FAQ's - Voter Registration

Go to the Illinois State Board of Elections website. This method requires either a valid IL Driver's License or a valid IL State ID. (If you don't have one of these, you can register by mail. See the next question).

At the IL Board of Elections website, you can:

• look up your registration status, if you think you might already be registered

• verify your eligibility

• register to vote online

Online registration will close for 2 weeks prior to the Illinois Primary; so if you want to vote in that election, your last chance to register online is midnight on June 12, 2022. (Online voter registration will re-open on June 30, for people who want to vote in the General Election on November 28)

Visit the Illinois Board of Elections website and download the mail-in registration form. Print it, fill it out, and send it in. It's available in both English and Spanish. (Scroll down to where it says Click here to view the English/Spanish document)

Your voter registration application must be postmarked no later than 28 days before the next election. The Illinois Primary is onJune 28, 2022; so make sure your voter registration application is postmarked by May 31, 2022.

NOTE: Registering to vote by mail is not the same thing as requesting a vote by mail ballot. That is a separate application. See Questions about How to Vote for more information about voting by mail.

To vote in Illinois, you must:

• be a US citizen

• be 18 years old

  • If you're 17, but you will be 18 by the time of the General Election (the next General Election in Illinois is November 8, 2022), then you can vote in the Illinois Primary, happening on June 28, 2022. You can register to vote as soon as you turn 17, if you will be 18 by the Nov 8th, 2022 Election Day.

• be a resident of the precinct for more than 30 days prior to election day.

If you are a felon, you can probably still register to vote in Illinois. See below.

If you are unhoused, you can still register to vote in Illinois. See below.

Check your registration status at the Illinois OVA website.

YES!!! Illinois has adopted a robust system for communication with voters via email. This is especially useful if you decide to vote by mail; but you will also receive email communications about your voter registration status if you provide your email address.

YES! If you have completed your sentence, you may vote in Illinois.

If you are awaiting trial, you may vote in Illinois. In fact, Cook County Jail provides a polling place.

If you are out on bond awaiting trial, you may vote in Illinois.

The only time your right to vote is suspended in Illinois is if you are in prison, fulfilling a sentence.

Here's more information from the ACLU about voting if you've got a criminal record.

To register to vote, any citizen (housed or unhoused) must provide 2 forms of identification, including one showing your address.

To fulfill the "address" requirement, a person experiencing homelessness can provide a letter from a drop-in center, shelter, or the person in whose home they are living doubled-up. The letter must confirm that the named person has permission to use their address for the purpose of registering to vote. Here is a template letter that can be used.

Acceptable forms of ID for the second one include mail postmarked to the applicant; an Illinois driver’s license or state ID card; a municipal ID card (for example, the Chicago CityKey); an employee or student ID; Social Security card; birth certificate; credit card; valid U.S. passport; and lease or rental contract.

YES! Illinois is a very progressive state, that wants all of its citizens to vote. For that reason, we offer same-day registration. Here's all you need to do:

1. Find your polling place at the Illinois OVA website - OR - go to a mass polling place. There's one at 69 W Washington, and many more all over the city.

2. Bring two IDs, one of which shows your name at the new address. (your lease, a utility bill less than 30 days old, a piece of US mail addressed to you) The other ID can be any of the following: (passport, social security card, FOID card, driver's license, state ID, student ID, public aid ID card, credit card, birth certificate

Maybe; you can check at the Illinois OVA website whether you're still registered or not.

But if you moved, you probably should change your voter registration address because you might be eligible to vote for different candidates, even if you only moved a couple blocks.

Maybe not; first check here to see if you're still registered to vote.

If you are no longer registered, you can update your voting address at the Illinois OVA website. To do this, you have to have a driver's license or state ID. If you don't have a driver's license or state ID, you can register by mail. Download and print the form here, in either English or Spanish (scroll down to where it says Click Here to View the English/Spanish document).

You are also supposed to change your address in the DMV database, which you can do at tinyurl.com/updateILdmv.

Yes. Do that by re-registering, using any of the methods described on this page.

To register by online, you have to do it 2 weeks before Election Day. So to vote in the Illinois Primary on June 28, 2022, you have to register by midnight on June 12, 2022.

To register by mail, your application has to be postmarked 28 days before the election. So to vote in the Illinois Primary on June 28, 2022, it has to be postmarked by May 31, 2022.

To register in person, you can do that at any polling place, at the same time as you vote. You can do this on Election Day at your assigned polling place in your precinct; or, you can do it at any mass polling place anywhere in your jurisdiction.

Illinois State Board of Elections PDF download explains all the options and dates.

It depends on how you register.

If you register to vote online, you must have either a valid IL driver's license or a valid state ID. If you do have one of those and you complete the online registration process, you will not need to show any form of ID when you go to the polling place.

If you register to vote by mail, you can provide the last 4 digits of your social security number instead of a driver's license or state ID. If you register this way, you will have to show 2 forms of ID when you show up at the polling place (neither one has to be a photo ID). See the question, "This is my very first time voting in Illinois - do I need to show ID?" on this page. This page provides a list of what is considered valid forms of ID.