2024 ILLINOIS VOTER GUIDE

     

    1.Voter Registration

    Deadline to Register/update:

    –      By Mail: October 8, 2024

    –      Online: October 20, 2024

    –      In-Person: Election Day

    You can register at your county’s election office, or the Chicago Board of Elections, if you live in Chicago. Research where you can register in your county during this period. A list of locations can be found here: https://www.elections.il.gov/VotingAndRegistrationSystems/EarlyVotingLocationsSearch.aspx?MID=A3RIOjKplz4%3d&T=637147681698027318

    REGISTER ONLINE

     

    2. Check Your Registration

    Why check your registration? Your address is where election officials send notices, application forms to receive your ballot in the mail, and more. Additionally, poll workers will check if the address on your voter registration matches the address on your ID at the polls.

    Check/Update Your Registration Online

    Checklist:

    • Is your name spelled correctly? (Correct hyphenations, middle initials, etc)
    • Correct Address
    • Active Voter Status (if not update by sending in another online/mail voter application)
    • Correct Date of Birth
    • Correct Political Party Preference
    • Take a time-stamped photograph or screenshot of your registration, and take it with you to the polls as proof of your registration.

     

    3. Voter ID Law

    Source: Ballotpedia

    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.

    The following list of accepted ID was current as of August 2024. Click here for the Illinois State Board of Elections voting information page to ensure you have the most current information.

    • A current and valid photo identification
    • Utility bill
    • Bank statement
    • Government check
    • Paycheck
    • Lease or contract for residence
    • Student ID & mail addressed to voter’s residence
    • Government document

    Provisional ballot rules

    Voters in Illinois are given provisional ballots, or ballots requiring additional steps or information before they can be counted, under the following circumstances. 

    1) If the “[v]oter’s name does not appear on the official list of registered voters eligible voters for the precinct in which the person seeks to vote and the person has refused to register,” the voter has the right to cast a provisional ballot.

    2) If the “voter’s voting status has been challenged and a majority of the judges uphold the challenge,” the voter has the right to cast a provisional ballot.

    3) If the “voter did not provide identification when registering by mail and still cannot provide ID on Election Day,” the voter has the right to cast a provisional ballot.

    4) If “[a] court order extends the time for closing the polls, and the voter votes during this extended time period,” the voter has the right to cast a provisional ballot.

    5) If the “voter’s name appears on the list of voters who voted during the early voting period, but the voter claims not to have voted during the early voting period,” the voter has the right to cast a provisional ballot.

    6) If the “voter admits receiving a vote by mail ballot, but failed to return it to the election authority (or election judges),” the voter has the right to cast a provisional ballot.

    7) If the “voter attempted to register to vote on Election Day, but failed to provide the necessary documentation,” the voter has the right to cast a provisional ballot.

    According to the Illinois State Board of Elections, the “election authority has 14 days (after the election) to determine voter eligibility, and thus if the ballot should be counted.”[3]

    A provisional ballot is rejected in the following circumstances:

    • If “[i]nformation available to the election authority from five specifically-identified sources opposes registration status. If a conflict exists among the information available, the election authority shall make a determination by a totality of the circumstances;”
    • If “[t]he affidavit executed by the voter fails to contain the voter’s first and last name, house number and street name and signature or mark;”
    • If the voter voted by mail; or
    • If the “voter does not provide the election authority with the necessary registration documentation (ID) within 7 days of the election.”

    Was your provisional ballot counted?

    Visit the office of the Illinois State Board of Elections Office Provisional Ballot Search tool to check the status of your provisional ballot.

     

    4. Order Your Absentee Mail Ballot

    Deadline for Absentee Mail Ballot application: Must be received by October 31, 2024

    We recommend requesting your absentee mail ballot as soon as possible and well in advance of this deadline in order to ensure that you receive your ballot in time.

    Request Mail-in Ballot

    Deadline to return Absentee Mail Ballot: must be postmarked by November 5, 2024

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    Illinois has the Surrender Rule.

    If you want to vote in person on Election Day but you applied to vote via absentee ballot, then you should bring your ballot to surrender and then vote in person.

    If you do not have your absentee ballot to surrender, there does not seem to be an electronic poll book in Illinois that will allow you to vote with an official ballot, and you will be forced to vote with a provisional ballot.

    Source: https://chicagoelections.gov/en/vote-by-mail.html

     

    5. Early Voting Information

     

    6. Become a Poll Worker!

     

    7. Additional Questions?

    https://www.elections.il.gov/Default.aspx