CHICAGO (CBS) — Election Day is on Tuesday, and if you need to know where to vote in Illinois in the 2024 elections, here’s how to find the location of your polling place.
CBS News Chicago also has you covered if you need to know how to register to vote, how to vote early, or what’s on the ballot.
How to find your Illinois polling place?
The Illinois State Board of Elections has a tool to find your polling place on its website. You’ll need to enter your five-digit zip code, street number, and street name.
The tool will show you where to go to vote on Election Day, and links to find early voting locations in your area if you want to vote early.
Can you ever vote in a different Illinois polling place?
In addition to traditional precinct polling places, Chicago’s early voting sites in all 50 wards, and the city’s voting supersite downtown (191 N. Clark St.) will be open on Election Day for all voters from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. For a full list of early voting sites in Chicago, click here.
Likewise, for suburban Cook County voters, the county’s early voting site in downtown Chicago (69 W. Washington St.) and early voting centers at five suburban courthouses will be open on Election Day from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. Click here for a list of early voting sites in suburban Cook County.
If you live outside of Chicago or Cook County, you should check with your local election authority about whether you can vote at early voting locations on Election Day. The Illinois State Board of Elections has a tool to find your local election authority.
Can you drop off mail-in ballots at any Illinois polling place?
If you’re voting by mail and haven’t mailed in your ballot yet, as long as you make sure it’s postmarked by Election Day (Tuesday, November 5) it will be counted. If you’d rather drop it off in person, you can do that too, but you need to make sure you take it to the right place.
Elections in Illinois are overseen by 108 local election authorities; including county clerks in 100 counties, two county election commissions, and six municipal election commissions. So, for example, if you live in Cook County, where you can drop off a ballot depends on if you live in the city or suburbs. Suburban voters must drop off their mail ballots at drop boxes set up by the Cook County Clerk’s office. Chicago voters must drop off mail ballots at drop boxes set up by the Chicago Board of Election Commissioners.
Wherever you live in Illinois, you can find a vote-by-mail drop box using the Illinois State Board of Elections website. Just pick which election your ballot is for, and which of the 108 jurisdictions you live in from a dropdown menu, and it will show you every available drop box for your vote by mail ballot.
Does your Illinois polling place change automatically if you move?
If you moved recently, you’ll need to make sure you’re registered at your current address in order to vote. The good news is, if you’ve already changed your address on your driver’s license or state ID, your voting address will be changed automatically.
If you’re not sure if you have updated your voter registration after you moved, you can check with your local election authority. The Illinois State Board of Elections lists contact information for all 108 election authorities on its website.
Otherwise, if you moved within 27 days of the election, but still live in the same voting precinct, you can still cast a full ballot at your polling place by filling out an affidavit.
If you moved more than 30 days before the election, and still live in the same voting jurisdiction, but outside your old voting precinct, you can update your registration on Election Day at your new polling place through grace period registration, and then cast a ballot. Alternatively, you can vote in any federal elections (presidential or congressional) only after completing an address correction form.
If you moved within 30 days before the election outside of your old voting precinct and old voting jurisdiction, but still live in Illinois, and haven’t yet updated your voter registration, you can update your registration to your new address through Election Day through grace period registration, and then cast a ballot; or you can vote a full ballot at your old polling place by completing an affidavit.
If you moved more than 30 days before the election outside of your old county or municipal voting jurisdiction, and haven’t updated your registration yet, you can only vote by re-registering from your new address through grace period voting at your new polling place.
What do you need to bring to vote in Illinois?
Illinois does not require voters to present identification to vote if they are already registered at their current address, except for some first-time voters. However, having a photo ID with you can help if there are any questions about your registration status.
If you’re a first-time voter and did not verify your identity when you registered, you’ll need to provide ID the first time you vote for president or Congress. You can show election judges a photo ID, a current utility bill, a bank statement, a paycheck, or a government document with your name and address.
If you haven’t registered to vote yet, same-day registration is available in Illinois. You’ll need two forms of ID, including one with your current address. Click here for acceptable forms of ID.
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