Voting in Illinois

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The policies governing voter participation are enacted and enforced primarily at the state level. These policies, which include voter identification requirements, early voting provisions, online voter registration systems, and more, dictate the conditions under which people cast their ballots in their respective states.

This article includes the following information about voting policies in Illinois:

See Election administration in Illinois for additional information about election administration in the state, including voter list maintenance policies, provisional ballot rules, and post-election auditing practices.

Do you have questions about your elections? Looking for information about your local election official? Click here to use U.S. Vote Foundation’s election official lookup tool.

Voter registration

Eligibility and registration details

Check your voter registration status here.

To register to vote in Illinois, a person must be a U.S. citizen, a resident of an Illinois precinct for at least 30 days prior to election day, and at least 18 years old by election day. A 17-year-old may vote in a primary if he or she will be 18 years old at the subsequent general election. Preregistration is available starting at age 16.[1][2]

Regular registration closes during the period beginning 27 days prior to an election and ending two days after the election. Online registration closes 16 days prior to an election. Grace period registration is available in person through election day at certain locations.[1]

Prospective voters can register online, by mail, or at any of the following locations:[3]

“
  • County Clerk's Office
  • Board of Election Commissioner's Office
  • City and Village Offices
  • Township Offices
  • Precinct Committeeman
  • Schools
  • Public Libraries
  • Military Recruitment Offices[4]
 ”

Two forms of identification are required to register in person, one of which must display the voter's current address.[1]

In-person voting

Poll times

See also: State poll opening and closing times

In Illinois, all polls are open from 6:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Central Time. An individual who is in line at the time polls close must be allowed to vote.[5]

Voter identification

See also: Voter identification laws by state

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 November 2022. 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[6][4]
 ”

Early voting

See also: Early voting

Illinois permits early voting. Learn more by visiting this website.

Absentee/mail-in voting

See also: Absentee/mail-in voting

All voters are eligible to vote absentee in Illinois. There are no special eligibility requirements for voting absentee.[7]

To vote absentee, an absentee ballot application must be received by the election office between 90 and five days prior to the election if sent by mail. If applied for in person, it must be received no later than the day before the election. A returned absentee ballot must then be postmarked no later than midnight the night before election and received no later than 14 days after the election.[7]

Under legislation signed into law in 2021, voters can sign on to a permanent vote-by-mail list, thereafter receiving official vote-by-mail ballots automatically for all subsequent elections.[8]


Local election officials

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Do you need information about elections in your area? Are you looking for your local election official? Click here to visit the U.S. Vote Foundation and use their election official lookup tool.

Voting rules for people convicted of a felony

See also: Voting rights for convicted felons

In Illinois, people convicted of a felony automatically regain their voting rights at the completion of their prison or jail sentence, as specified by Article III, Section 2 of the Illinois State Constitution.

Voting rights for people convicted of a felony vary from state to state. In the majority of states, people convicted of a felony cannot vote while they are incarcerated but may regain the right to vote upon release from prison or at some point thereafter.[9]

Election agencies

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See also: State election agencies

Individuals seeking additional information about voting provisions in Illinois can contact the following state and federal agencies.

Illinois State Board of Elections

2329 S. MacArthur Blvd.
Springfield, Illinois 62704
Telephone: 217-782-4141
Email: webmaster@elections.il.gov

U.S. Election Assistance Commission

633 3rd Street NW, Suite 200
Washington, DC 20001
Telephone: 301-563-3919
Toll free: 1-866-747-1471

Noteworthy events

2021

On June 17, 2021, Governor J.B. Pritzker (D) signed SB825 into law, enacting a series of changes to the state's election administration procedures, including (but not limited to) the following:[8][10]

  • Rescheduled the 2022 statewide primary election to June 28, 2022.
  • Provided that, in a county with a population of less than 3,000,000, the sheriff may establish a temporary branch polling place at the county jail.
  • Provided that voters can sign on to a permanent vote-by-mail list, thereafter receiving official vote-by-mail ballots automatically for all subsequent elections.
  • Provided that election authorities can establish curbside voting locations during the early voting period or on Election Day.
  • Provided that election authorities must establish "one location to be located at an office of the election authority or in the largest municipality within its jurisdiction where all voters in its jurisdiction are allowed to vote on Election Day during polling place hours, regardless of the precinct in which they are registered."

