Mar. 13, 2020

For Immediate Release                                                                                     

Sugar Grove, IL – With growing concerns about the spread of the coronavirus Jim Oberweis is calling on Gov. Pritzker to take action to allow the elderly and other at-risk individuals to use curbside voting on Election Day instead of risking exposure to the coronavirus.

Illinois laws allows for curbside voting for any “voter with a temporary or permanent disability who, because of structural features of the building in which the polling place is located, is unable to access or enter the polling place, may request that 2 judges of election of opposite party affiliation deliver a ballot to him or her at the point where he or she is unable to continue forward motion toward the polling place; but, in no case, shall a ballot be delivered to the voter beyond 50 feet of the entrance to the building in which the polling place is located (10 ILCS 5/17-13) (from Ch. 46, par. 17-13).”

Oberweis said extending curbside voting to the individuals most at risk to coronavirus exposure is a simple and cost-effective way to keep people safe.

“Every county in Illinois has election judges already serving on Election Day, and they have all completed training on how to do curbside voting,” Oberweis said. “The Governor needs to use his executive powers to extend curbside voting to elderly individuals and others with immune deficiencies. It won’t cost taxpayers any additional dollars, and it could protect some of the most vulnerable population. Instead of constantly pointing fingers at the White House, this is something positive the Governor could do to protect Illinois citizens.”

Oberweis said if the private sector can work with government officials to do drive thru testing; the state can make curbside voting an option for those at risk.

“We know that older people with pre-existing health conditions are the most vulnerable when it comes to the coronavirus,” Oberweis said. “These folks deserve the opportunity to go to the polls and not have to be concerned about their health. There is a lot at stake in this election. Democrats are nominating a presidential candidate and Republicans have a number of Congressional and Illinois General Assembly primary elections to decide. Everyone should be able to participate in the Election process. This is not about Republican versus Democrat. This is about protecting the integrity of our elections.”

To learn more about Jim Oberweis, log onto https://jim2020.com/.

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