A: All eligible voters in Illinois, including those who need to use Election Day registration to: (1) register for the first time, or (2) file a change of address, or (3) file a name change. To register you must:
  - be a U.S. citizen, and
  - be born on or before Nov. 6, 2000, and
  - live in your precinct at least 30 days before the election, and
  - not claim the right to vote elsewhere; and
  - not be in prison/jail serving time for a conviction. Ex-convicts who have completed their sentences and who meet all other requirements listed above are eligible to register and vote in Illinois. (Note: Ex-convicts who have been released from prison/jail and who meet all other requirements listed above are eligible to register and vote in Illinois. Ex-convicts who have been released and are on parole/probation ARE eligible to register and vote in Illinois.)

   Click here for information on Early Voting & Registration Sept. 27 through Nov. 5.

   Search here to check your registration status or find your Election Day polling place. If you are NOT registered under your current name or at your current address, enter only your current address.

Q: I moved recently. Do I vote in my new precinct or my old precinct?

A: The answer depends on when you moved and where you moved from.

If you moved on or before Oct. 7, 2018 from anywhere to your current Chicago address, vote at the Chicago precinct polling place for your current address. You may register for the first time or update your registration -- and then vote -- at your new precinct polling place on Election Day with two forms of ID, at least one of which shows your current address. Learn more about the IDs you may use.

If you moved Oct. 8, 2018 or later from your old Chicago address to your current Chicago address, vote at the precinct polling place for your old address. Then, after Election Day, update your registration ahead of the next election.

If you moved Oct. 8, 2018 or later from outside of the city to your current Chicago address, vote at the precinct polling place for your new address. You will receive a "federal only ballot" that lists only the office of U.S. Representative.

A: Voters will elect a combination of federal, state, county and judicial candidates. Click here for the list of the offices on the ballots.

Q: Will there be write-in candidates?

A: Yes. To vote for a write-in candidate on the touch screen, select “Write-In” and a keyboard will appear for you to enter the write-in candidate’s name. On a paper ballot, you may write-in a candidate if there is a write-in space for that office, and then connect the head and tail of the arrow next to the write-in space. Do not write-in candidates whose names already appear on the ballot.

Q: Will there be Early Voting and Vote By Mail ahead of the Nov. 6 Election?

A: Yes. There will be In-Person Early Voting & Registration from Sept. 27 through Nov. 5. Sites will be announced in mid-September 2018.
  More about In-Person Early Voting & Registration

Any voter may Vote By Mail by applying online or by applying with the mail-in form. The Board recommends requesting a Vote By Mail by mid-October to make sure that the voter has enough time to receive and return the ballot on or before Election Day Nov. 6. The absolute deadline to apply is 5 pm on Nov. 1, but applying that late will give the voter very little time to receive and return the ballot on time.   
  More about Vote By Mail

A: You do not need ID if you are already registered to vote AND your signature matches the one on file AND there are no questions about your registration.  However, there are times when you do need identification, such as registering to vote or updating the name or address on your registration in person when you go to vote. Learn more about IDs here.

A: No. You will receive a ballot based on where you live and the districts (ward, state representative, county board, congressional, judicial, etc.) that apply to your address.

Q: If I voted in the March Primary, do my votes carry over to the Nov. 6 Election?

A: If you voted at the March Primary, you must vote again in the Nov. 6 Election to have an impact on the Nov. 6 Election.

Q: If I make a mistake while voting, can I correct it?

A: If you have not cast your ballot yet and you notice a mistake in your selection on the touch screen, go back and touch that choice again and then make the selection that you want. If you make a mistake on a paper ballot, you must ask the judge to spoil that ballot and get a new paper ballot.

A: No. On Election Day, a voter must vote only at the polling place assigned to that voter's precinct. Click here to find your precinct number and polling place. If you are not yet registered under your current name or your current address, enter only your current address.

