The American Democracy Project at Illinois State University
 

Voting Information

In Florida the margin of victory in the 2000 presidential election was just over 500 votes statewide. This result determined that George W. Bush won the presidency. Voting is a powerful right that you have in our democracy. Voting is a convenient and effective way to make your opinion known to local, state, and federal public officials. By not voting you allow others to make decisions about your daily life without making your voice heard.

To vote in Illinois you must first register to vote.

To register to vote you must be a U.S. citizen, be at least 18 years of age by election day, and have been a resident of the precinct where you are planning to vote for at least 30 days prior to election day. You can register to vote at any time of the year except during the 27-day period just prior to an election and during the 2 days after such election (1 day after in Chicago). For the March 21, 2006 primary the last day to register to vote is February 21. For the November 7, 2006 general election the last day to register to vote is October 10, 2006.

What you need:

To register to vote you need two forms of identification with one showing your current residence address . It can be useful, though not required, if one of the forms of identification has a picture of you on it.

You can register to vote at a County Clerk's office, a local Board of Election's office, city and village offices, Township offices, and be registered by Precinct Committeemen. You can also pick up voter registration forms typically at:

  • Driver's License Facilities
  • Department of Public Aid offices
  • Department of Public Health offices
  • Department of Mental Health & Developmental Disabilities offices
  • Department of Rehabilitation Services offices

Also, public schools, public libraries, and various civic and community organization will frequently conduct voter registration drives. You can also download a voter's registration form and either mail it or take it personally to a County Clerk's Office. If you mail the form make sure that the envelope is postmarked with a date before the deadline for when registration closes.

Which county should you register to vote in McLean (Illinois State University) or the county where your parents live?

If you take or mail a completed voter registration form to the County Clerk's Office for McLean County [located at the Government Center, 115 E. Washington St., Bloomington, IL 61701] then you will be registered to vote in McLean County. This means if you go back to the county where your parents live, if not in McLean County, and try to vote you will not be allowed to. Or, if you are registered to vote in another county and try to vote at Illinois State University in McLean County you will not be able to.

Also the address on your voter registration form has to match the address in the county where you will be voting. If you are living in a residence hall and want to vote at the Illinois State University precinct, then the address on your voter registration form has to match the address in the residence hall. It also means the identification forms that you bring to register to vote have to list the residence hall address on them.

If you are registered to vote under one address and have moved since registering, then you have to formally change your address with the County Clerk's office where you intend to vote. The deadline for changing your address is the same as the deadline for registering to vote.