Advocate

Your Vote Matters!

Your vote is your voice! Find out how to vote in Cook County.

Primary Election Day is March 17.

Learn how to register to vote, how to vote by mail and how to vote at your polling place.
Avoid the line and make sure your vote is counted.

city of chicago suburban cook countyFAQS

For City of Chicago Voters

1) Make Sure You Are Registered to Vote

You can register to vote online, by mail or in person. Check if you are already registered here.

Register online through March 1. Use your IL driver’s license or state ID card to register to vote or to change your name or address. You may register online at your new address using an IL state ID and/or IL driver’s license that still has your old address.

Register by mail through February 17. Fill out and sign this form, then deliver or mail it by the deadline.

Register in person at early voting sites from February 18 - March 16. You must show two acceptable forms of ID. At least one ID must list your current address.

Register at your precinct polling place on Election Day, March 17. Eligible voters can still register and vote at their home polling place on Election Day. You must show two acceptable forms of ID. At least one ID must list your current address. Find your polling place.

Register at the Illinois Secretary of State’s Office through March 17. You may register to vote while obtaining a new driver’s license or state ID.

More information on voter registration in Chicago

 

2) Apply to Vote By Mail (If You Prefer)

If you won't be in Chicago on March 17 or prefer the convenience of voting by mail, apply to have a ballot sent directly to your preferred address. All Vote By Mail ballots come with postage-paid Ballot Return Envelopes.

Apply to vote by mail online through March 12.

Send in a paper application to vote by mail by March 12. This form must be returned no later than 5 days prior to any election by personal delivery or by mailing it to: Chicago Board of Elections, 69 W. Washington St. #800, Chicago, IL, 60602. Access this form in multiple languages here.

Voters can now join a Permanent Vote By Mail Roster and have their ballots sent directly to their preferred address ahead of every election. If you already signed up for the Permanent Vote By Mail Roster, you will be receiving your Vote By Mail ballot for the March 17 Primary Election at your preferred delivery address starting February 5.

More information on voting by mail in Chicago

 

3) Cast Your Vote

Vote in person on March 17. Polls are open from 6:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Find your polling place or a city-wide vote center.

Voting by mail? Send your mail-in ballot by March 17. Your mail-in ballot must be postmarked by March 17 to be counted. You can also:

  • Drop off your mail-in ballot at the Board of Elections, 69 W. Washington.
  • Put your mail-in ballot in the Secure Drop Box at any Early Voting site.

Skip the line and vote early from February 12 - March 17. You can use the Voting Supersite (137 S. State St) and Board Offices (69 W. Washington St. - 6th Floor) to vote early starting February 12. Vote early in all 50 wards at a vote center near you starting March 2.

Visually impaired and print disabled voters may request an accessible mail ballot by calling 312.603.0942 or by emailing [email protected]. All Chicago early voting sites and precinct polling sites are ADA accessible.

Voters experiencing homelessness are eligible to vote in Illinois. Their current mailing address is recognized as their residence for voting purposes. To provide proof of address, people experiencing homelessness should present one of the following items at the polls: 

  • A piece of mail addressed to the voter 
  • A statement or letter from a case manager, homeowner, or religious leader that states the voter is allowed to use this mailing address 
  • An ID card issued by a homeless shelter showing the name and mailing address of the voter

More information about voting in Chicago

For Suburban Cook County Voters

1) Make Sure You Are Registered to Vote

You can register to vote online, by mail or in person. Check if you are already registered here.

Register online through March 1. Use your IL driver’s license or state ID card to register to vote or to change your name or address. You may register online at your new address using an IL state ID and/or IL driver’s license that still has your old address.

Register by mail through February 17. Fill out and sign this form, then deliver or mail it by the deadline.

Register in person through March 1. Eligible suburban Cook County residents can also register to vote in person with a certified registrar by going to:

Register at your precinct polling place on Election Day, March 17. Eligible voters can still register and vote at their home polling place on Election Day. You must show two acceptable forms of ID. At least one ID must list your current address. Find your polling place.

Register at the Illinois Secretary of State’s Office through March 17. You may register to vote while obtaining a new driver’s license or state ID.

More information on voter registration for suburban Cook County voters

 

2) Apply to Vote By Mail (If You Prefer)

If you won't be in Chicago on March 17 or prefer the convenience of voting by mail, apply to have a ballot sent directly to your preferred address. All Vote By Mail ballots come with postage-paid Ballot Return Envelopes.

Apply to vote by mail online.

Voters can now join a Permanent Vote By Mail Roster and have their ballots sent directly to their preferred address ahead of every election. If you already signed up for the Permanent Vote By Mail Roster, you will be receiving your Vote By Mail ballot for the March 17 Primary Election at your preferred delivery address.

More information on voting by mail for suburban Cook County voters

 

3) Cast Your Vote

Vote in person on March 17. Polls are open from 6:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Find your polling place.

Voting by mail? Send your mail-in ballot by March 17. Your mail-in ballot must be postmarked by March 17 to be counted.

Skip the line and vote early from February 18 - March 16. Beginning February 18, limited Early Voting will be available Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at all five suburban Cook County Circuit Courthouse locations and in downtown Chicago at 69 W. Washington. Early voting will be available at all polling sites starting March 2. Find your polling place.

Visually impaired and print disabled voters may request an accessible mail ballot by calling 312.603.0942 or by emailing [email protected]. Find more information on accessible voting in suburban Cook County here.

