I spent 16 years as an Illinois election judge for Madison County. I often think back on those years and the many elections I spent in the original township building and then the Collinsville Senior Center. I think it was the old township building, the place on Vandalia near the motorcycle store. The first election I worked was in August of 1988, a special election to elect a successor to Rep. Mel Price. Jerry Costello won that day. In any event many hours in one room for each election, many of which had very few voters. They were long days, get there at 5 in the morning and not leave until after ballots were synced to make sure the number of votes matched up with the number of voters, the absentee ballots from that precinct were opened and tabulated then all were and bundled up to be taken to the Madison County Court House.
But it was also true that Madison County did a fantastic job of running elections. The officials made sure all judges knew ahead of time how things would be run during the day and how to tabulate and turn in at the end. They left no question unanswered ahead of the election.
In the beginning the voters used the punch ballots, then paper ballots which went into a counting machine and later computer screen ballots. If a voter wanted a paper ballot, rather than a machine they could request one.
All of which I am now going over in my mind as I listen to all the news stories on how we are going to vote this November. The virus keeps looming over everything and health safety is upper most in everyone's mind. But how to get a smooth and fair election is going to be the conumdrum. It's easy to say, mail in ballots only, but as an old judge I can visualize the problems with this. Mail in ballots are traditionally ballots requested by a registered voter, not ballots sent to everyone on the rolls. If a lot of registered voters go this route, there will be quite a bit of time at the close on election night before any results are in because, also on election night the absentee (or mail-in) ballots are not opened until the end. They shouldn't be opened til the end anyway.
Will the judges not have to come to the precinct until 7 in the evening and then open all the mailed ballots and then tabulate? Or will they be in precinct all day tabulating what has already been sent in and then ballots which arrived that same day?
Or will we be be going to a combination of mail in and in person?
No matter how we vote, each voter has been required to be who they are supposed to be on the official voter roll. And be registered to actually vote.