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Voters should prepare for choices in primary election

Illinois voters have homework to do before casting their votes in the March 20 primary election.
Kay Shipman 
Published: Feb 20, 2012
“Some election outcomes turn on one vote,” said Illinois Farm Bureau Director Chuck Cawley, chairman of the board’s Illinois Government Committee.

In Illinois primary elections, voters must declare a political party, and that means they can only vote for races within that party, said William “Bill” Blessman, Mason County clerk and recorder.

“They can only select one party. They can’t cross over (party lines). They should look over the ballot and decide which race they want to vote in,” Blessman said.

A voter may be interested in the race for the Republican presidential nominee and also a hotly contested race among Democrat candidates for a county board seat. But, by law, an individual can’t vote in both of those races.

“It’s always a quandary for people, determining a party,” Blessman said. He pointed out Illinois does not register voters by party so voters may choose a different party in the next primary.

If voters do not want to declare a party, they may request a non-partisan ballot, which would allow them to vote on such issues as school bond referendums.

Changes that result from the redrawn legislative districts will vary across the state and depend on where voters live, according to Blessman.

Some voters may encounter no changes, while others may be assigned a different polling place or a different legislative district.
“They may see different candidates on the ballot or they might be the same candidates but running in different number (districts),” Blessman said. “The county board districts may have changed or may have different numbers.”

Voters may have received information explaining the changes in the mail, he added. In most counties, election information will be available online.

Blessman recommended voters access their respective county’s website or go to {www.elections.state.il.us} to find information on the Illinois State Board of Elections website.

Farm Bureau members also will find information on the IFB website. Look on the right side under the “Quick Picks” icon and click on “Election Information.”

Voters also may call or visit their local election authorities with any questions, especially those who don’t have or don’t use the Internet, Blessman said. “We’re sensitive to that,” he added.


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