National Voter Registration Day will be observed this week in the United States, and Illinois residents have plenty of ways to register to vote ahead of the November elections.
Whether via mail, online or in-person, voters can find all the information they need in this guide.
Who’s eligible to register?
According to the Illinois Board of Elections, residents must meet the following criteria:
-Be a U.S. citizen
-Be 18 years of age or older on Election Day
-Must live in a precinct for at least 30 days prior to the election
-Must not be serving a jail sentence as a result of a conviction
-Must not claim the right to vote anywhere else
How does Automatic Voter Registration work?
Illinois is a state that allows for automatic voter registration under legislation passed by the General Assembly in 2017.
Residents who apply for a REAL ID-compliant driver’s license will be automatically registered to vote unless they specifically opt out, according to officials.
Individuals applying for non-REAL ID-compliant licenses may be asked if they’d like to register to vote.
More information can be found on the Secretary of State’s Office’s website.
Registration in-person/via mail
Illinois voters can obtain registration forms in a variety of fashions, and can either send it in via the mail or deliver it in-person to their local county clerk’s office. You can find the forms here.
The deadline to submit the forms is no more than 28 days from the date of the election, which this year falls on Oct. 8.
Forms must be submitted in person by that date, or postmarked by that date, to be valid for the 2024 election. You can find information on your county clerk’s office here.
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.
That form can be filled out on the website.
Grace period registration
Voters who miss 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 are a list of documents and identification required to do so, which you can find on the state Board of Elections’ website.
Same-day voter registration is also available at select polling places, which you can find on the BOE website.