Voting In Illinois

REQUESTING A BALLOT:

• Any Illinois registered voter can request a mail-in-ballot to vote during an election
• Find out about voting by mail on the Illinois Board of Elections website.
• The application to vote by mail can be found here, or through your local election authority. 

TRACKING YOUR BALLOT:

• Illinois does not have a universal system for ballot tracking. Check on your local election authority's website to see if they do.

IF YOU DON'T RECIEVE YOUR BALLOT:

• Contact your election authority to inquire about the ballot.
• If you vote in person, you may be required to sign an affidavit stating you did not receive the mail-in ballot in order to vote a regular in-person ballot. Otherwise you may be required to fill out a provisional ballot (find out more about provisional ballots).

RETURNING YOUR BALLOT:

• Return your ballot as soon as possible.
• You can return your ballot at your local election authority
• You can return it at a designated drop box if there are ones in your county. Check with your election authority or through the Illinois Board of Elections.
• If you mail your ballot it must be postmarked by Election day(make sure it's in the mail before this day), and received two weeks later.
• You do not need to have correct postage for your ballot to be accepted.
• You can also return your ballot with an election judge at your local polling location. But if choosing this option you may want to surrender your ballot and vote in-person so that your ballot does not get lost.

• If you have already received your mail ballot, take it with you to an early voting site or your polling place on Election Day and surrender it to an election judge. Your mail ballot should be voided, and you should receive a regular ballot.

• If you have not yet received your mail ballot, you should be asked to sign an affidavit certifying you have not received your ballot. You should then be issued a regular ballot.
• If you received your mail ballot but lost it, you may sign an affidavit certifying you have not yet voted in this election. You should then be issued a provisional ballot.
• If your mail ballot arrives after you have voted but on or before Election Day, you must discard the mail ballot. Do not attempt to vote your mail ballot after you have voted in person. Doing so is a Class 3 felony. (And because voting systems will not allow more than one vote per voter, your mail ballot will be rejected.)
• Find your early voting polling location, or your polling location on Election Day. 

Early voting is typically available 40 days before an election until the day before. 

• Early voting locations and times will vary per county. Look at the Board of Election website for your county, or check with the Chicago Board of Elections, for more information on how to vote early.
• Find out more about early voting in Illinois.
• You can find information on where you can early vote.

• Find your poll location for Election Day.
• Find locations you can register and vote on Election Day through your local election authority.

You need not present a photo ID to vote in Illinois. A poll worker should not ask you for ID except in a narrow range of circumstances. You may need an ID if:

• An Election Judge challenges your right to vote
• You registered to vote by mail and did not provide ID
• If you are also registering to vote or changing your registration address on the day that you vote

Find more information in the Know Your Rights Page.