Kaitlin Washburn (via Chicago Sun-Times)
Election Day is less than two weeks away. But it's not too late to register to vote.
Here's everything you need to know about registering to vote in Illinois for the upcoming midterm elections.
Who can register to vote?
To vote in the Illinois, you must be:
- A U.S. citizen
- 18 years or older by the date of the general election
- An Illinois resident for at least 30 days
Are you already registered to vote?
You can check your voter registration status online on Illinois State Board of Elections website or on the Chicago Board of Elections’ website.
Need to register? It’s not too late!
You can no longer register to vote online through the state's board of election website — Registration closes 16 days before Election Day.
But if you still need to register, you have several options to do so in person:
- Driver’s license renewal: When applying for or renewing your driver’s license or state ID card at a DMV, you will be asked if you want to register to vote. If you answer yes, you will be required to attest, under penalty of perjury, that you meet the qualifications to register to vote and provide your electronic signature.
- Municipal offices: Multiple local government offices register voters in-person including the county clerk’s office, board of election commissioners office, city and village offices, township offices, and military recruitment offices.
- Same day: Illinois allows same day registration at early voting sites and on Election Day. You must bring two forms of ID or proof of residency. The state allows for several types of ID and proofs of residency: a passport, driver’s license, student ID, pay stub, lease, medical bill or mortgage. Here is the full list of acceptable IDs. At least one of them must list your current address. For example, your state driver's license with an old address plus a copy of a ComEd bill with your current address will work.
Have you moved since the last Election Day and need to change your registration?
You can also change your registration the same day you vote. Follow the same instructions above for registering to vote.
What to remember while voting
- Ballots in other languages are available. Chicago and Cook County polling locations have voting machines that offer audio ballots in Arabic, Chinese (audio in Mandarin dialect), Gujarati, Hindi, Korean, Polish, Russian, Spanish, Tagalog, Ukrainian and Urdu.
- You can bring notes, sample ballots and endorsements with you into a polling booth.
- You can bring children with you to vote.
- If you’re blind, physically disabled or unable to read or write, you can ask an election judge, friend, family member or another voter to help you complete your ballot. But that helper can’t be from your employer or union. The person also cannot influence your vote and cannot fill out your ballot without your expressed intent.
- Illinois prohibits “ballot selfies,” so you can’t post a photo of a completed ballot on social media. But no one is stopping you from taking and posting a selfie with your “I Voted” sticker.
