The 2020 primaries officially got underway this week with the Iowa Caucus.
In Illinois, the primary election is scheduled for Tuesday, March 17, with polls opening at 6:00 am and staying open until 7:00 pm.
Early voting officially begins Thursday in the state and there are a number of ways to have your voice heard.
Knox County Clerk Scott Erickson tells WGIL that anyone living outside of the City of Galesburg can stop by the Courthouse and vote there.
“My office will handle the stuff for the county. So anyone outside the City of Galesburg but in Knox County can come see us here at the courthouse. We’ve got machines and stuff set up there we’ll be able to get you all taken care of.”
Erickson said that before coming in make sure to check and see you’re voter registration is up to date but he adds that with early voting you can come in, register, and vote in one go.
“Either give us a call or come in and we can take a look at the stuff — make sure you’re all set. If you’re voting early that makes it easy. We can take care of that all in one shot.”
He adds that with it being a presidential election year, there may be a big increase in wait times at the polling locations — thus making early voting an attractive option for voters.
“With the presidential year coming around, there’s going to be the potential for a lot of turnout. It’s like, you know what. Let’s get people in ahead of time so they’re not having to wait in lines or have any delays at the polling locations.”
If not waiting in line at a polling location is your reasoning for not voting, voting by mail is an option too.
Erickson said that you can fill out and send in an application to vote by mail and they’ll mail the ballot to you. The deadline to apply for voting by mail is March 12th.
Vote-by-mail ballots must be postmarked by March 17th for the votes to be counted for the primary.
To find your polling location in Knox County, click here.
