There's a lot of talk about voter turnout and early voting this election cycle, but another group of Illinoisans who might be unable to reach a polling place on Election Day is also getting to weigh in. HSHS Hospitals in Central Illinois are working with their respective county clerks’ offices to help hospitalized voters get information on how to cast their ballots in the upcoming election. Erica Johnson with HSHS....

The effort is underway at HSHS St. John’s Hospital in Springfield, HSHS St. Mary’s Hospital in Decatur, HSHS St. Francis Hospital in Litchfield and HSHS Good Shepherd Hospital in Shelbyville. According to Illinois law, a qualified voter who has been admitted to a hospital not more than 14 days before an election is entitled to delivery of a vote-by-mail ballot in the hospital by a legal family member or someone who is registered to vote in the patient’s precinct.

(The process the hospitals will help to facilitate includes the following steps:

1. The patient, family member or registered voter who lives in the same precinct as the patient and patient’s physician, advanced practice registered nurse or physician assistant must fill out a form attesting to the patient’s reason for being in the hospital and that he or she will not be able to go to the polling place on election day, November 6, 2018.

2. The family member or registered voter who lives in the same precinct as the patient must take the form to the countyclerk’s office for review, to be notarized and to receive the patient’s ballot.

3. The family member or registered voter who lives in the same precinct as the patient will bring the ballot back to the hospital to be filled out by the patient.

4. The family member or registered voter who lives in the same precinct as the patient will then return the ballot to the county clerk’s office by 7 p.m. on election day.)