The League of Women Voters of DeKalb County will provide a shuttle for voters to vote early on the Northern Illinois University campus before Tuesday.
The Holmes Student Center on the NIU campus won’t be an on-site voter registration site this year, nor a place to vote Tuesday, although it does offer early voting. The site, used for early voting and, on Election Day in years past, on-site voter registration, has not historically been used as an Election Day voting site, DeKalb County Clerk and Recorder Doug Johnson said.
According to a news release, the League said it’s “concerned that many voters who normally have relied on voting at the HSC on Election Day are not aware that it will be closed this year.”
The student center is open up until Monday, however, and the league is offering free bus rides to residents (including students) of the Annie Glidden North area to vote early between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at the Holmes Student Center.
Residents who lack transportation are encouraged to sign up for a free ride from University Village to the HSC to vote early this weekend. To do so, email votingbus2020@gmail.com with the date and time you would like to leave University Village. The details of the pickup and drop-off spot at University Village will be shared with people who sign up. The bus leaves every 20 minutes for a round trip. For example, sign up for 10 a.m., 10:20 a.m., 10:40 a.m., etc. The drop-off and pickup spot at HSC is at the west entrance. The league will not turn away anyone who wants a ride to vote early, but priority will be given to those who sign up in advance.
Because of COVID-19 restrictions, passengers on the bus must practice social distancing while wearing a face mask. The bus will operate at a maximum of 10 people a trip, including the driver, to comply with the stricter regulations of resurgence mitigation. Voters need to dress warmly because the bus windows will be open for air circulation. The league will provide a face mask to anyone who needs one.
Although not available at the Holmes Student Center this year, people can register to vote and vote on the same day. They need to bring two forms of identification, one of which needs to have their current DeKalb County address.
The league thanks the Midwest Falcons for providing the bus and a driver for this event.
League of Women Voters election tip of the week: Why your vote matters
One of the most important aspects of our democratic republic is our right to vote. By voting, we record our preference directly on a ballot question or referendum, and we select individuals to represent us in government. Voting sends a message to those who serve us as elected officials about what we, the people, want and expect them to do. It is certainly our right as citizens of the United States, but more than that, voting is our responsibility.
When citizens do not show up to vote, two things happen. First, the expectations of only a small portion of the American people are used to establish government practice and decision making, and second, elected officials know that only some of the people are paying attention, and these are the people whose views influence government actions.
If you are concerned about the rule of law, our infrastructure, the environment, the quality of your public schools, social justice, equality, and even our voting rights, then voting is one important way to establish the changes you want to see. Your votematters! The only vote that doesn’t count is the vote that isn’t cast.
Source: The Daily Chronicle
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