Polling place loses electricity, but voting continued

By ALEXA ZOELLNER azoellner@shawmedia.com

Power was out at the Grand Detour polling place, but voters still cast their ballots, Ogle County Clerk Laura Cook said Tuesday afternoon.

Usually, after a ballot is filled out, it’s run through a machine to tally the votes, she said. Because the power was down, ballots instead were placed in a secure auxiliary bin connected to the tallying machine for storage until they could be counted, Cook said.

“If the power comes up after the polls close, they [Grand Detour election judges] will put the ballots through the machine,” she said.

If the power doesn’t return, the ballots will be brought to the Old Ogle County Courthouse in Oregon, where election judges will run the uncounted ballots through machines, Cook said.

“There have been some other polling places that have had issues with water, hail, power, including us,” Cook said. “So far, the judges have done a really, really good job.”

The Grand Detour polling place is at 8110 Main St., which is the corner of Main and Broad streets.

When asked about lighting sources to fill out a ballot, Cook said people likely will have to use their phones as a flashlight.

“I’m sure that’s what the judges are offering if somebody doesn’t have one,” she said.

Taylor and Lafayette townships’ polling places also lost power earlier Tuesday, although it was temporary and the power since has returned, Cook said.

Cook was unsure when the power went out for the three polling places, or when it returned to Taylor and Lafayette.

Even with the bad weather, the general voter turnout seems to be doing OK, she said.

“With the weather, it may keep it [voter numbers] down a little bit, but the vote-by-mail was higher than it ever has been for a consolidated election,” Cook said. “But we expect something low.”