Mail-in ballots are ready to be entered into a counting machine at the Cook County Clerk’s office.
Sun-Times file
I complained to the Board of Election Commissioners on March 11 because I had not yet received my vote by mail ballot. I was told that another ballot would be sent out.
As of March 18, I still had not received either ballot, so I called their offices. I was told that ballots had been sent out and that it must be a post office issue. I was told that if I wanted to vote, I would now have to physically go into a polling place March 19.
Tuesday morning, I boarded public transportation and arrived at my designated polling place around 7 a.m. After giving my information to a worker, I noticed them scratching their head. A supervisor was called over.
After more head-scratching by the two of them, I was told that I could not vote there. I was advised to go to an early voting location to see if things could be cleared up there. Apparently, the fact that I was supposed to be issued a vote-by-mail ballot somehow prevented me from voting at my designated polling place.
If this happened to me, I can’t help but wonder how many other vote-by-mail ballots may not have been received. A neighbor finally received a ballot on March 18.
Low voter turnout? I can’t say I’m surprised.
Is there some independent organization that audits how many voters actually receive vote-by-mail ballots before an election takes place?
Michael Pearson, Englewood
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St. Patrick’s Day nightmare
The Riverwalk cost more than $100 million to build and took 15 years to complete, paid for by Chicago taxpayers. It would have been the perfect location to view the dyeing of the Chicago River, but it was closed … again.
To add insult to injury, all of the downtown bridges were closed to pedestrians, forcing tens of thousands of people to jam onto Wacker Drive, sometimes 10 people deep, to get a glimpse of the action on the river. In addition, Wacker Dive was open to vehicle traffic, endangering pedestrians who were forced to walk in the street. Someone, please tell me how this makes any sense? I hope smarter heads prevail next year.
Mike Kirchberg, Little Italy