U.S. Politics

Under federal law, if you move within 30 days of a presidential election, you are allowed to vote for President and Vice President in your former state of residence, either in person or by absentee ballot.

The traditional deadline for registering to vote is 28 days prior to an election. However, Grace Period Registration is an extension of the deadline for registration. State law allows for the registration of voters and for a change of address at the office of an election authority, but it requires that a person participating in Grace Period Registration to vote at that same office or by mail at the discretion of the election authority. People who register during the Grace Period are not eligible to vote at an Early Voting location or at a polling place on Election Day. Grace Period Registration runs 27 days to 7 days before an election.

To register to vote in the State of Illinois, an individual must meet the following qualifications:

• Be a United States Citizen
• Be at least 18 years of age by Election Day;
• Be a resident of the precinct at least 30 days prior to Election Day.
• Not be convicted and in jail
• Not claim the right to vote anywhere else

Where To Register To Vote - The State's Voter Registration Agencies include:

• County Clerk's Office
• Board of Election Commissioner's Office
• City and Village Offices
• Township Offices
• Precinct Committeeman
• Schools
• Public Libraries
• Military Recruitment Offices

Click here to register to vote

Election Offices In illinois

Check state complete events calendar - Deadlines,ID requirements,Poll Hours ...

Absentee Voting -- 2012 General Election

• The first day to file an application for absentee ballot with the Election Authority is 09/27/2012.
• Last day for nonresident to apply for absentee: October 29,2012
• UOCAVA citizens - Request absentee ballot by October 29,2012
• Last day for the election authority to receive an absentee application by mail from any registered voter presently within the United States: November 1, 2012
• Last day to vote absentee in-person: November 5, 2012
• UOCAVA citizens- Return ballot by November 20,2012

MILITARY AND OVERSEAS VOTERS

• Illinois citizens, who live overseas or are serving in the U.S. armed forces and will not be in their home county on Election Day, may register and vote by using one of the methods outlined below. Please be advised that for military personnel, Illinois law allows you to register to vote and to apply for an absentee ballot at the same time.
• Illinois Military and Overseas Voter Empowerment (MOVE)
• Federal Voting Assistance Program

Illinois has two forms of absentee voting:

• Absentee in person, which is better known as early voting, and
• Absentee by mail, which is commonly called by-mail voting.

Who may apply to vote absentee?

• Any qualified elector of the State of Illinois properly registered where registration is required.
• Registered or non-registered members of the United States Armed Forces while on active duty, members of the Merchant Marines, and U.S. Government employees serving outside the U.S., as well as their spouses and dependents who expect to be absent from their county of residence on election day;
• Registered and non-registered citizens of the United States, temporarily out of the country, and their spouses and dependents of voting age when residing with or accompanying them, who maintain a precinct residence in a county in this State;
• Recent law changes allow children of military members who have never resided in Illinois and have reached the age of 18, to be eligible to vote by absentee ballot in Illinois.

WHAT IS EARLY VOTING?

• Registered voters may cast a ballot prior to Election Day without having to provide a reason for wanting to vote early. This ballot is cast by personal appearance at the office of the election authority or at a location established by the election authority. An election authority is either a county clerk or a Board of Election Commissioners.

WHEN DOES EARLY VOTING OCCUR?

• The period for early voting begins the 22nd day preceding a general primary, consolidated primary, consolidated, or general election and extends through the 5th day before Election Day.

WHERE CAN PEOPLE VOTE?

• An election authority may establish permanent polling places for early voting at locations throughout the election authority's jurisdiction, including but not limited to a municipal clerk's office, a township clerk's office, a road district clerk's office, or a county or local public agency office.

Click here to request absentee ballot

Students can establish residency in Illinois if they have a present intention to remain at their Illinois school address for the time being, and they intend to make it their principal home. In practice, the state elections division lets students choose whether they want to register at their previous address or at their school address. However, Illinois courts have indicated that they will presume that students have a permanent abode at their parents'address.

Students who live in Illinois but move to another state for school, and who wish to establish or keep their Illinois voting residency.hould have no problem doing so unless they register to vote in another state. Like most states, Illinois allows students to keep their voting residency even if they move out of the county or state to attend school.

Under federal law, if you move within 30 days of a presidential election, you are allowed to vote for President and Vice President in your former state of residence, either in person or by absentee ballot.

If you moved to Illinois from another state, you must register to vote in Illinois to be able to vote.Unless you register in person at the office of the election authority, the last day to register is twenty-eight days before the election.You can also register in person at the office of the election authority during “grace period” registration, which ends on the seventh day before the election.

If you moved in-precinct during the 27-day period before the election within the precinct, you can vote a regular ballot. When you vote, you will be required to fill out an application and maybe other forms.

If you moved more than 30 days before an election, you can vote for federal offices only at your old polling place. When you vote, you will be required to fill out an address correction form. If you moved within 30 days before an election, you can vote a regular ballot (federal, state, and local offices) at the polling place associated with your old address. When you vote, you will be required to sign an affidavit.

If you moved to a new address in a different county or congressional district (or different city, if the city board of election commissioners maintains the permanent registration records) more than 30 days before the election, you should complete a new registration form to update your registration records.