Early Voting begins in Illinois on Monday, October 20, 2014.
People can head to some polling places in Illinois on Monday. Any registered person can vote early. They need no excuse, reason, or an ID. People often vote early to avoid long lines at the polls on Election Day. Rock Island's County Clerk Karen Kinney talked about the importance of voting back in March of this year, during the primary elections.
"Those questions, depending on how we answer them, how we cast our vote, they could affect us for years to come," Kinney said. "So, I think it's important for everyone to get out and cast their vote."
Besides early voting, you can also vote absentee in person or by mail. Absentee voting by mail is up in Rock Island County this year. Kinney said Monday that 7,500 people have already voted absentee by mail in Rock Island County. In 2012, just 5,500 people did for that presidential election. Residents in Illinois no longer need a 'just cause' to vote absentee by mail. She says that more people know about the advantages to voting absentee by mail, than they did back in 2012.
There are five locations in Rock Island County where you can do early voting regularly. To see the list, click here. Early voting continues in Illinois until November 2, 2014. Early voting in Iowa began last month.