Whether or not you’re ready for another election season, the Illinois general primary is fast approaching.
Here’s everything you need to know to make sure you’re prepared and able to cast your vote by Election Day on March 17.
Important dates
- Feb. 5: First day to vote early or by mail.
- Feb. 12: Early voting starts at downtown Chicago supersite (137 S. State St.) and at the Chicago Board of Elections office (69 W. Washington St., 6th floor).
- Feb. 18: First day of grace period for in-person voter registration and voting at election authority and early voting sites. This continues through Election Day.
- March 1: Last day for online voter registration.
- March 2: 50 ward early voting sites open in Chicago.
- March 12: Last day for election authority to receive vote by mail applications.
- March 17: Primary Election Day. Polls are open from 6:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
How to register or check current registration status
You can register to vote online at the Illinois State Board of Elections’ website. You can also register the same day you vote, whether it’s during early voting or on Election Day.
If you’re going in person to cast your ballot but aren’t registered, you must bring two forms of ID or proof of residency (such as a passport, driver’s license, lease or mortgage) with at least one of them listing your current address.
You can check your voter registration status online on the state’s website or on the Chicago Board of Elections’ website.
Voting early in person
Early voting sites in the Chicago area open on different dates:
City of Chicago: Early voting opens on Feb. 12 at the downtown Chicago supersite (137 S. State St.) and at the Chicago Board of Elections office (69 W. Washington St., 6th floor). On March 2, 50 ward early voting sites will open in Chicago.
Suburban Cook County: Early voting starts March 2 in suburban Cook County. Here’s the full list of early voting locations.
For the collar counties, see more details about early voting at the following websites:
DuPage County starts early voting and mail-in voting sometime next week, with the date still to be determined, according to the DuPage County Clerk’s office. More early voting sites open in the county starting March 2.
Kane County early voting starts on Feb. 5 at the Kane County Clerk’s Office in Geneva and at the clerk’s Aurora satellite office.
Kendall County early voting starts on Feb. 5 at Kendall County Clerk’s Office.
Lake County starts early voting on Feb. 5 at the Lake County Courthouse. More locations open in the county starting March 2.
McHenry County early voting begins Feb. 5 at the McHenry County Election Center and more sites open starting March 2.
Will County early voting begins Feb. 5 at the Will County Clerk’s Office with more sites opening starting March 2.
Voting by mail
You can apply right now to receive your ballot through the mail. You must apply to vote by mail by 5 p.m. on March 12. You must apply to vote by mail through your local election authority. Your ballot must be postmarked or placed in a dropbox by Election Day in order for it to count.
You also have the option to join the vote-by-mail permanent roster. If you have voted by mail before but aren’t on that roster, you need to apply again to vote by mail during the upcoming election.
If you receive a mail-in ballot but decide you want to vote in person instead, you must bring the ballot you received in the mail with you to your polling place and turn it over to cast an in-person ballot instead.
Links to apply online to vote by mail are below:
- City of Chicago
- Suburban Cook County
- DuPage County
- Kane County
- Kendall County
- Lake County
- McHenry County
- Will County
Voting on Election Day
Chicago voters can cast their ballot at the voting supersite at 191 N. Clark St., at their early voting location or you can look up your local polling place here:
- City of Chicago
- Suburban Cook County
- DuPage County
- Kane County
- Kendall County
- Lake County
- McHenry County
- Will County
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 with 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.