Early Voting Down in McHenry County

Early and absentee voting for the March 20 primary is significantly less than in the 2008 primary election, according to McHenry County Clerk Kathryn C. Schultz.

“The absentee voting process is just not there, but I couldn’t tell you why. I have no idea whether people haven’t made up their minds or something else,” Schultz said. 

As of March 12, the McHenry County Clerk’s Office received 2,385 requests for absentee voting. So far, 1,748 people have voted.

In the February, 2008 primary, there were 4,720 early voters, Schultz said. 

In the 2008 primary in McHenry County, 33,439 voters pulled Democrat ballots and 31,224 voters pulled Republican ballots, according to McHenry County election canvass reports.

Illinois has a semi-open primary, which means voters do not have to register with a certain party. They can pull a Republican ballot in one election and a Democrat ballot in the next.

In McHenry County, March 15 is the last day for the County Clerk’s Office to receive an application for early voting by mail.  Early voters can still vote in person at an early voting center until March 19. 

For more information, visit the McHenry County Clerk's website.