ABSENTEE
VOTING
What is Absentee Voting?
Absentee voting is the process of casting a ballot prior
to Election Day.
Who can vote by Absentee Ballot?
Registered voters in the City
of Bloomington are eligible to cast an absentee ballot by applying for such
ballot as described below.
How do I obtain an absentee
ballot?
A voter
must submit an Application for Absentee Ballot** before a ballot is issued.
The application may be submitted in person or by mail.
The Board
of Elections office must receive the Application for Absentee Ballot no later
than the Thursday before an election for a ballot to be mailed back to the voter.
Can I vote absentee in
person instead of by mail?
After printed
ballots are available for any election (usually about a month before the
election), absentee voting can be done in person in the office of the Board of
Elections until the end of office hours the day before any election, including
from 9 a.m. until noon on the Saturday before the election.
Are there alternatives to
absentee voting?
Voters should check the Early Voting dates to see if that could be an
option for them. These dates are available on the home page, or by calling
our office at 309-888-5136.
How and when will absentee
ballots be counted?
Absentee ballots are counted
by election judges on election day in ballot tabulating equipment just like
ballots at the polls. To be counted, absentee ballots must be returned in person before
the close of polls on election day; or postmarked before midnight on the day
before the election, and arrive by mail in the office within 14 days after the
election. Absentee ballots returned late but not under these conditions are not
counted.
How do I obtain an Absentee Ballot Application?
-
Call us and the Board of
Elections will mail you an Application for Absentee Ballot preprinted with your
voter information. OR
-
Print a blank application
form below**, complete, and mail to our office. OR
-
Come to our office and
complete an application. The ballot will be mailed when it is available
about a month before the election.
I am permanently disabled.
Can I vote an absentee ballot in every election?
For further information
about being included on the permanently disabled list of voters for automatic
absentee balloting, contact:
The Board of Election Commissioners
115 E. Washington St., Room 403
Bloomington, IL 61701
Phone (309) 888-5136
Fax (309)
888-5776
ABSENTEE
VOTING APPLICATION
Registered voters who live within the corporate city limits of Bloomington,
Illinois ONLY mail the form to us. OR call 309-888-5136 and we will send you a
preprinted absentee application by mail.
Others should contact their local election authorities. McLean County
voters who live outside the city limits of Bloomington should contact the
McLean County Clerk's office at 309-888-5190.
**For
APPLICATION FOR ABSENTEE VOTER'S BALLOT which you can print on your
printer, click here. Fill out and mail to Board of Election Commissioners,
115 E. Washington St., Room 403, PO Box 2400, Bloomington, IL 61702
(Form is in PDF
format; you must
have Acrobat Reader. To get Adobe Acrobat Reader free online, click here:
)
MILITARY AND OVERSEAS VOTERS
Military and overseas
voters - see U.S. Department of Defense Federal Voting Assistance Program online
at http://www.fvap.gov/ for instructions on
registering to vote and requesting absentee ballots as well as the forms necessary
to do so.
