Residents reminded to know district before Tuesday voting

Posted on July 6, 2015
Vote Here Sign
McLean County residents will hit the polls Tuesday for the 18th Congressional District Primary. (WJBC File Photo)

By Andy Dahn

BLOOMINGTON – The 18th Congressional District Primary gets underway tomorrow, and local government officials are reminding voters to be aware of what district they live in before hitting the polls.

McLean County Clerk Kathy Michael said boundary lines can put residents in confusing situations when it comes to voting.

“About 70 percent of McLean County voters are in the 18th Congressional District,” Michael said. “Others of you are in the 13th Congressional District, which I believe is congressman Rodney Davis. There are also other precincts that are split.”

Michael said clarifying which district you live in is simple.

“Look at your voting card,” said Michael. “If you don’t have your card, you can go online at the state site or the McLean County site and plug in your address. If you have trouble with that, you can give us a call. We can help you with that and help save you a trip.”

Your vote can still count regardless of your district, said Michael.

“If you insist that you’re in the 18th District and it shows up in our database when the judges pull you up and think you’re in the 13th District, question that,” Michael said. “Then you’ll be allowed to vote provisionally and that vote counts. What provisionally means is that you get the ballot, it just goes into a special and private envelope.”

Tuesday’s primary will decide which of the three Republicans and two Democrats will be the nominees for the September 10th general election. Candidates include Republicans Mike Flynn, Donald Rients and State Senator Darin LaHood. Rob Mellon and Adam Lopez are the Democratic candidates.

Andy Dahn can be reached at [email protected].

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