Inactive or not registered to vote in Illinois? How you can cast a ballot this November
St. Clair County has more than 20,600 inactive voters, but they still have an opportunity to vote in November’s election.
Dozens of candidates in the metro-east and across Illinois are running for office in the Tuesday, Nov. 5 election, and prospective voters can check out the BND’s 2024 Voter Guide to research their options. Along with the U.S. presidential race, candidates in metro-east counties will vie for positions such as board chair, county coroner, circuit clerk and more.
There are 163,426 active registered voters in St. Clair County as of Oct. 2, with an additional 20,606 inactive voters registered.
“There are many ways a person can become inactive,” St. Clair County election supervisor Laura Kaemmerer said in a recent email to the BND.
A voter may be considered inactive for moving outside their jurisdiction without updating their voter registration, for example. A person’s voter registration is canceled when they die or register in another precinct.
“Voters are not put into an inactive status for not voting,” Kaemmerer said. “As long as their address is up to date and we do not receive any information that the voter has moved etc. they will remain active in our system. To update an address change they can put their new information on the back of their voter’s ID card, sign it and mail it in.”
Someone who moves without updating their address will have their registration suspended, Kaemmerer added, and will need to do some paperwork to regain their active registration status. If someone’s registration is suspended for two federal elections without an update, it will be canceled and the person will need to re-register.
A person with a suspended voter registration can go into their previous polling location and vote a federal ballot only, or they can register onsite to get a full ballot. To register, two forms of identification are required, with one of those having the person’s current name and address.
Any registration updates after Tuesday, Oct. 8 will need to be done in-person, Kaemmerer said. This can be done at an early-voting site or at a polling place on Election Day through Illinois’ grace period.
While Illinois does offer grace period voter registration, meaning you can register to vote in-person at designated polling places on Election Day, you can save some time by getting it done beforehand.
The deadline for online voter registration in Illinois for the Nov. 5 General Election is Sunday, Oct. 20, while mail-in registrations must be postmarked by Oct. 8.
Here’s what to know about registering to vote and checking your registration.
How to register to vote in Illinois
Illinois residents who are eligible to vote may register online, in person at the election authority’s office, at driver’s license offices, with deputy registrars or by mail, according to the state’s board of elections. The paper application is available in Spanish and in English.
Other locations, including county clerks’ offices, schools and public libraries may also be designated as voter registration locations.
Eligible voters in Illinois must meet the following requirements:
U.S. citizen
17 years old on or before the primary election date and turn 18 on or before general or consolidated election
Live in your precinct at least 30 days prior to Election Day
Must not claim a right to vote anywhere else
Must not be serving a sentence of confinement in any penal institution as a result of a conviction
When registering to vote in person, you will need to bring two forms of identification, with at least one showing your current address.
If you are registering via mail, you will have to provide your driver’s license number or state identification number. If you do not have either of these numbers, you can fulfill the identification requirement by providing one of the following:
The last four digits of your Social Security number
Copy of your current and valid photo ID
Copy of a current utility bill
Copy of a bank statement
Paycheck
Government-issued document that has your name and address
Those who are registering or updating their registration online will need to provide their Illinois driver’s license number or state ID number, the last four digits of their Social Security number and the date their driver’s license or state ID was issued.
How to check your voter registration in Illinois
You can use the state’s online voter registration database to check your registration status. To see whether you’re registered, the site will ask for your first and last name, birth date and ZIP code.
If you check your registration and realize some of the information is out of date, you can update it online.
St. Clair County voting records were part of a July data security breach, Capitol News Illinois reported. The breach is unlikely to affect November’s election, but residents whose data was compromised may be at risk for identity theft.
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