Q: Will my precinct polling place be the same as it was in past elections?

A: Whenever possible, the Board tries to keep polling places at the same locations. However, there may be some polling place owners who cannot or will not allow us to use that site again. Click here to find your precinct number and polling place and check again closer to Election Day.
Please note: IF YOU MOVED from one Chicago precinct to another Chicago precinct on or before Oct. 7, 2018, go to the precinct and polling place for you new address. At the polling place for your new address, you may update your registration address with any two forms of ID, at least one of which includes your new address. Find your new polling place by entering only your new address here.

Q: There are campaign signs on a public property. Will the Election Board remove them?

A: The Election Board has jurisdiction only over signage at polling places that are used on Election Day or during Early Voting, and even then, only in the polling place itself and the "campaign-free zone" that extends 100 feet from the entrance to the polling place. Campaign signs are permitted on polling-place properties so long as they are outside the "campaign-free zone."  During Early Voting, you may call 312-263-1394 with questions about signage at Early Voting sites. On Election Day, you may call Election Central at 312-269-7870 with questions about campaign signs at polling places.
You must call 311 with any other questions about campaign signs on other public properties such as bridges, parks, intersections, etc.

A: No. Once a voter casts a ballot, the voter cannot cast another ballot. Attempting to vote more than once in the same election is a felony.

A: If the judges cannot locate a voter registration record for a person in that precinct:
  - The election judges may perform a "citywide search" in the Electronic Poll Book to try to find if the voter is in the wrong precinct and give the voter the correct precinct polling place; or,
  - The election judges may use the precinct map, precinct outline or poll sheet (paper list of voters), or call the Voter Registration Department to verify if the voter’s address is in the correct precinct.

Casting a Provisional Ballot in the wrong precinct may result in some or all of the provisional ballot NOT being counted. For this reason, voters should go to the correct polling place when directed.

Reasons for voting a Provisional Ballot include:
   a) No registration record found in the precinct;
   b) Voter is challenged and the judges uphold the challenge;
   c) Voter is required to provide ID but does not have acceptable ID;
   d) Voter is listed as having cast a ballot in early voting or through vote by mail, but voter believes that record is in error;
   e) Voter is casting a ballot during a court-ordered extension of hours at a polling place.

Provisional ballots are separated from others cast on Election Day.

After Election Day, Board employees evaluate provisional ballot applications to determine whether the ballot can be released into the count. Also, each provisional voter has 7 calendar days after Election Day to submit documents to the Election Board that will show that voter's eligibility to vote in that precinct (photo ID, utility bills, bank statements, etc.)

A: Yes, employees are entitled to two hours off work, if:

a) The employee gives the employer notice, prior to election day (the Election Code does not specify what type of notice is required);

b) The employer may specify the hours during which the employee may be absent;

c) The employer must permit a 2-hour absence during hours if the employee's working time begins before 7:59 a.m. (within two hours of the open of polls) and the working time ends after 5:01 p.m. (within two hours of the close of polls).

No employer shall refuse an employee the privilege of time off from work nor subject the employee to a penalty, including a reduction in compensation due to such an absence from work.

Q: If I am suddenly hospitalized shortly before the election, how can I vote?

A: A registered voter who is hospitalized not more than 14 days before an election may request a Vote By Mail ballot.
(1) This application must be completed by the voter, the voter's attending physician and the voter's representative (a relative or another registered voter from the same precinct).
(2) The completed application may be submitted in person at 69 W Washington, 8th Floor or by email to [email protected]
(3) The voter's representative will be responsible for picking up the ballot at 69 W. Washington, 8th Floor, delivering the ballot to the voter, and also returning the voted ballot to 69 W. Washington, 8th Floor.
(4) If the voter's application form was submitted by email, the ORIGINAL signed and notarized application form must be submitted with the returned ballot by 7 p.m. on Election Day.
By law, a Vote By Mail ballot cannot by submitted by email or fax.