Lawmakers aim to make Illinois a “Vote by Mail” State

If you love the patriotic feeling of leaving work to go vote on election day, the option to do that may be slowly disappearing in the Land of Lincoln. Lawmakers are trying to make voting by mail the default option in Illinois, here are the details...

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2024 is an election year and lawmakers in Illinois are looking to make laws that would prioritize voting by mail. In an article from NPR Illinois, they mention how there is a bill that aims to make voting by mail the default way to vote in the Land of Lincoln, the article says...

"But one lawmaker is proposing a bill in the Illinois House that could make that decision a lot easier, making voting by mail the default option for people in counties and cities that choose to go that route...House Bill 4198, which would allow county clerks and other local election authorities to make voting by mail the default option in their jurisdiction. It would give them the option of mailing ballots to all registered voters in their jurisdiction, without requiring voters to ask for one. But it would still require local election authorities to offer in-person voting as well for those who prefer to cast their ballot in person."

To read more on this proposed change to how you will vote in the state of Illinois, click here!

Change seems inevitable...

I will never be a person who chooses to vote by mail. I am 33 years old and the first election I got to vote in was the 2008 presidential election between McCain and Obama. I voted in person for that election and have voted in person for every midterm and primary election since then. There is something so patriotic about showing up to the polls and taking the time to participate in democracy. I also, for some reason, don't trust my ballot will be counted if I vote by mail, how can they guarantee my vote won't get lost, or tampered with in the mail? Unfortunately, it seems as though this is the way the world is going, and I'm sure this legislation will pass in the Land of Lincoln, but I will continue to show up to the polls until they don't let me have that option anymore.