Voters experiencing homelessness are eligible to vote in Illinois. Their current mailing address is recognized as their residence for voting purposes. To provide proof of address, people experiencing homelessness should present one of the following items at the polls: 

  • A piece of mail addressed to the voter 
  • A statement or letter from a case manager, homeowner, or religious leader that states the voter is allowed to use this mailing address 
  • An ID card issued by a homeless shelter showing the name and mailing address of the voter. 

More information about voting in suburban Cook County

FAQS

Who is Eligible to Vote and Other FAQs

To be an eligible voter in Illinois, an individual must be:

  • A United States citizen
  • At least 18 years of age on the date of the election
  • A resident of their precinct in Illinois for at least 30 days before the day of the election

Eligible voters must also be able to show identification to register to vote.

  • New Residents: You must live in your precinct for 30 days to be eligible to vote. If you moved before October 7, 2024, you can vote at your current address. You may update your registration and vote at your new precinct polling place with two forms of ID, at least one of which shows your current address. If you moved within Chicago after October 7, 2024 (less than 30 days before election day), vote at the precinct polling place for your old address. 
  • Justice-Involved Individuals: Any justice-involved individual who is released from IDOC is eligible to vote. More information.
    • If you are being held in jail due to inability to pay bail and your case is still in court without a verdict, you can still vote.
    • If you are on probation or parole, you can still vote.
    • If you have lost your right to vote due to a felony conviction, you will need to re-register after release.
    • More info here.
  • College Students: College students should check their registration address and make sure their vote-by-mail ballot is going to the address where they are currently located.
  • Voters who are homeless: People experiencing homelessness are eligible to vote in Illinois. Their current mailing address is recognized as their residence for voting purposes. To provide proof of address, people experiencing homelessness should present one of the following items at the polls:
    • A piece of mail addressed to the voter
    • A statement or letter from a case manager, homeowner, or religious leader that states the voter is allowed to use this mailing address
    • An ID card issued by a homeless shelter showing the name and mailing address of the voter.
  • Immigrants and New Citizens: Any US citizen is able to vote. There are ballots and applications available in multiple languages throughout Chicago and Cook County.

To register to vote in Illinois, the voter must show two forms of identification. One of these IDs must have the voter’s current address.

Voters can use these forms of ID:

  • Passport or Military ID
  • Driver’s License or State ID
  • College, University, School or Work ID
  • Vehicle registration card
  • Lease, mortgage or deed to home
  • Credit or debit card
  • Social Security, Medicare or Medicaid card
  • Insurance card
  • Civic, union or professional membership card
  • LINK/Public Aid/Department of Human Services card
  • Illinois FOID card

Some forms of mail can be used as ID. These forms of mail include:

  • A bill, transcript or report card from school
  • A bank statement, pay stub or pension statement
  • A utility, medical or insurance bill
  • Official mail from any government agency

These forms of identification are also needed to change your address on the day of voting. No identification is needed if the voter is already registered and is voting in person at their designated precinct and their signature matches the one on file.

If an individual does not have the proper identification on the day of voting, they will be allowed to vote using a provisional ballot on election day. The required identification must then be presented to the Cook County Clerk’s office (69 W. Washington St., Suite 500, Chicago IL 60602) within 7 days of the election for the provisional ballot to be counted.

More information

In Illinois, all voters can request to vote by mail. You can check online to see if your polling site is accessible.

Both Chicago and Cook County provide services to assist voters including:

  • Wheelchair accessible/seated voting booths
  • Audio and Audio Visual Ballots
  • Assisted Voting (either with trusted family member/friend or two judges of election)
  • Curbside voting if the polling site is not accessible
    • For Chicago: must be requested by 5 p.m. the day before Election Day at 69 W. Washington Street, Suite 600; can also be requested on Election Day if polling site is inaccessible. Voters may call 312-269-7870 on Election Day with questions/concerns
    • For Cook County: Request Curbside Voting 1 week before Election Day by calling (312) 603-0929 or emailing [email protected]
    • All city of Chicago voting sites are ADA accessible. Find your closest site here,
More Information

In September, Chicago and Cook County will release sample ballots. Your ballot will be different depending on where you live. Look at the sample ballot to see what offices, candidates and referendums will be on the ballot.

City of Chicago Voters: On Chicago’s Board of Election website, information is listed in 7 different languages (English, Spanish, Polish, Chinese, Hindi, Korean, and Tagalog).

Suburban Cook County Voters: There are vote by mail ballot applications for suburban Cook County in 12 languages (English, Spanish, Arabic, Chinese Mandarin, Gujarati, Hindi, Korean, Polish, Russian, Tagalog, Ukrainian, and Urdu). Touch screen ballots are prepared with English, Spanish, Chinese, and Hindi ballots and there are audio ballots in these languages. Suburban Cook County also provides language hotlines for voters needing assistance. You can call these numbers on or before Election Day.

  • En Español llama: 312-603-6767
  • 以國語接聽，請撥 : 312-603-6769
  • Polski: 312-603-6770
  • टेलीफोन: 312-603-6743
  • TDD: 312-603-0902
  • More information is available here.

If you requested a mail-in ballot but later decide you would like to vote in person, you must bring your mail-in ballot to the polling site and surrender it to an election judge.

If you never received your mail-in ballot or lost your mail-in ballot, you can go to an early polling site or election day polling precinct. You can vote in person after you sign an affidavit stating you do not have your mail-in ballot.

For assistance on Election Day, call your election office:

Find Your Voter Information

Make sure your voice is heard on election day.

Voting in Chicago Voting in Cook County