Six things to know about voting on Election Day in southwestern Illinois

If you haven’t voted early, Tuesday is the day to cast your 2020 election ballot at your local polling place.

Here are six things that will help you participate:

When are polls open?

Polls are open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. If you don’t know your polling place, contact your county clerk’s office or visit your county’s website for details.

What’s on the ballot?

The race for president has grabbed all the national headlines, but people around southwestern Illinois will decide other state and local races as well, in addition to referendums. Races for U.S. Congress and one U.S. Senate seat are also on the ballot.

You can find a full list of candidates for contested races, plus where they stand on important local issues, in the BND interactive Voter Guide. Here’s the url for the guide: https://bit.ly/3iRJak9

If you have any questions about the guide, please contact Elections2020@bnd.com.

What COVID-19 precautions are in place to protect voters and election workers at polling places?

We all have to work together - voters and poll workers - to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Wear your mask and practice 6-foot social distancing at your polling place. Also, follow any posted safety precautions and ask poll workers for guidance, if you have any questions.

County clerks in St. Clair, Madison, Clinton and Washington counties plan to provide face shields, masks, gloves and hand sanitizer for judges; hand sanitizer and in some cases gloves for voters; and masks for voters who don’t have them. Some judges will be stationed behind clear plastic partitions.

Local election authorities all were required to submit health and safety plans to state officials that include cleaning and disinfecting surfaces, social distancing routines and face coverings.

The Centers for Disease Control advises voters to “take care when touching surfaces and wash your hands often or, if not possible, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol.”

Can I still turn in my mail-in ballot?

If you have a mail-in ballot and have not turned it in, the best way to make sure it is counted is to drop it off at an official, secure drop box before polls close Tuesday. The Illinois State Board of Elections has a list of drop box locations on its website at https://bit.ly/3e2sMvu.

If you received a vote-by-mail ballot but decide to vote in person, you can bring your ballot with you and provide it to election judges at your polling place. Your name will not be on the books at the polling place, so it is important to bring the ballot with you.

You can still mail in the ballot, but it has to be postmarked Tuesday, Nov. 3 and received by election officials no later than Nov. 17. The U.S. Postal Service had recommended mailing your ballot no later than Oct. 27 to ensure that it arrives on time to be counted.

Where can I get election results?

Final results for president and some races in Illinois may not be known for days.

BND reporters and editors will begin posting unofficial local results at bnd.com as soon as they are available after the polls close Tuesday night. We will update the results throughout the evening and beyond.

We will also publish unofficial results and follow-up articles in the Thursday print edition of the Belleville News-Democrat. Some results also will be available in Wednesday’s eEdition.

Some final results may not be known for days because of the heavy turnout and thousands of mail-in ballots across the state that still have not been returned.

During the daytime, you can follow the latest news about voting as our reporters file live reports from polling places around the southwest Illinois.

You can help with coverage on Election Day by sharing your voting experience, questions and tips via email at Elections2020@bnd.com or newsroom@bnd.com.

And if you have questions about our coverage, you can reach out to the same addresses and we will be back in touch.

What if I see something that concerns me at a polling place?

The Illinois State Board of Elections recommends that you speak with an election judge at the polling place. Also, in St. Clair County you can call the county clerk’s office at 618-825-2366 to report a concern. You also can send an email to VoterIntegrity@co.st-clair.il.us.

BND reporters Mike Koziatek, Kelsey Landis and Teri Maddox contributed to this article.

This story was originally published November 3, 2020 at 5:00 AM.