What to Know on Election Day
Tuesday is Election Day and will be the last day for voters to cast their ballots for the 2024 General Election. Voters will be voting for candidates running for local, state and federal offices.
Polling places throughout Illinois will be open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesday, November 5 for in person voting. Voters must be in line at the polling place before polls close to be permitted to cast a ballot.
If your work schedule prevents you from getting to the polls while they are open on Election Day, Illinois’ Voting Leave law allows you to request up to two hours off of work to vote.
To ensure a smooth voting experience take the following steps to prepare for Election Day:
- Use the State Board of Election’s Polling Place Lookup to find your polling place
- Familiarize yourself with the Voter System used at your polling place
- Review the candidates and measures on your ballot and plan your votes in advance. You can find a sample ballot on your county election authority website or the Illinois Voters Guide. You are permitted to bring written or printed materials into the voting booth to assist you in casting your vote.
Electioneering is prohibited
Illinois law prohibits electioneering in or around polling places. Electioneering under state law is campaigning, soliciting votes or engaging in political discussion within a polling place or within 100 feet of any polling place.
No one is permitted to wear a campaign button, display political literature or engage in political discussion within the restricted campaign free zone. This includes the polling place and 100 feet from the entrance. If the polling place is located on private property or at a church, the entire property can be designated as a campaign free zone by the property owner.
Shirts, hats, buttons and other apparel with campaign messages are not allowed in a polling place. Under a Supreme Court ruling, polling places can disallow apparel or other campaign material that refers to a candidate on the ballot; a question on the ballot; or an organized political party (Democratic, Progressive, Republican, Libertarian, Liberty Union, Green Mountain). However, more generic political apparel or material, like a “Don’t Tread on Me” shirt or a “MoveOn.org” hat, should be allowed.
Election judges are empowered and trained to run a polling place and determine what is and is not electioneering using their best judgment.
Campaigning, handing out fliers or distributing palm cards is allowed as long as it is outside of the campaign free zone.
Voter ID requirements on Election Day
If you are a registered voter and have voted in previous Illinois elections your signature is typically all you need to vote on Election Day.
If you plan to register to vote on Election Day you must meet these requirements:
- Must be a U.S. Citizen
- Must be 18 years old to vote in a Consolidated General Election
- Must have been a resident of the precinct at least 30 days prior to Election Day.
You will also need to provide two forms of identification, and one must include your current address. Accepted identification includes:
- A current and valid photo identification like a driver’s license or state ID
- Utility bill
- Bank statement
- Government check
- Paycheck
- Lease or contract for residence
- Student ID & mail addressed to voter’s residence
- Government document
If you registered by mail you are required to vote in person for the first time. If you did not provide identification with your mail-in registration, you must provide two forms of ID, and one must include your current address, such as a utility bill.
People voting under the provisions of the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA) or the Voting Accessibility for the Elderly and Handicapped Act (VAEHA) do not have to vote in person for the first time after having registered by mail. They can vote by mail.
If you do not present a required form of identification either at the time of submitting your mail-in registration or at the time of voting, you may vote a provisional ballot.
Received absentee/mail-in ballot but now want to vote in person
In the situation where you requested an absentee/mail-in ballot but decide to vote in person, you must bring the ballot that was mailed to you to the election site. If you do not bring your mailed ballot with you to the polls, you will only be able to vote using a provisional ballot.
Provisional Ballots
If your name is not on the registered voter list and you believe you registered to vote in your precinct, you may have the right to vote on a provisional ballot. Your vote will count if election officials confirm your eligibility to vote.
Any person who claims to be a registered voter is entitled to cast a provisional ballot under the following circumstances:
- The voter’s name does not appear on the official list of eligible voters for the precinct in which the person seeks to vote and the person has refused an opportunity to register
- The voter’s voting status has been challenged and a majority of the judges uphold the challenge
- The voter did not provide identification when registering by mail and still cannot provide identification on Election Day
- A court order extends the time for closing the polls, and the voter votes during this extended time period
- The voter’s name appears on the list of voters who voted during the early voting period, but the voter claims not to have voted during the early voting period
- The voter admits receiving a vote by mail ballot, but failed to return it to the election authority (or election judges)
- The voter attempted to register to vote on Election Day, but failed to provide the necessary documentation
You will be required to complete and sign a provisional voter affidavit. After your provisional ballot is cast, you’ll receive instructions on how to provide additional information to your local election authority. A voter who casts a provisional ballot may check the status of that ballot to determine whether it was tabulated.
Voting systems, instructions and assistance
Each jurisdiction selects a voting system from among the systems that have been tested and certified for use in Illinois by the State Board of Elections. Each voter is entitled to receive instruction on the use of the voting equipment. Those with certain disabilities may receive assistance with the voting equipment. An affidavit is required for assistance, but it is not required for instruction.
Instruction
Any instruction that might be required should be given before the voter enters the booth and in view of the entire polling place. A specimen ballot, not the voter’s official ballot, must be used during instruction.
Assistance
Voters with specific disabilities may receive assistance in voting either from the election judges or from a person of the voter’s choice, as long as that person is not an employer, union official or candidate on the ballot. If the voter who needs assistance does not specify a person to assist them, then the voter can be assisted by two election judges, one from each political party.
Assistance is defined as aiding a specified voter, up to and including marking and casting a vote, in the privacy of a voting booth during in-person early voting or on Election Day. Those giving assistance must vote as directed by the voter and must keep that vote private.
Only those voters who genuinely need assistance may be given assistance. Illinois law provides that the following people may receive assistance:
- Blind voters
- Voters with physical disabilities
- Voters with an inability to read, write, or speak the English language
All voters needing assistance must be registered to vote and may receive assistance in registering to vote if they so request.
Assistance can only be given upon the voter’s request and only after the voter completes the appropriate Affidavit of Assisted Voter. In every instance of assistance, both the voter receiving the assistance and the person(s) providing the assistance must sign the affidavit. Additionally, the voter’s Application for Ballot must be marked by an election judge to show that the voter requested assistance. Assistance is always given in the privacy of the voting booth. Anyone providing assistance must cast the vote as directed by the voter and must not give anyone information as to how the vote was cast.
Any disabled or elderly voter who cannot enter a polling place due to the structural features of the building may request to curbside vote or to have their ballot delivered to them at the point where the polling place becomes inaccessible. In no case may this location be further than 50 feet from the entrance of the polling place.
What to do if there is a problem at the polls
If you have a question about your ballot, ask a poll worker. They are there to help. If you have issues at your polling place, do not directly confront anyone but report the problem to the Illinois State Board of Elections.
Voting before Election Day
You can still vote early at your local election authority until Monday, November 4. Use the State Board of Elections’ online tool or call your election authority for early voting locations in your area. All vote by mail ballots must be postmarked by Tuesday, November 5 to be counted.