Vote by Mail

Note: Quoted text on this page is taken directly from the County Clerk's website. The County Clerk is the official authority for this election. If you have any questions about your ballot, don’t hesitate to contact the Clerk’s Office at elections@co.champaign.il.us or 217-384-3724.

What is Vote by Mail?

Alternatively called “Vote by Mail” or “Absentee Voting,” this form of voting allows you to request and receive a ballot that you can fill out in the comfort of your own home. In Illinois, you do not need a reason to vote by mail; it's available to any and all registered voters. Many voters are choosing vote by mail this year due to Covid-19, particularly voters in a high-risk category.

How to Vote by Mail?

1. Request Your Ballot

In order to receive a mail-in ballot, you must request one from the Champaign County Clerk’s Office through their secure voter portal. You can request a mail-in ballot online or by paper.

Online from the County Clerk's voter portal. This is the fastest, safest method and is highly recommended by the County Clerk. There are instructions on the site, but briefly: you'll need to enter your first and last names as they appear on your voter identification card (the once you received after your registered.) Also you'll be asked for the last 4 digits of your Social Security number, or your entire driver's license or state ID#. If you have any difficulty, contact the County Clerk's Elections Division at elections@co.champaign.il.us or 217-384-3724.
Once you have requested your ballot online, you will receive a confirmation email.

Once you have requested your ballot online, you will receive a confirmation email.

Request a paper request form. If you prefer to fill out a paper request form, you can do so. How do you get such a form? You may already have received one (or more) through the mail. They may have come from the County Clerk or from a third party. If you received more than one, fill out one of them, preferably the one from the County Clerk and toss the rest. If more than one request accidentally gets to the County Clerk's office, staff will detect and correct the problem. If you don't have a paper application form, you can call the County Clerk’s Office at 217-384-3724 and request a paper application be mailed to you.

Be aware of the time frame for requesting your vote by mail ballot. Online is the fastest! Paper takes more time. October 29 is the deadline to request a paper ballot be mailed to you, but the County Clerk strongly encourages everyone to request their ballots before the 29th and as early as possible.

2. Receive Your Ballot

The County Clerk’s Office were mailed out starting September 24th. The sooner you request your ballot, the sooner you can receive it. (See this announcement by the County Clerk on expected arrival of ballots in home mailboxes.)

Frequently Asked Questions

What if I receive more than one ballot by mail? "Duplicate ballots occur in vote by mail. It’s a precaution of making sure the voter gets their ballot. There is no need for alarm. The duplicate ballot can be returned to the Clerk’s Office with duplicate written across the top. There is no possibility of a voter being able to vote more than once because they received duplicate ballots. Once a ballot is returned it is immediately scanned into the system as returned. Any additional ballots for the same voter would be flagged as duplicates and not counted."
What if I requested a ballot but never received it? "Give us a call and we can verify your address and status of your request. You can reach us at 217-384-3724. *If the election is less than 48 hours away, we strongly suggest you simply vote in-person at your regular precinct or any of the 12 universal sites listed at the top of the page."
I don't think the ballot I received is correct. Now what?
"Give us a call and we can verify your address and ballot style. You can reach us at 217-384-3724."

3. Fill Out Your Ballot

From the County Clerk vote by mail information page, how to fill out your ballot:

"Read the ballot carefully, noting how many candidates you may vote for per race and check the back of your ballot for additional races. We encourage you to vote the whole ballot. "
"Fill in the oval next to the candidate(s) of your choice completely with black ink. "

"If you make a mistake on your ballot, mark the spoiled box on the back of the orange envelope and send the ballot back to the Clerk’s Office. If we have time to get it to you in the mail, we’ll send you a new ballot. If Election Day is too close we strongly encourage you to take the spoiled ballot to your home polling location or one of the 12 universal polling locations, surrender it, and vote in person. "

"Once your ballot is complete, place it in the orange envelope, sign the ballot certification, and seal."
"If you are having your ballot hand delivered by someone other than yourself, you and the person delivering the ballot must complete the Affidavit of Delivery on the outside of the orange return envelope."

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I get help from a friend or family member in completing my vote-by-mail ballot? "Yes, you can. Just completed the “Did You Get Help?” section on the orange return envelope."

