Early voting in McHenry County has been off to a slow start for the March 17 primary. As of Thursday afternoon, 157 voters had cast a ballot at the McHenry County Election Center since early voting began Feb. 5, McHenry County Clerk Joe Tirio said.

The first batch of mail-in votes, six ballots, arrived Wednesday, Tirio said. He said about 17,000 mail ballots have been sent out so far.

There’s still plenty of time to cast a ballot if you’re interested. Here’s what to know.

How can I vote?

There are several ways to cast a ballot in the March 17 primary. You can vote early, by mail or at your local polling place on Election Day.

Early voting is limited to the McHenry County Election Center at 410 S. Eastwood Drive in Woodstock, for now. Early voting will expand to other locations throughout the county starting March 2, and a full list of early voting locations and hours is available on the clerk’s website.

Voting by mail? Get that ballot in the mail early

The U.S. Postal Service has changed the postmark rules. Previously, a postmark generally indicated the date the postal service received the item, but now a postmark means the date the postal service processed the item.

Tirio said hopefully the processing date will be the next day but not necessarily. He encouraged voters to return their mail ballots at least 10 days early. He said he was “nervous” about the change and didn’t want anyone to miss their opportunity to vote because of it.

He said voters also can go to the post office, wait in line and ask the clerk to postmark the ballot in front of them.

Ballots must be postmarked by Election Day and must be received in the clerk’s office within 14 days after the election.

The deadline to request a mail ballot is set by state statute, and Tirio said people should vote early and request and turn in any election materials early.

But people who don’t want to risk it with the postmark have other ways to return their mail-in ballot.

Alternatively, voters can drop off their mail ballot at the dropbox at the McHenry County Administration Building, 667 Ware Road, Woodstock. Select early voting locations will have drop boxes available during voting hours.

Voters who have a mail ballot but change their mind can surrender their ballot at the polls and vote in person.

Do I have to register to vote?

Yes. You can register to vote online on the state website, but that will close March 1.

Voters can also register or sign up at the polls, but need to bring two forms of ID with them, one of which has their current address. Some valid forms of ID include a driver’s license, social security card, utility bill, student or employee ID, residence lease or contract, credit card, civic, union or professional membership card or Firearm Owner’s Identification card, according to the Illinois State Board of Elections website.

Voters in McHenry County can choose a Republican, Democratic or nonpartisan ballot this primary. If you choose a nonpartisan ballot, you will not see candidates, but you will see referendums.

Three referendums are on the ballot in McHenry County. One is a countywide nonbinding referendum on whether Illinois should opt into a federal tax credit scholarship program. The others include Hebron Township Road District and Fox Lake Fire Protection District requests. You can see the list of referendums on the clerk’s website.

Can I see a sample ballot?

Not yet. Tirio said he and his team are hoping to get those online as soon as they can, and he’s hopeful they will be live early next week.

A full list of candidates is available on the clerk’s website. A list of write-in candidates is also available online.

You can find your state and federal officials on the Illinois State Board of Elections website by going to elections.il.gov and clicking on Find My Elected Officials under Voter Services. You can find your County Board district on the county website at mchenrycountygis.org/board-search.

In response to feedback from the Crystal Lake Youth Commission, Tirio also published a list of websites for local candidates who provided a website when they filed their paperwork.