How to vote if you're sick

March 14, 2020 8:10 AM

We're sick. Illinois primary is Tuesday. Is there some way can we can still vote?

We have the flu. Is there a way we can still vote in the primary on Tuesday? We are in DuPage county.

posted by Serene Empress Dork to Law & Government (8 answers total)

Early voting locations in my IL a are always super dead, I saw one other voter yesterday, I was the only voter in the room. So I’d consider wearing a mask or bandana and go for it ASAP today to avoid others, possibly first thing in the morning tomorrow if they are open.

Depends on your symptoms etc, I don’t know how likely you are to have Covid, ymmv.
posted by SaltySalticid at 8:52 AM on March 14, 2020 [1 favorite]

How long have you had the flu? Are you still feverish? How sick will you be on Tuesday? Do you have masks you can wear? What is the least busy time of day at your polling location? Is there someone who could go in for you beforehand to scope out how busy it is?

If it were me, knowing that my polling location is staffed exclusively by people over 60, I would skip this year. Passing on the flu to people who might potentially then also get Covid-19 (double whammy) would be too much of a risk for me to take.
posted by cooker girl at 8:54 AM on March 14, 2020 [2 favorites]

What else is on the ballot? Weigh the risk against that.

If you decide to vote, cover up, wear light gloves, consider a scarf as a mask while you are around others. If you can vote Monday with fewer crowds, do that. Check local and state health dept. guidelines. and get well soon.
posted by theora55 at 9:01 AM on March 14, 2020

Response by poster: Almost certainly not Covid, husband tested positive for flu yesterday and I began coming down with the same symptoms last night. But of course we can't be 100% sure.

But I don't want to give anyone flu either. We won't be going to the polling location, I was hoping there might be other options.
posted by Serene Empress Dork at 9:02 AM on March 14, 2020

You've missed the Vote By Mail deadline--if you have a hospital admission, you can still vote by mail, however.

Early voting at an early voting location will mean fewer crowds, but you are too late for ordinary absentee voting in Illinois.
posted by crush at 9:08 AM on March 14, 2020 [3 favorites]

It looks like IL allows for curbside voting. As an election official (though not yours), I would 100% be willing to conduct such a transaction without any physical contact. Any necessary identification material could be held up to the car window, voting choices could be communicated via cell phone or a sign if just speaking loudly isn't enough, and then the officials could mark the ballot for you in your view and take it back inside to officially vote it for you.
posted by teremala at 11:17 AM on March 14, 2020 [1 favorite]

In Lake County, where I was an election judge for many years, our polling place had a bell outside that you could activate and a judge would come assist you in voting curbside. While it was originally intended for voters with mobility issues preventing them from entering the polling place, it would be no problem for you to use it under the circumstances. I just checked the DuPage County election site but it does not indicate which polling locations are equipped with a Big Bell. Seriously, that's what they're called. No imagination at all. I would suggest going to an early voting location open tomorrow, early, in order to encounter the smallest possible crowds.
posted by DrGail at 12:11 PM on March 14, 2020 [1 favorite]

Voted early in DuPage today at COD. There was literally nobody there except the judges. I didn't see a big bell there, I would suspect that's only available at the courthouse complex if it's available at all.

The voting booths are all touchscreen based now and a lot harder to make portable compared to the paper ballots used up until now.
posted by JoeZydeco at 2:55 PM on March 14, 2020