President Trump continues to cast doubt on voting by mail this election season, but it’s something both Democrats and Republicans have embraced in Illinois. The 21st speaks with two election officials to answer listeners questions about the process and how ballots are counted.

As we get ready to welcome 2019, we thought we’d take a few minutes to listen back to the past year in Illinois government and politics.

Illinois election officials say there’s been a huge spike in early voting this year. But it’s not yet clear just what that means.

Illinois Senator Dick Durbin was in Springfield today, casting his ballot in the 2018 Election. He says he's encouraged by early voting tallies in Illinois so far, and that immigration is now among the chief issues thanks to President Trump.

The Illinois State Board of Elections plans to help all 108 local election authorities across the state strengthen their cyber security practices. The effort comes after the state election authority was hacked by Russian intelligence officials in 2016.