SB825 was introduced in the Illinois State Senate on February 25, 2021. On May 31, 2021, the Illinois House of Representatives approved the final version of SB825 by a vote of 72-46. The Senate followed suit that same day, approving the bill by a vote of 41-18.[8]

2018

Early voting in Chicago

On February 5, 2018, Jim Allen, spokesman for the Chicago Board of Elections, said that the start of the city's early voting period for the primary election would likely be delayed to February 21, 2018. Statewide early voting for Illinois' primary elections was scheduled to begin on February 8, 2018; the statewide primary election was scheduled to take place on March 20, 2018. Allen attributed the likely delay to a series of pending candidate ballot challenges, which made it impossible to have the ballots finalized by the scheduled early voting start date. Allen referred specifically to Democratic attorney general candidate Scott Drury, whose name a judge ruled could not appear on the ballot due to filing paperwork issues.[11][12]

2017

Same-day voter registration

On August 4, 2017, the United States Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit fully reversed an injunction against Illinois' same-day voter registration law after issuing a temporary stay against the injunction in the fall of 2016. Illinois' same-day registration law requires counties with populations exceeding 100,000 to provide for same-day voter registration but does not require the same of smaller counties. On August 4, 2016, Patrick Harlan and the Crawford County Republican Central Committee filed suit, alleging that the law, by providing for different voting conditions in different locations, violated the Equal Protection Clause of the Amendment XIV, United States Constitution. On August 9, 2016, the plaintiffs asked for a preliminary injunction to prevent counties from offering same-day voter registration. On September 27, 2016, the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois granted the injunction. On October 10, 2016, the Seventh Circuit stayed the district court's order, allowing for same-day voter registration to take place in the November 2016 general election. The court's ruling on August 4, 2017, overturned the injunction altogether and returned the case to the district court for further proceedings:[13][14]

“ Even if the preliminary injunction had been justified at the time the district court entered it, the passage of time has changed at least one thing: the urgency of injunctive relief. There is plenty of time at this juncture for the district court to consider this case without invoking its extraordinary equity powers. The next election that will be affected by [the law] is the off-year primary election scheduled for March 20, 2018. To the extent that this injunction is designed to address Illinois elections until the merits of the case are resolved, we conclude that it must be vacated.[4] ”
—United States Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit

The lower court dismissed the case in May 2018.[15]

Automatic voter registration

On May 29, 2017, the Illinois House of Representatives approved a bill providing for automatic voter registration when voters interact with certain state agencies (such as driver's license offices). The House approved the bill in a 115-0 vote. On May 31, 2017, the Illinois State Senate (having approved its version of the bill earlier in May) concurred with the House version, sending it to Governor Bruce Rauner (R) for his signature.[16][17]

On August 28, 2017, Rauner signed the automatic voter registration bill into law. At the signing ceremony, Rauner said, "This is good bipartisan legislation and it addresses the fundamental fact that the right to vote is foundational for the rights of Americans in our democracy. We as a people need to do everything we can to knock down barriers, remove hurdles for all those who are eligible to vote, and to be able to vote." According to The Washington Post, the law was expected to be implemented in phases. Driver's license offices and other offices administered by the secretary of state were slated to comply with the law in advance of the November 2018 general election. Any remaining state agencies subject to the law were expected to be compliant by July 2019.[18]

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See also

Elections in Illinois


External links

Footnotes

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Illinois State Board of Elections, "Registering to Vote in Illinois," accessed April 11, 2023
  2. ↑ Ballotpedia Legislation Tracker, "Illinois SB2123," accessed August 14, 2023
  3. ↑ Illinois State Board of Elections, "Frequently Asked Questions," accessed April 11, 2023
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
  5. ↑ WQAD 8, "All you need to know about Tuesday's Illinois primary," accessed April 11, 2023
  6. ↑ Illinois State Board of Elections, "Illinois Voter Information," June 16, 2015
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Illinois General Assembly, "Illinois Compiled Statutes 10 ILCS 5, Article 19. Voting by Mail," accessed September 24, 2019
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Illinois General Assembly, "Bill Status of SB0825," accessed July 6, 2021
  9. ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "Felon Voting Rights," April 6, 2023
  10. ↑ The Hill, "Illinois governor signs law expanding curbside voting, permanent vote by mail," June 18, 2021
  11. ↑ Chicago Sun-Times, "Chicago area could see nearly 2-week delay of early voting," February 5, 2018
  12. ↑ CBS Chicago, "Expect Late Start To Early Voting In Chicago," February 2, 2018
  13. ↑ United States Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit, "Harlan v. Scholz: Order," August 4, 2017
  14. ↑ Courthouse News Service, "Seventh Circuit Upholds Same-Day Illinois Voter Registration," August 4, 2017
  15. ↑ ACLU Illinois, "Victory For Voter Access in Illinois as Court Dismisses Election Day Registration Lawsuit," May 22, 2018
  16. ↑ The Huffington Post, "GOP Illinois Governor Will Sign Automatic Voter Registration After Vetoing It Last Year," May 30, 2017
  17. ↑ Illinois General Assembly, "Bill Status of SB 1933," accessed June 2, 2017
  18. ↑ The Washington Post, "Illinois governor signs automatic voter registration law," August 28, 2017
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