Illinois Registration Deadline

Registration is open year round except:

• During the 27-day period just prior to an election, or 16 days before the election for online registration
• During the 2-days after each election (1 day after in Chicago)

Voters may now register to vote either by accessing the Online Voter Application, or through the Illinois State Board of Elections website.

Grace period registration is available in Illinois. The grace period for registering to vote is the 27th to the 3rd day prior to the election. After the normal registration period closes, grace period registration allows you to register in person at the office of your election authority. However, people who take advantage of the late registration opportunity are limited in the way they can vote: if you register to vote during this two-week period you must vote in the office of the election authority or vote absentee by mail. There are 110 election authorities in Illinois, most of them county clerks, and the others are boards established by larger cities. The people who register during the grace period do not vote at their polling place on Election Day, nor are they allowed to vote under the new Illinois law that establishes early voting centers.

Under federal law, citizens may apply to register to vote by mailing in an a voter registration application. The applications are available at some public and private facilities where you live.

When you register by mail, your form must be postmarked prior to the close of registration. Please note that if you register by mail, with the exception of those disabled or in the military, you must vote in-person at the polling place or by in-person absentee voting the first time you vote.