ROCK ISLAND, Illinois - A mistake ahead of Election Day could impact how the rest of Illinois handles absentee ballots. There's a safeguard in the works that could make sure your vote counts, no matter how you cast your ballot.
Just before November's elections, the county discovered 1,500 voting applications just sitting at a post office, rather in the hands of the county clerk.
"They`re sitting in a tub on the floor and they`re not being processed, because the organization that opened the box had not paid all the fees," said Rock Island County State's Attorney, John McGehee.
A group collected the application, but never sent them to the county.
McGehee went to Springfield to speak to lawmakers about the problem of third parties involved in voter registration and the mess it can cause.
"She had to use three or four people working extra hours over time to process all these applications," said McGehee.
The new pending bill would let groups send out absentee ballots, but would require those ballots be sent directly to the clerk.
"That`s fine for third-party organizations to get their voters out, the more people voting the better, that`s fine, however those applications should be returned to the clerk," said McGehee.
The state could also give voters more time to return their ballots too, from five to 14 days.
"We want everybody who wants vote to have an opportunity to vote," said McGehee.
McGehee says six other counties in Illinois have also complained about the same problem.