Democrats benefit from huge Vote By Mail Advantage in McHenry County Illinois

Illinois Record has exclusive Early Voting Data and today we look at the age and political gaps in the permanent vote by mail.

McHenry County's early voting data reveals a scary disparity among voters.

Of the first 9,902 votes cast, only 4.4% came from voters under 30. In stark contrast, the largest group of voters was aged 74 and older, comprising 28.93% of early ballots. More than half of all early votes were from senior citizens (65 and older), and 82.23% of the total votes came from people over 50. The median age of early voters was 68, with an average age of 65.

Correlation doesn’t prove causation, and we can only speculate whether the age gap is due to something sinister, like ballot harvesting at hospice centers, or simply younger people losing faith in the voting process—or maybe it’s something else entirely. But one thing is certain: we should at least make sure our election system is not vulnerable.

In 2021, Governor JB Pritzker signed a law establishing permanent vote-by-mail in Illinois, with the stated goal of increasing voter access, particularly for those who have been historically disenfranchised. However for the last 9 presidential elections, seniors have had the highest turnout of any age group.

Looking at McHenry County, 47.8% of the 32,813 those enrolled in permanent vote by mail are senior citizens (65 and older), with 23.3% being 74 years or older.

Given that the average life expectancy in the U.S. is 76 years, and that the senior population is particularly vulnerable to fraud—elder financial abuse costs an estimated $28.3 billion annually—I see potential concerns with a permanent mail-in voting system predominantly used by seniors.

After all, before the Donald Trump ran for president it was the academic consensus that absentee ballots were the easiest to corrupt. And post COVID pandemic, 30-40% of all ballots have been vote by mail.

In McHenry County Democrats, are benefiting most by permanent vote by mail, beating republicans 11,339 registered Democrats to 6,408 registered Republicans. Perhaps if those enrolled in the permanent vote by mail were an equitable reflection of the electorate, there would be more of a desire from Democrats to reform the program.