ILLINOIS TO HOLD A SPECIAL GENERAL ELECTION ON APRIL 7, 2009 FOR REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS FROM THE 5^TH DISTRICT

On Tuesday, April 7, 2009 there will be a special general election to fill the seat vacated by Representative Rahm Emanuel.  To determine if your legal residence is in the 5^th Congressional District, click on http://fvap.gov/reference/about-elect-officials/index.html and then on “United States House of Representatives.”

Voting Assistance Officers (VAOs) should contact those citizens they assist who are Illinois voters and inform them of this news release and provide help to them in requesting and returning their absentee ballot.

REGISTERING TO VOTE AND REQUESTING A BALLOT:
All members of the U.S. Uniformed Services, their family members and citizens residing outside the U.S. who are Illinois residents from the 5^th District should request a ballot for this special general election by completing and submitting a registration and ballot request, Federal Post Card Application (FPCA), SF-76, as soon as possible, if you have not done so already in calendar year 2009.  The online version of the FPCA is available from the FVAP website by clicking on the appropriate citizen at www.fvap.gov.  The FPCA may be submitted by fax or email in addition to regular mail. 

The Cook County Clerk or the Chicago Board of Elections must receive the request for absentee ballot not later than Friday, March 27, 2009.

Voters who are Illinois residents from the 5^th District, who requested and received a ballot for the Federal General election on November 4, 2008 will automatically receive the special general election ballot, and need not take any further action. 

Cook County and the Chicago Board of Elections allow members of the U.S. Uniformed Services, their family members and citizens residing outside the U.S. to send the FPCA for registration and ballot request by fax or email.  After faxing or emailing, submit the original FPCA by mail.  The faxed or emailed FPCA should include a Transmittal Cover Sheet which may be found at http://fvap.gov/resources/media/coversheet.pdf. 

By fax:  To send directly to your election office, send to:

Chicago Board of Elections      Fax:  312-269-1624

        Cook County Clerk               Fax:  312-603-9786

or use the following toll-free fax numbers through FVAP for the U.S. and Canada:

1-800-368-8683, (703) 693-5527 or DSN 223-5527 (military). 

At http://fvap.gov/contact/toll-free-fax/index.html, there is a list of additional toll-free fax numbers from overseas countries. 

By email:  Scan the Transmittal Cover Sheet and the FPCA as a pdf document and attach the scanned document directly to:

Chicago Board of Elections at fpca@chicagoelections.com

Cook County Clerk at absentee@cookcountygov.com or to

FVAP at ets@fvap.ncr.gov. 

APPLICATION FOR BALLOT BY PROXY:
If you are a member of the Uniformed Services, and your spouse, dependent, mother, father, sister, or brother is registered to vote in your election precinct of voting residence, he or she may use a special application provided by the election official to request that an absentee ballot be sent to you.

RECEIVING YOUR BALLOT:

Chicago and Cook County have mailed a Special Write-In Absentee Ballot to registered Uniformed Services and overseas voters.  A final printed official ballot will be sent to these voters as soon as it is available.  Illinois will allow you to receive the ballot for the special general election by fax or email.  Indicate that you desire to receive your ballot by fax or email by checking the appropriate box in Block 4c. on the FPCA.  Be sure to include your complete fax number (including country codes) or email address.

Additionally, Uniformed Service members, their family members, and citizens residing outside the U.S. may use the Federal Write-In Absentee Ballot (Standard Form 186, FWAB) to vote in this special election for only the U.S. Congressional race.  You can get the FWAB from your unit VAO, embassy or consulate.  The online version of the FWAB and Illinois FWAB instructions are available at:

www.fvap.gov/uniformed-service-members/fed-write-in-absentee-ballot/states/il/index.html.  

The candidates running for Representative of District 5 are the following:

MIKE QUIGLEY            DEMOCRATIC PARTY

ROSANNA PULIDO  REPUBLICAN PARTY

MATT REICHEL            GREEN PARTY

RETURNING YOUR BALLOT:

Illinois will allow you to return your marked printed official ballot, Special Write-In Absentee Ballot or FWAB by mail or fax, but not by email.  If returning the marked ballot by fax, you must complete and sign the Transmittal Cover Sheet found at http://fvap.gov/resources/media/coversheet.pdf.  When returned, your ballot will be counted if it is:

1)      Postmarked by midnight April 6, 2009, and arrives at the appropriate election authority (Chicago for city voters, Cook County Clerk for suburban Cook County voters) no later than April 21, 2009, or

2)      Faxed and received by the appropriate election authority by 7:00 p.m (CDT). on Election Day.

If a voter receives the final printed official ballot after submitting their voted Special Write-In Absentee Ballot or the FWAB, the voter should vote and return the printed ballot also.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
State specific information on your precinct, candidates, elections, and voting is available at the Illinois State Board of Elections website, www.elections.il.gov.

The FVAP can be contacted via 1-800-438-8683. Citizens may reach the FVAP toll-free from 67 countries using the toll-free numbers listed on the FVAP website, http://www.fvap.gov/contact/toll-free-phone/index.html.  Questions regarding the above may also be referred to the Director, Federal Voting Assistance Program, Department of Defense, 1155 Defense Pentagon, Washington, DC, 20301-1155, vote@fvap.ncr.gov and on the World Wide Web at www.fvap.gov.