Homer Township residents voting in the Feb. 25 primary will get to select from one of five local polling locations, which may be different from the polling location they used in the November presidential election.
Residents looking to vote early in person can go to the Will County clerk’s office, 302 N. Chicago St., Joliet, starting Thursday.
The polling places for the Feb. 25 primary marks a distinct change from the last time Homer Township residents had a primary in 2017. At that time, there were 18 polling locations on Election Day, and early voting was available at both the county clerk’s office in Joliet and the Homer Township Administrative Center.
Will County Clerk Annette Parker, a Republican former county board member elected clerk in November, said her office reached out to Homer Township last month to host early voting, but officials declined.
Township Supervisor Steve Balich, who is running for reelection, said the township would accept the administration center as an early voting location only if the county paid for it, because he does not have the budget or staff to use the building for early voting.
A Republican primary will be held in Homer Township to select nominees for township supervisor, clerk, assessor, highway commissioner, collector and four township trustees.
Members of the Homer Township administration running include Balich for supervisor, Clerk Vicki Bozen, Assessor Carmen J. Maurella III, Highway Commissioner Brent Alan Porfilio, Collector Rose M. Fialko and Trustees Michael G. Bonomo, Michael W. Clausen and Angel Constance Marie Shake. The sole newcomer to the slate is Dominic Joseph Pacella, who is seeking a trustee position. They are running as members of the Will County Freedom Caucus.
The incumbents are challenged by the Homer Township Reset slate. The group includes Homer Glen Trustee Susanna E. Steilen for supervisor, Tamara “Tami” O’Brien for clerk, John S. Robinson for highway commissioner, Sara Palermo for collector and Kenneth “Ken” Marcin, Christina “Chris” Sievers, Donald Melody and Keith D. Gray for trustees. The group did not field an assessor candidate.
In all but one case, the sample ballot lists the Freedom Caucus members in the top position. However, in the choice for township clerk, O’Brien, a member of the Reset slate, was listed first and Bozen, the incumbent, is listed second. The order is how they were sent to the Will County clerk’s office from Homer Township, Parker said.
On Election Day, residents can vote at the Annunciation Byzantine Catholic Church, 14610 S. Will Cook Road, Homer Glen; the Cross of Glory Lutheran Church, 14719 W. 163rd St., Homer Glen; the Lockport Township Building, 1463 S. Farrell Road, Lockport; the Northwest Homer Fire Station 1, 16152 W. 143rd St., Lockport; and the Parker Road Bible Church, 18512 S. Parker Road, Mokena.
The locations were selected because they hit all four corners of the township and include one central location, Parker said.
The county’s newly purchased election equipment allows for a reduced number of polling places, and residents can go to whichever one they want, Parker said. The equipment now offers on-demand ballot printing, which reduces waste and saves money, Parker said.
The county’s election equipment is also being prepared for the April 1 Election, which will take place throughout the county, she said.
The only Will County primaries to be held in February will be in Homer Township and the city of Aurora, which spans multiple counties.
Steilen said she was concerned the reduced number of polling places may be confusing to residents. She said she hoped the Homer Township Library, the Homer Township Administration Center or the Homer Glen Village Hall were a site for Election Day voting because those locations are more known to residents.
Steilen said she was also concerned senior citizens, who like to vote early, wouldn’t have the opportunity to vote at the Homer Township Administration Building. She said winter weather on Feb. 25 could be a factor for many voters, and seniors like to have the option to vote early on a day when poor weather conditions are not a factor.
“This is especially troubling for seniors who have a difficult time getting out,” she said.
Balich said the drive to Joliet for early voting is only about five or ten minutes more than driving to the Homer Township Administration Building depending on where in the township residents live.
He said residents can also vote by mail or vote on Election Day.
Many Homer Township residents have also historically used the Lockport Township Administration Building for voting in other elections because school districts have overlapped township boundaries, Balich said.
Parker said the county will put up signs at poll locations that aren’t in use in the primary to alert voters to the five locations where they can vote on Election Day. Residents will also receive mailers stating the polling changes, she said.
About 5% of Homer Township voters cast ballots in the 2017 primary.
Normal polling places will resume for the April 1 election.
Michelle Mullins is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
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