The Leader’s guide to voting during a pandemic
To vote in Illinois, you must:
- Be a United States citizen
- Be a resident of Illinois and of your election precinct at least 30 days before Election Day
- Be at least 18 years old by Election Day
- Not be serving a sentence of confinement in any penal institution as a result of a conviction of any crime
- Not claim the right to vote anywhere else.
If you meet are all of the eligibility requirements, you can take the following steps to receive and cast a ballot:
1). Register to vote.
Illinois online and mail-in voter registration closed on Oct. 18, but in-person registration is available until Nov. 3. It requires two forms of ID, which may include a driver’s license or proof of insurance with the applicant’s name and address.
2). Decide which method of voting works best for you.
In-person election day voting.
To determine your polling location, go to the official Illinois elections site at ova.elections.il.gov (or you can visit your county’s site). The polling place locator link is available to determine which location you will need to go to depending on your address.
In-person early voting.
From Sept. 24 to Nov. 2, there are various locations that are open at differing times. Visit elections.il.gov or your local county’s official site for more information on these locations.
Absentee voting and mail-in voting.
The request for voting by mail must be received by your location’s election authority no later than Oct. 29. When your ballot arrives, ensure that you read the information carefully and return the ballot postmarked by Nov. 3.
