State of Illinois Elections and Voting

Election day is November 5

September 26 First day for early voting
October 8 Deadline for in-person voter registration
October 9 First day of in-person grace period voter registration
October 20 Deadline for online voter registration
October 28 Last day for the election authority to receive application by mail for a vote-by-mail (absentee) ballot for citizens living temporarily outside of the U.S., nonresident civilians, and Uniformed and Overseas Citizens.
October 31 Last day for the election authority to receive application by mail for a vote-by-mail (absentee) ballot
November 4 Last day to apply in-person for a vote-by-mail (absentee) ballot
November 4 Last day of early voting
November 5 Deadline to postmark vote-by-mail (absentee) ballots
November 5 Last day of grace period registration (contact the Election Authority to determine the availability of grace period registration and voting near you)
November 5 Election Day

To register to vote in Illinois:

You must be a United States Citizen.
You must be 17 years old on or before the date of the Primary Election and turn 18 on or before the date of the General or Consolidated Election (16 year olds may preregister to vote).
You must live in your election precinct at least 30 days prior to Election Day.
You must not be serving a sentence of confinement in any penal institution as a result of a conviction.
You may not claim the right to vote anywhere else.

How to register to vote:

You can register to vote online, by-mail, or in-person. To register by mail, you can download the form and mail the form to the election authority for the jurisdiction in which you live. Click here to go to the Election Authorities page. Forms can also be found at some public and private facilities.

Grace period registration is an extension of the regular registration deadline from the 27th day prior to an election through Election Day. Grace period registration is only available “in-person” at sites authorized by each election authority

Sufficient proof of identity is required by submission of your driver’s license number or State identification card number. If you do not have either of those, verification by the last 4 digits of your social security number, a copy of a current and valid photo identification, or a copy of a current utility bill, bank statement, paycheck, government check, or other government document that shows your name and address will be required. A person may also demonstrate sufficient proof of identity by submission of an identification card issued by a college or university accompanied by either a copy of the applicant’s contract or lease for a residence or any postmarked mail delivered to the applicant at their current residence address.

Two forms of identification with at least one showing your current residence address are needed when you register in-person.

Voter ID Requirements

Illinois does not require voters to present identification while voting, in most cases. First-time voters who registered by mail and did not submit their driver’s license number, state ID number, last four digits of their social security number, or other form of ID are required to present identification showing their name and address before voting.

Visit VoteRiders for more information on voter ID requirements in Illinois.

Early In-Person Voting

Registered voters may cast a ballot prior to Election Day without having to provide a reason for wanting to vote early. This ballot is cast by personal appearance at the office of the election authority or at an early voting center.

The period for early voting begins the 40th day preceding an election and extends through the end of the day before Election Day.

Vote-by-Mail

Any registered voter can vote by mail in Illinois. The State Board of Elections website has an online system that will guide a voter through the process of applying to vote by mail. Users will either be linked to an online application for their local election authority or to a downloadable pdf file with instructions for returning it to the local election authority.

You can mail your ballot, deliver it in person to the office of your local election authority or, in many election jurisdictions, drop it in a secure drop box. About half of Illinois election jurisdictions offer the drop box option. Check the State Board of Elections website for an online list of drop box locations.

Resources

Tribes in Illinois

Federally recognized tribes

None

State recognized tribes

None

Native Vote Coordinator(s):

Major Party Contact Information

Democrat
Chair, Elizabeth “Lisa” Hernandez
http://ildems.com/

Republican
Chair, Don Tracy
http://illinois.gop/