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If you travel for business or if long work hours make voting in the Nov. 4 Illinois general election impossible or inconvenient, today is the first day you can utilize early voting, according to the Illinois State Board of Elections (ISBE).

Early voting was approved by the Illinois General Assembly in 2005.

“Registered voters may cast a ballot prior to Election Day without having to provide a reason for wanting to vote early,” says an online ISBE document. “This ballot is cast by personal appearance at the office of the election authority or at a location established by the election authority. An election authority is either a county clerk or a Board of Election Commissioner.”

Locations for early voting are usually in one of the following offices, though temporary polling places may be set up in other locations:

  • a municipal clerk’s office,
  • a township clerk’s office,
  • a road district clerk’s office,
  • a county agency office or
  • a local public agency office.

The local election authority will publish the locations for early voting and the hours for each.  Residents voting early must present a current driver’s license or a government issued photo ID card, according to the ISBE.

Typically, voters must register 28 days in advance of an election. Check to see if you’re registered. However, Grace Period Registration extends the registration deadline.

Grace Period Registration
Those who use Grace Period Registration cannot participate in early voting or to vote at their usual polling place on Election Day, says the ISBE. However, depending on the local election authority, those voters will be allowed to cast their ballot after Grace Period Registration in the same location or by mail. Grace Period Registration begins 27 days before the election and ends on the day of the election.