© 2024 WGLT
A public service of Illinois State University
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Election Day Arrives: What To Expect At The Polls

Peoria County Election Commission Executive Director Tom Bride and Tazewell County Clerk John Ackerman are encouraging voters to wear masks to polling places on Election Day.
Joe Deacon
/
WCBU
Peoria County Election Commission Executive Director Tom Bride and Tazewell County Clerk John Ackerman are encouraging voters to wear masks to polling places on Election Day.

Peoria-area election officials believe record vote-by-mail and early voting participation may translate to fewer people filling out ballots in person today. But for those who are heading to the polls, there is plenty they should know--beyond the candidates' positions.

Peoria County Election Commission Executive Director Tom Bride and Tazewell County Clerk John Ackerman have been working to address a variety of Election Day issues, ranging from polling place electioneering and voter intimidation to ballot tabulation and to COVID-19 related health and safety precautions.

Ackerman said voters are encouraged to wear face coverings, but the clerk's office cannot make that a requirement. He also said polling places will do as best they can to practice social distancing.

“We’re lucky that the weather right now is calling for a crystal clear day. So I think we'll have the ability to have, if needed, some lines outside,” said Ackerman. “So we'll be doing the best we can to social distance. But we cannot--no one in the state of Illinois, no election official--can require face mask in order to vote.”

Bride said his office also is encouraging voters to wear face coverings and will have masks available for people who forget to bring one. Election judges will be wearing masks and floors will be marked to keep adequate distance between voters.

He said keeping the ballot boxes and other surfaces clean also will be a priority.

“We'll have hand sanitizer when you come in and when you go to leave, and we'll do some frequent cleaning,” said Bride. “But we're also going to provide the voters themselves with a little finger cot, which allows them to vote on the equipment; they don't need a full glove because you really only need a finger.

“Then they'll also have some personalized little cleaning supplies, so if they want to clean it right before they vote on it, that they can do that, too.”

Bride said poll workers will be ready to act if anyone attempts to threaten or provoke voters, or wears a candidate’s campaign attire.

“We've given some instructions to election judges on what to do if they have some concerns in the polling place to how to handle those situations,” said Bride. “We’re trying to remind the public that you can show your support for a candidate, but you can’t actually wear any clothing or hats or anything with the candidate's name or their logos on it in the polling place.”

Bride said that although they can never have too many election judges, he’s cautiously optimistic they have plenty of staff for today's needs.

“We've had a really good response from the public for election judges,” he said. “We’re trying to over-staff as much as possible to help out with cleaning and social distancing, those kind of things.”

Ackerman announced Monday afternoon that all Tazewell County election judges will get $75 hazard pay beyond their normal $165 wage, funded through a $51,600 grant from a private, non-profit organization called the Center for Tech and Civic Life.

“We’ve been very fortunate in that we’ve had a lot of residents throughout the county step forward after hearing about the problem of election judge shortages,” said Ackerman, noting a redistricting effort last year cut the number of precincts down.

“So all the election judges that we’re serving in those precincts, we’ve been able to disperse them out to anywhere that we've had any holes. I’m actually looking at the highest level of election judge participation that we've had in well over a decade.”

Another question facing Bride and Ackerman is how quickly they will be able to get the votes counted. Ackerman said the large amount of advance participation will help accelerate the process.

“Early vote and vote-by-mail ballots are being calculated as those votes are cast here in our office,” said Ackerman, who reported 17,820 early voters and 14,400 vote-by-mail ballots received as of Monday. That includes a single-day county record of 744 early voters Monday at the McKenzie Building in Pekin.

“So we'll have their totals prepared; we just need to take (them) down and put them into our calculator and get the final results. There won't be any delay because of those two items, it's just a matter of waiting for our election judges to close down the polls.”

Bride said he also doesn't anticipate his office facing any delays in getting started with the count--once the last voters have finished their ballots.

“As soon as they can get closed--and you know, anybody in line at 7 o'clock gets to vote, so sometimes it goes past seven a little bit,” said Bride. “Then it's just a matter of the judges getting everything packed up and making sure everything works counting correctly and the numbers match.

“Then they've got to bring it back and we've got to get him into the building and counted. Typically, we'll start to put up polling place results within an hour.”

Both Bride and Ackerman think the large participation in the early voting options will likely translate to fewer people voting in person today. But voters still may have to wait a bit before they get to the ballot boxes.

“Even with a reduced number, you're still going to have some wait times at some locations,” said Bride. “I don't expect massive lines, but you never know. It depends on when the voters show up.”

There's no subscription fee to listen or read our stories. Everyone can access this essential public service thanks to community support. Donate now, and help fund your public media.

Copyright 2021 WCBU. To see more, visit WCBU.

Joe Deacon is a reporter at WCBU.