Early voting begins on Thursday in McLean County and across Illinois.
Voters can cast their ballots from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekdays for the next several weeks, at both Eastland Mall and in downtown Bloomington. Weekend early voting becomes available closer to Election Day [Nov. 5]. Voters who live in Bloomington should check the schedule and locations on the Bloomington Election Commission website. Voters in Normal and elsewhere in McLean County should check the schedule and locations on the county clerk's website.
McLean County Clerk Kathy Michael manages elections in the county except for Bloomington, where it's handled by the city's election commission.
“Even the presidential [election] could be a very tight race, so every vote is going to count for sure,” Michael said on WGLT's Democracy's Future podcast.
More than three of four registered voters [76%] in McLean County cast ballots in the 2020 presidential election. Michael predicted voter turnout could reach 80% in McLean County this year with the rise of early voting and mail-in voting.
“We’ve had the [biggest] response of the vote-by-mail applications coming back — hundreds,” said Michael, who encouraged voters to cast their ballots before Election Day to avoid a wait.
“Be ready for long lines,” she said.
In 2016, some voters at Illinois State University’s Bone Student Center waited for several hours, the first election that allowed for same-day registration. In 2020, the county added Watterson Towers as a polling site on the ISU campus.
The campus has one polling site this year, but Michael explained the clerk's office has more poll workers this year at Bone Student Center to handle the expected increase in traffic.
Taylor Swift effect
Election officials said they saw an uptick in voter registrations after musician Taylor Swift endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris and encouraged her fans to register to vote.
Michael confirmed that McLean County also saw an increase in registrations after the endorsement, calling the increase "huge."
"I can't tell you if that's Taylor Swift... it is rather interesting that we got the highest stack of applications that we've ever received," Michael said. "People can say it was Taylor Swift or some other reason."
"I saw the stack come in, and of course you can't get the visual here on the radio, but let's just say it was a foot tall, and that's the biggest one I've ever seen."
Michael said in a county that's closely divided politically — the McLeanCounty Board has 10 Democrats and 10 Republicans — such a boost in turnout could help decide the race.
Michael suggested while the presidential election is important, voters should participate in local elections, as well.
“Keep in mind, if your parents live here or your relatives or you decide to locate here, nothing [is] as important – in my opinion — they’re all important — as your county board races,” she said. “Those are the ones that could be very, very close. Those are the ones that decide where your taxes are going.”
Students also will have opportunities to work at polling sites after taking an online training accessed through the county clerk’s office.
“That’s being on the job at 5 a.m. in the morning,” Michael said. “Polls close at 7 p.m. I think you can walk out the door at 7 p.m., but you help kind of close up. If there’s long lines outside the door at 7 p.m., then every one of those people in line gets to vote."
This is the first presidential election since Republican Donald Trump’s sprawling nationwide effort to overturn the 2020 results, with his allies raising false claims about election integrity. False and unproven claims have been circulating for months about non-citizens voting in the election.
As for election integrity here, Michael pointed to her office's track record.
“We’ve never had any fraud or suppression or any record thereof,” Michael said. “We encourage poll watchers. Poll watchers are good to have; they keep an eye on us whether we think we’re the most honest people in the world, it’s good to keep an eye on them.”
“This time, there’s going to be misinformation and disinformation,” she added. “We have social media monitors to try and quell anything because those [online] folks are going to try and scare you from voting.”
