Speak Your Mind - Register to Vote

By Mike Nester For The Prairie Advocate News

If you want a voice in government and aren’t a registered voter, you have until Tuesday, Feb. 21 to either register or make an address change in time to vote in the March 20 primary election.

The Carroll County Clerk’s office will be hold special hours from 9 a.m. until noon on Saturday, Feb. 18, at the courthouse in Mount Carroll to give voters a chance to register as well as change their address.

To be eligible to vote you must be a citizen of the United States, be at least 18 years old by election day, have been a resident of the precinct of at least 30 days prior to election day, and have a valid ID.

For eligible voters who miss the Feb. 21 deadline, you may register or change an address during the grace period from Feb. 22 through March 13. During the grace period registration, you are obligated to vote when you register.

The Carroll County Clerk’s Office, 301 N. Main St., Mt. Carroll, will also serve as a temporary site for early voting, and will serve all the precincts in Carroll County.

The site will be open Monday through Friday, from 8:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m., starting on Monday, Feb. 27, through Thursday, March 15.

Also, the office will be open on Saturday, March 3, and March 10, 2012 from 9 a.m. till 12 noon for this purpose.

Absentee voting will run through Monday, March 19. The office will hold special hours from 9 a.m. until noon in Saturday, March 17, for absentee voting.

If you have any further questions regarding voter registration, early voting or absentee voting, please call the Carroll County Clerk’s office at .