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Election 2024: General Election Information

Who can vote?

  • You must be a United States Citizen.
  • You must be at least 17 years old on or before the date of the Primary Election and turn 18 on or before the date of the General or Consolidated Election (16 year olds may preregister to vote).
  • You must live in your election precinct at least 30 days prior to Election Day.
  • You must not be serving a sentence of confinement in any penal institution as a result of a conviction.
  • You may not claim the right to vote anywhere else.

Before you begin to register...
If you think that you may already be registered to vote, you can check by using the State Board of Election's Voter Registration Lookup.

Voting Rights for the Formerly Incarcerated:
Formerly incarcerated citizens who have served their time are eligible to register and vote in Illinois.  While there are states with restrictions on voting rights for the formerly incarcerated, in Illinois there is no distinction between formerly incarcerated community members (regardless of their crime) and their fellow citizens. The Clerk’s office encourages every eligible citizen to register at their current address and take an active role in our democratic process.

Voting Rights for Jail Detainees:
The Cook County Clerk’s office wants to make sure that Cook County jail detainees are able to exercise their right to vote.

Jail detainees largely are eligible to vote – disenfranchisement laws don’t apply to someone who is awaiting trial – as they haven’t been convicted of a crime, and often, they are being held in jail because they can’t afford bail before their trial.

The Clerk’s office works with volunteers from advocacy and legal groups to give detainees the opportunity to both register and vote.

Detainees vote at the Jail, using mail ballots they have previously requested from visiting Clerk’s staff and volunteers. Voting day for detainees takes place on a specific day, usually a week before Election Day, during the Early Voting period.

Important Dates

  • October 21th: First Day of Early Voting
  1. Voters do not need to provide an excuse or reason why they cannot vote on Election Day.
  2. Government-issued photo ID is not required but is helpful if there is a question about the voter's registration, address or signature.  Providing an ID can also speed up the process because we have ID card readers at every check-in station.
  3. You can register to vote at ALL Early Vote Sites. NOTE: Any voter who needs to register for the first time or file an address change must present two forms of ID, one of which shows the voter's current address.
  • October 31st: Last day to request a mail ballot, including military and overseas voters