Ballot applications mailed
By STU MERRY
While political ads have already begun filling various forms of media, the run up to the November General Election has begun in earnest in McLean County. Late this past week, eligible voters in the county began receiving absentee/mail ballot applications.
Those who plan to vote from the comfort of their home are asked to fill out the form and return it to county officials in Washburn.
About 6,000 applications were mailed with an additional 1,600 applications automatically sent to individuals who designated on their Primary Election ballot application that they wanted their General Election ballot sent to them.
Vote-by-Mail has become a popular way to vote in McLean County. County Auditor Les Korgel said about 60 percent of eligible county voters used the method in the Primary Election.
Korgel thinks that number will be eclipsed in November. "We will probably have a higher absentee voter count because of the number of individuals heading south for the winter," he said.
Korgel said it’s too early to tell what the turnout will be. "There are several interesting races in the county, along with eight ballot measures which are drawing interest already," he said.
The application asks voters to mark what election they are voting; their name, date of birth, ID number, address and signature. Once completed, voters must affix a stamp to the pre-addressed card and put it in the mail.
