Early Voting Statutory vs Reality

This upcoming week there may be some confusion on the early voting dates as the statutory date is coming up and some people are already have it on their calendars. The County Clerk has the details on the more likely dates once the ballots are actually finalized with the grace period:

For the March 20, 2018 General Primary Election, traditional Early Voting will take place March 12 through March 19. However, the statutory beginning of Early Voting is February 8.

We anticipate that ballots will not be available at the beginning of this period. The ballots will be available no later than February 21, the beginning of Grace Period, by which time most challenges seeking to remove candidates from the ballot should have been decided and we have been able to prepare voting equipment.

It is possible that ballots may be available prior to February 21, so please check our website for more information. Anyone who appears to vote at our office before ballots are ready will be given an application for voting by mail.

There's no conspiracy or partisan trickery afoot, it's just the reality of the system that allows various ballot challenges by candidates and just can be a bit confusing. When they announce early voting has started I'll pass it along here (or if there are any actual problems).

Applications for voting by mail can already be submitted, but the earliest date to submit once you receive your ballot is also the February 8th. More information on voting by mail here at the County Clerk's website as well.