Early Voting Begins for Illinois Primary Elections

(The Center Square) – Early voting is scheduled to begin Thursday in most Illinois jurisdictions for the state’s Democratic and Republican primary elections March 17. Illinois State Board of Elections Public Information Officer Matt Dietrich said the state’s early voting period lasts 40 days. “It’s five weeks and five days prior to the election, so it’s always on a Thursday,” Dietrich told TCS. Dietrich said there were many objections to candidates who filed last October. “We still have a couple of candidates who are still in court, trying to get back onto the ballot, but for the most part those have been resolved,” Dietrich said. Pike County Clerk/Recorder Natalie Roseberry said it is challenging to have court cases pending when ballots are already printed. “We do our printing in house, and we are in a position where we might have to terminate those ballots. These last-minute decisions really do make an impact on election officials,” Roseberry told TCS. Roseberry said early voting wou