(The Center Square) – Following a U.S. Supreme Court decision Monday, Illinois elected officials are urging residents to send any mail-in ballots to be cast in the midterms ahead of election day.
The highest court temporarily allowed the Trump administration to maintain an executive order placing restrictions on mail-in voting across the country, requiring the U.S. Postal Service to cross reference Homeland Security lists of legal citizen eligible voters.
Ed Yohnka, spokesman for Illinois ACLU, said the ruling was disappointing but would allow the group's case to be ruled on to potentially block the executive order’s rule based on its merits.
“I would point out that and another ACLU case, in which the League of Women Voters is our plaintiff, there is another case pending challenging that rule,” Yohnka said Tuesday.
Cook County Clerk Monica Gordon, alongside Yohnka, other voting rights advocates and local and state elected officials at a Tuesday news conference, urged voters to be aware and have a plan to vote.
“If you want to return your mail ballot through the postal service, please do it early. Do not wait until election day or the final few days before. And if you want to remove that uncertainty altogether, use one of our secure ballot drop-boxes,” Gordon said.
State Sen. Laura Murphy, D-Des Plaines, said she agreed with the clerk’s advice, and said election-securing efforts have been made at the state level.
“I want every voter to know in the state of Illinois we're doing everything possible to protect your vote,” Murphy said.
State lawmakers won’t return to work in Springfield until two weeks after the election.
U.S. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, D-Ill., reacted to the court’s decision Tuesday at the Cook County elections office.
“A federal district court has already found that Congress did not give the USPS authority to decide which voters receive mail and ballots. State and local officials administer our elections. The postal service delivers the mail,” Krishnamoorthi said.
While a district court did make that finding, the case was brought before the Supreme Court after, which is why the order is being temporarily allowed.
Concern has also been raised in recent months over the potential deployment of immigration officials at or near polling locations in November, particularly in places with populations of noncitizens.
Gordon said she doesn’t have any information on if there are plans to deploy to her jurisdiction, but she wants to prepare for if they do.
“We have no specific information that federal immigration authorities plan to appear at Cook County polling places.,” Gordon said. “Our office will be working with the Cook County Sheriff's office, local law enforcement and other partners to make sure polling places remain safe and secure.”
The congressman said in his capacity as a U.S. lawmaker, he is seeking to get more information about potential federal observers of the election.
“I'm also demanding answers today from the Justice Department over reports that the administration could deploy as many as 1,000 election monitors across the country,” Krishnamoorthi said.
Krishnamoorthi said he’s concerned election monitors will be used to intimidate voters.
Further rulings and decisions on federal involvement in the November elections are expected before election day on Nov. 3.
