The early voting room in Crystal Lake's City Hall.

Have you noticed that the smart candidates are getting their message out early?

I’ve gotten two mailings from Scott Lee Cohen, for instance. It looks like he is trying to become the “None of the Above” candidate.

When I stopped in at the Crystal Lake City Hall yesterday, I took the photo above of the early voting room. One man was casting his ballot electronically.

So far, according to McHenry County Clerk Kathie Schultz, 2,757 people have cast such votes. (That’s as of Tuesday night.)

When you add in the people who have requested absentee ballots and grace period voters (56), the total is 4,785.

So, those seeking public office who have not communicated with those almost 5,000 people are just too late.