Record numbers of absentee ballots are being requested formilitary personnel and other registered voters living overseas.
"It's off the charts," said Cook County Clerk David Orr.
"We're up considerably," Chicago Board of Elections spokesman TomLeach said.
"This far exceeds anything we've ever seen before," said LakeCounty Clerk Willard Helander.
Across the Chicago area, thousands of requests are coming in frommilitary officers and others overseas entitled to receive ballotsearly to allow plenty of time for their return before Nov. 2.
Concerns about delays resulting in uncounted votes are helpingdrive some of the rush, many said, especially after the 2000presidential election saw hundreds of military votes destined forFlorida disqualified because they came in late.
In Illinois, absentee ballots must be received by 7 p.m. onElection Day.
City requests double
Since Sept. 3, registered voters living overseas have been able toapply for an absentee ballot and in the two weeks since, earlyreturns have been noticeable.
Leach said about 3,600 absentee ballot requests have come in,which is "about twice what we had" in 2000. Orr said his office hashad 3,091 overseas requests for ballots, about half of which are frommilitary officers, and that's already near the 4,040 total overseasrequests from 2000.
Cook County has already surpassed its requests from military stafffrom 2000.
Orr said he's anticipating a continued push, as his office, likeChicago's, is now offering to send absentee ballot applications andthe ballots themselves to registered voters via e-mail or fax. Thosevoters must then mail each document back, but Orr said usingelectronic means on the front end will help reduce the wait for avote to be counted.
"Even for those in the most remote of places, they can get aballot," he said. "We want to do everything we can to make sure thepeople fighting to protect our country get a chance to vote, too."
Before implementing the program this year, Orr said, the officecarefully considered voter security and the integrity of the absenteeballot. Already, the U.S. Department of Defense scrapped a plan toallow soldiers to vote via e-mail, given the same concerns. ButMissouri voters will be allowed to do that, drawing criticism fromwatchdogs like the National Committee for Voting Integrity.
"The Internet is far too insecure to use as a means of two-waycommunication on voting," said Lillie Coney, NCVI coordinator, whosaid the program used in Cook County and Chicago is better, as itallows overseas voters privacy when filling out ballots.
Numbers are up in Republican and Democratic counties alike.
DuPage County officials said in 2000 they mailed out 1,178absentee ballot forms, and they've already passed that.
"We've got requests coming in every day from overseas," LakeCounty's Helander said. "People care!"
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