Primary Election Announcements from County Clerk

The following announcements were adapted from a media advisory from the Champaign County Clerk Aaron Ammons,  1/20/21. 

Early Voting 
Early voting for the 2021 Primary Election is currently underway at the Brookens Admin Center-Lyle Shields meeting room (County Board room), 1776 E Washington St. Urbana, IL  61802. All Early voting location information and hours can be found at the link  https://champaigncountyclerk.com/elections/many-ways-vote/early-voting-information  See graphic at the end of announcement to see what races are contested in the Primary. 

Vote by Mail and Drop Boxes 
 Any registered/eligible voter can request their vote by mail application for both the 2021 Primary and General Elections. Requests can be made at the link below. https://champaigncountyclerk.com/elections/my-voting-information/vote-mail-ballot-request  
​
Unfortunately, we do not have ballot drop boxes available this election as a method of returning your ballot. The legislation that allowed for the use of drop boxes during the Presidential Election in November only applied to that election. Despite confidence that the bill would pass the Illinois Legislature, unfortunately during the lame duck session it was never called for a vote.  

I am working closely with Representative Carol Ammons to introduce the bill this session and if it passes and is signed by the Governor, we may have drop boxes available for the Municipal Election in April of this year. 

For now, here are the two ways you can return your vote by mail ballot:
1) Mail it back to us FREE of charge. The postage is paid, and the envelope is provided. I know there were concerns with the mail system in November, however, the USPS locally was outstanding during the Presidential election. We had no problems at all with their deliveries or mailings. Election mail is prioritized and you can also track the status of your ballot on our voter portal at ChampaignCountyClerk.com 

2) Drop it off at the Clerk's Office. You can drop your ballot off at the Clerk's Office from 8:30AM-4:30PM, Monday-Friday. You need to wear a mask to enter the Brookens building but this is an option if you prefer to hand deliver your ballot. This is the only place you can hand deliver your ballot. 

Please Note: You CANNOT return your ballot to any polling location. Although it seems logical to hand your ballot to an Election Judge at a polling place, that action is illegal under current Illinois election law. If you take your ballot to a polling location the judges will have no choice but to refuse your vote by mail ballot. We look forward to having another successful, fair, free, and accessible election. Thank you again for choosing a safe and secure way of voting.