Permanent mail-in voting coming to elections this November

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WAND)- The Illinois General Elections are just 70 days away and Sangamon County officials are getting ready for a busy time.

The biggest change to the election this November is the new permanent vote by mail option. Voters can fill out an application to receive mail in ballots each election without applying before each one.

"It allows qualified, registered voters that want to vote by mail to apply only onc, and you will always receive your ballot by mail," said Sangamon County Clerk Don Gray. "As long as you don't have a change in your address or a change in your name, you don't have to re-enroll into the program."

Voting Accessibility advocates say that this change means more people can vote without worrying about making it to their actual polling place. Keri Tate, the President of the League of Women Voters of Illinois Springfield Area, says the people who need to vote by mail are often forgotten or misunderstood.

"One kind of unsung community that we don't talk about very much is, you know, young moms and young dads who are struggling," said Tate. "They're working all day picking up the children from daycare and trying to figure out when are they going to run in someplace to vote, while they still have their child."

Tate also says that mail in voting can remove the anxiety or stress that comes with voting in-person. She says the less intimidating the process is, the more people will vote.

"Now you don't have to walk into a place that maybe you don't know or feel comfortable," said Tate. "When you have to go in person to vote people can be very intimidated by walking into something that looks so bureaucratic."

Opening up more options for voting means less work for voting officials. Now county clerk's offices won't have to process as many requests for mail in voting before each election.

"You have multiple layers of opportunity to be able to cast a ballot in any election cycle, you can choose to vote by mail that's much more convenient for you from the comfort of your home," said Gray.