The first day of early voting saw a delay of almost four hours before ballots could be cast at the Early Voting site at Republican Lake County Clerk Robin O’Connor’s office in Waukegan. Although voting at County Clerks’ offices was supposed to begin across Illinois on Thursday morning, O’Connor wasn’t prepared for voters until around 1 pm.
The Clerk and her staff handed out Vote-By-Mail applications to voters who were turned away and or told to come back later. Her Democratic opponent, Anthony Vega, pointed out that the Clerk had not adequately informed voters about the late opening, including not warning them about it on their website or social media.
“Instead of informing the public of the need to delay the opening of the Clerk’s Office early vote polling location, voters are left with no information about when they will be able to cast their ballots in the 2022 General Election,” Vega said in a news release. “Voting is a fundamental right in our democracy and it is clear Robin O’Connor does not take this responsibility seriously. In this coming election, voters will be faced with a simple choice: voting for Anthony Vega, who will protect our democracy, or voting for Robin O’Connor who is not up to the job and leaving our democracy up to chance. Lake County deserves better.”