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Early voting begins Oct. 22
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Updated: November 19, 2012 1:49PM
ELMWOOD PARK
Election Day is Nov. 6, but voters who have already made up their minds don’t have to wait until then.
From Oct. 22 to Nov. 3, suburban Cook County residents can cast their vote in the November elections.
Courtney Greve, spokeswoman for the Cook County Clerk’s office, said voters can vote early at 44 locations throughout the county.
“At Elmwood Park Village Hall they can vote there or at other sites,” she said. “There are few sites that are open on Sunday.”
To vote early at one of the designated locations, a voter must bring an official form of identification, such as a driver’s license, passport or state-issued photo ID or college ID.
At the 44 early voting locations in suburban Cook County, voting is conducted on touch screen voting machines, allowing any registered voter to vote in the presidential election as well as in local, state and federal races.
Locally, residents can vote early at Elmwood Park Village Hall, 11 Conti Parkway, or at Oak Park Village Hall, 123 Madison St., from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday thru Saturday. At the Cook County Clerk’s main office, 69 W. Washington St., Chicago, residents can vote early from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday.
Voters can also cast their vote through the mail by going to the clerk’s website and downloading an application. Voters can also call the clerk’s office to request an application or go to clerk’s office to get one. The application must be sent back to the clerk’s office, dropped off in person or sent by certified courier.
Once the clerk’s office receives the application, a ballot will be sent to the voter’s residence.
Greve encourages those who want to vote through the mail to have their applications in no later than Nov. 1, to ensure their ballot has enough time to make it through the postal system. Ballots coming through the mail must be postmarked no later than the day before the election to be accepted and require a signature.
She said voting early is an option voters have taken advantage of in the past.
“A quarter of all voters in suburban Cook County in 2008 cast their votes early,” she said.
For more information, visit the Cook County Clerk’s website at www.cookcountyclerk.com, click on the “Elections-Suburban Cook County” tab and scroll down to “Early Voting,” or call the clerk’s office at (312) 603-0906.~.
