Voter Information

One of the most important activities of the League of Women Voters is assisting citizens with voter registration and providing voters with the information they need to make informed decisions at the polls.

To be eligible to vote in Illinois…

• You must be a US Citizen
• You must be at least 18 years of age by Election Day (17-year-olds are eligible to register for and vote in a Primary Election if they will be 18 by the General Election)
• You must live in your precinct at least 30 days before the election
• You must not claim the right to vote elsewhere
• You must not be in prison or jail serving time for a conviction (Ex-convicts who have completed their sentences and who meet all other requirements listed above are eligible to register and vote in Illinois)

16- and 17-year-olds are eligible to pre-register to vote in Illinois!

To pre-register, you must have an Illinois State ID or Driver's License. You may register either online or at the DMV. The pre-registration will go into effect automatically when you reach voting age.

REGISTER ONLINE

Same-Day Registration

Did you know that in Kane County, new voters can show up at a polling site and register-to-vote right before casting their first ballot?

If you want to register on Election Day, be sure to bring two forms of identification with you. One of your ID’s must list your current address.

The following are acceptable forms of ID:

• Passport or Military ID
• Driver's License or State ID card
• 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, or Department of Human Services card
• Illinois FOID card
• Mail of the following types addressed to you...

 

• Bill, transcript, or report card from school
• Bank statement, pay stub, or pension statement
• Utility, medical, or insurance bill
• Official mail from any government agency

Polling sites in Illinois use signature-verification to confirm voter identity. For this reason, it is generally not necessary to present identification before casting your ballot.

There are several circumstances, however, such as first-time voting, an address change, mail to your address from the election office that is returned to sender, a period of time without voting, or errors within the voter database that may trigger the requirement for identification on Election Day.

To avoid difficulties, it never hurts to have an ID available in case it’s needed.