in vote tallies.
In Illinois, ballots for the March 17 primary election must be postmarked by Election Day and received within 14 days.
More Top Picks Best Pull Out Cabinet Organizers For Seniors
The USPS statement reads “we have made adjustments to our transportation operations that will result in some mailpieces not arriving at our originating processing facilities on the same day that they are mailed.
“This means that the date on the postmarks applied at our processing facilities will not necessarily match the date on which the customer’s mailpiece was collected by a letter carrier or dropped off at a retail location.”
Those “adjustments” are what is causing members of the League of Women Voters to be concerned, Lamb said.
“Basically, the post office has changed its postmarking for efficiency,” she said. Mail is then brought to a processing site but may not be postmarked for several days, she said.
“So, if you drop your mail here thinking ‘Oh, it’s in the mailbox. It’s 4:30. it will be postmarked La Grange today.’ But that’s not necessarily the case,” Lamb said. “Our goal is to make sure that people who are using vote by mail ballots don’t think if they drop it in the mailbox on the 16th or 17th it will count because that’s not always the case.”
Lamb said she’s not disputing that the post office can be more efficient, but she cautions people to mail their ballots at least a week before the deadline “so there’s adequate time.”
If you can’t make it there by March 10, she suggested going into the post office and asking a clerk to manually postmark the envelope.
Another option is putting the ballot in a drop box that will be available at early voting sites such as the Township of Lyons office, 6904 Joliet Road, in Countryside.
“The League is absolutely committed, going back to our founding over 100 years ago, with expanding voter access, making sure every citizen has access to voting, that all votes are counted,” she said.
“One of the League’s activities nationally is registering voters at high schools, food pantries, senior citizen homes, places we can register people to vote because it is so essential,” Lamb added.
What’s the bottom line? “We just want to make sure they’re all counted properly,” Lamb said.
The League opposes the SAVE Act proposed by President Donald Trump to require proof of citizenship with a passport or birth certificate at the polling place.
“There are a lot of people who don’t have a passport. I have my birth certificate, but it has my maiden name, so that’s one concern. …. Some people change their name and the name on the driver’s license doesn’t match the name on the birth certificate.”
The SAVE Act may make voting more difficult for those with limited access, she said.
Some voters, she said, may have to travel a long way to get a polling place, only to be turned away because they don’t have a passport or birth certificate with them, she said.
“These reforms they’re calling for are being called for by (alleged) illegal voting but there’s no evidence of that,” Lamb said.
Steve Metsch is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.