St. Clair, Madison county clerks prepare for primary election voting to begin

Starting next month, metro-east residents will be able to cast ballots for the March 15 primary.

Early voting at the St. Clair County and Madison County clerks’ offices, and the East St. Louis Board of Elections, begins on Feb. 4.

Remote early-voting sites in both St. Clair and Madison counties are scheduled to open on Feb. 29.

The last day to register to vote before the March primary is Feb. 16. However, grace period voting is scheduled from Feb. 17 through March 15. People may come to the clerk’s office and register to vote, but must vote at that time, under grace period voting.

When people register to vote, they need two forms of identification. One must be a picture ID, and one must have the person’s current name and address.

People may register to vote at the county clerk’s office, or at any city or village hall, township office, library or through the clerk’s website.

Also, residents who are 17 years old on the date of the primary election but otherwise qualified to vote, but will be 18 years old on the date of the general election, are allowed to vote in the primary.

The last day to apply to vote by mail is March 10 for civilians, and March 8 for military personnel, according to the St. Clair County Clerk’s office.

For more information about registering to vote, early voting locations, or to request a vote-by-mail application, go to countyclerk.co.

st-clair.il.us in St. Clair County, eslelections.org in East St. Louis, or madisonvotes.com in Madison County.

The St. Clair County Clerk’s Office is on the second floor of the St. Clair County Courthouse at 10 Public Square in Belleville. The Madison County Clerk is at 157 N. Main St. in Edwardsville. The East St. Louis Board of Elections is at 301 River Park Drive, Suite 300.

This story was originally published January 29, 2016 at 11:30 AM with the headline "St. Clair, Madison county clerks prepare for primary election voting to begin."