4. Return Your Ballot

"After you have completed your ballot, refold it and insert it into the orange envelope addressed to the Clerk’s Office. Make sure you sign the envelope! If you forget, the Clerk’s Office will not be able to cast your ballot until you provide a valid signature."

"There are two ways to return your ballot.

You can drop it in any post office mailbox – postage is paid!
You can also deposit your ballot in one of the secure drop boxes throughout the county. These are ¼ inch steel, highly secure drop boxes that are permanent to their location. The contents are picked up daily by two Election Judges, one from each party."

Please note that there are now also Drive & Drop Locations, as described below.

Drop Box Locations in Champaign County

24-Hour Locations

Brookens Administration Building, 1776 E Washington St, Urbana, in the circle drive
Champaign Public Library, 200 W Green, Champaign, north of the mailbox on State Street
Champaign Public Library-Douglass Branch, 504 E Grove, Champaign, in the circle drive
Champaign-Urbana Public Health District, 201 W Kenyon Rd, Champaign, in the east parking lot
Sholem Pool, 2205 Sangamon Dr, Champaign, at the top of the circle drive
Urbana Public Library, 210 W Green, Urbana, in the circle drive
University of Illinois Quad, 1401 W Green St, northwest corner, accessible by foot or bike only

Drive & Drop Dates, Times, & Locations
Every Saturday in October from 1-3PM at these locations. Drive up and drop your ballot off with Election Judges.

Lake of the Woods, Elk’s Pavilion, 301 Senna Drive, Mahomet, IL 61853
Rantoul Township Building, 121 N Garrard, Rantoul, IL 61866
Prince of Peace Lutheran Church, 802 East Douglas Street, St. Joseph, IL 61873
Tolono Public Library, 111 East Main Street, Tolono, IL 61880

Vote by Mail Security

What happens after I return my ballot?

Secure Pick Up

A team of Democratic and Republican staff members and volunteers will pick up ballots from the post office and the secure drop boxes. These pick-up teams operate in pairs, with one member from each major party.

Delivery

Ballots are returned to the County Clerk’s office and the barcode on the envelope is then scanned, which allows you to track your ballot’s progress at the Champaign County Clerk’s website. You will be able to see when the County Clerk receives your ballot request, when your ballot is put into the mail to you, and when the County Clerk receives your completed ballot.

Evaluated

A team of three trained volunteers and staff with at least one member from each party will work together to determine if the ballot is valid or not.

Tabulated

Election judges insert the valid ballot in the tabulator. Votes are not totaled until after the polls close at 7:00 pm on November 3.

Questions About Security

Is Vote-by-Mail Safe? "Vote by mail has been around since the Civil War and is a safe and reliable way to vote. Vote by mail used to be called “Absentee” but now any eligible voter can vote by mail/vote at home. States all across the U.S. are almost entirely vote by mail because of the cost savings, security, and ease of voting. There are numerous checks and balances in place throughout the entire vote by mail process to ensure complete transparency, integrity and accuracy ... Vote by mail uses the same machines for ballot printing, tabulation, voter verification and checking in as in-person voting and all machines are developed and governed by strict federal rules."
How Will I Know If My Ballot is Counted? "Ballots are checked in, verified, and cast by a 3-judge panel with judges from both parties. This ensures everything is done according to statue and accurately. If you log into My Voter Information, it will tell you when your ballot has been received by the Clerk's Office. If there is anything that would prevent your ballot from being cast, the Clerk’s Office would contact you immediately to rectify the issue."
What if My Ballot is Rejected? "If there is anything that would prevent your ballot from being cast, the Clerk’s Office would contact you immediately to rectify the issue and you would have 14 days from election day to resolve the issue."
What if I requested and received a vote-by-mail ballot but changed my mind? What if I now want to vote in person? "You can do that. Take your vote by mail ballot with you to your polling place, surrender it to the Election Judge, and they will issue you a new ballot. However, we do encourage you to use your vote by mail ballot. It is safer for everyone. If you're not comfortable mailing it back, you can use a drop box, described in the question above."

For More Information

Vote by Mail Information on the Champaign County Clerk's Office