National Voter Registration Day will be celebrated this week in the United States, and Illinois residents have many ways to register to vote ahead of the November election.
Whether by mail, online or in person, voters can find all the information they need in this guide.
Who is eligible to register?
According to the Illinois Board of Elections, residents must meet the following criteria:
-Be a US citizen
-Be 18 years of age or older on election day
-Must live in an electoral district for at least 30 days before the election
– Must not be serving a prison sentence following a conviction
– Must not claim the right to vote elsewhere
How does automatic voter registration work?
Illinois is a state that allows automatic voter registration under a law passed by the General Assembly in 2017.
Residents who apply for a REAL ID-compliant driver’s license will automatically be registered to vote unless they specifically object, officials said.
Individuals applying for non-REAL ID compliant licenses may be asked to register to vote.
More information can be available on the website of the State Secretariat.
Registration in person/by mail
Illinois voters can obtain registration forms in a variety of ways and can either mail them in or deliver them in person to their local county clerk’s office. You can find the forms here.
The deadline for submitting forms is set at a maximum of 28 days from the date of the election, which this year falls on October 8.
Forms must be submitted in person by this date, or postmarked by this date, to be valid for the 2024 election. Here you will find information about your county clerk’s office.
Online voter registration
Voters also have until Oct. 20 to submit their voter registration online. Residents can check their registration status on the State Board of Elections website.
This form can be filled out on the website.
Grace Period Recording
Voters who miss the deadlines can still register to vote by visiting their local county clerk’s office or participating polling places that are participating in early voting.
There is a list of documents and identifications required to do this, which you can find on the State Board of Elections website.
Same-day voter registration is also possible at some polling places, which you can find on the BOE website.
