The Illinois General Assembly last week passed Senate Bill 1863 which is a bill that expanded mail-in voting for the upcoming election on November 3rd. Anyone who has voted in any election in the past two years will automatically receive an application for a vote-by-mail ballot.
Not everyone is supportive of bill though. Some House and Senate Republicans say that the cost and that the risk for electoral fraud is just too high. While Senate President Don Harmon said that this is overdue and a step towards modern convenience and election safety.
Christian County Clerk Michael Gianasi said that the impact that mail-in voting will have on his office is hard to say at this point.
Shelby County Clerk Jessica Fox said that not a lot of Shelby County residents do vote by mail, but she thinks this will encourage more people to vote by mail. Fox went on to say that as an election authority it’s very important that anyone who wants to vote, no matter how they decide to vote, has the opportunity to do so.
Senate Bill 1863 only expanded mail-in voting for the 2020 General Election. The bill also made Election Day, November 3rd, 2020 a state holiday. You can see the full text of Senate Bill 1863 here.
