Early voting begins in Edgar County

The 2024 election cycle is in full swing, and Edgar County residents who want to cast their vote before Election Day (Tuesday, Nov. 5) are invited to do so. Early voting for each county precinct began Thursday, Sept. 26, and is set to end Monday, Nov. 4. 

In a statement released Friday, Sept. 13, Edgar County Clerk and Recorder August Griffin directed early voters to the Edgar County Courthouse, located on the city square at 115 W. Court Street in Paris, to register and submit their ballots. The courthouse is open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday.

This year’s ballot includes the federal, state and local elections, with the only contested race on the ballot being the race for the Oval Office. The Democratic ticket of Vice President Kamala Harris and Tim Walz is pitted against Republican nominee and former President Donald Trump alongside his running mate JD Vance. Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the independent candidate who suspended his campaign on Friday, Aug. 23, will remain on the ballot in Edgar County and across Illinois.

All other local or state candidates on the ballot are running unopposed, but voters will face several other decisions on the ballot in the form of statewide advisory questions. Advisory questions are legally non-binding and “advisory in nature” according to Griffin, meaning they are meant to poll voters, not to enact new state laws or alter current legislature. Advisory questions inform lawmakers which potential policy proposals are favorable among their constituents.

This year’s ballot will include the following questions:

• "Should any candidate appearing on the Illinois ballot for federal, State or local office be subject to civil penalties if the candidate interferes or attempts to interfere with an election worker's official duties?"
• "Should the Illinois Constitution be amended to create an additional 3 percent tax on income greater than $1,000,000 for the purpose of dedicating funds raised to property tax relief?”
• "Should all medically appropriate assisted reproductive treatments, including, but not limited to, in vitro fertilization, be covered by any health insurance plan in Illinois that provides coverage for pregnancy benefits, without limitation on the number of treatments?"

Voters in Kansas, Ill. will also cast their vote on a proposition to prohibit the retail sale of alcoholic beverages in their community.

Edgar County Courthouse security staff will also be enforcing the building’s strict ‘no cell phones’ policy during early voting.

For more information, contact the Clerk and Recorder’s office by phone at 217-466-7433.