Voting in Illinois
Last week I asked my college students how many of them had ever voted (2 out of a class of 35 had). Only a handful were confident they were registered. I asked a few questions to see how much they knew about the voting process. This week, I put together a resource page and walked them through the myriad of options they had for registering, absentee voting, early voting, day of voting, how to look up their ballot ahead of time, how to research candidates, how to research judges and issues, and talked to them about their trepidationās around voting. One student asked what this had to do with a business class and I explained at length about the impact that electeds have on everything that could impact their future businesses and the kind of world they want to live in. I then asked them how many of them were taught any of this before- 2 hands went up. I was SO ANGRY FOR THEM. All I hear is how young people donāt do this and they donāt do that and they donāt vote. They donāt vote because we have failed them. How can we expect to have civically engaged citizens if we do not teach them the basic logistics of HOW to vote. We let them graduate high school right at the age when they can first vote and we donāt demand that part of their learning include how to vote let alone how to vote informed. How is it that I have a classroom of voting age students who are brilliant and creative and inspiring and they learned more in a 30 minute crash course in voting with me in a business class than in their formal education prior to today? I hope they feel as much resentment as I feel right now and I hope they take that to the polls and show this country what is possible when we give folks the basic literacy and resources to do the most important thing any citizen can do in a democracy.
Here are the resources I shared with them.Ā
VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTEĀ
Ā 1)Ā Ā Ā Register to Vote
2)Ā Ā Ā Ways to Vote
3)Ā Ā Ā Know your Ballot
4)Ā Ā Ā Do your Research
Ā 1)Ā Ā Ā Registering to Vote in Illinois:
Ā·Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā You must be a United States Citizen.
Ā·Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā You must be 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.
Ā·Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā You must live in your election precinct at least 30 days prior to Election Day.
Ā·Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā You must not be serving a sentence of confinement in any penal institution as a result of a conviction.
Ā·Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā You may not claim the right to vote anywhere else.
REGISTER ONLINE HEREĀ (Links to an external site.)
When you register, you will receive a voter registration card in the mail. It will tell you where you go vote. (Somewhere nearby your address). If you don't get one in time you can look up your polling location here:Ā https://ova.elections.il.gov/PollingPlaceLookup.aspxĀ (Links to an external site.)
Ā Same Day Registration:
Illinois has same day registration. That means you can show up to your polling location with 2 forms of ID, register, and vote all at the same time!
On Election Day, voters who are not registered to vote can register and vote at theirĀ home precinct only. Any voter who is not registered and needs to know where to go to register and vote on Election Day can utilize the Clerkās onlineĀ Your Voter Information ToolĀ to find their proper polling place by address or birthday.
Voters planning on registering to vote or updating their address on Election Day must bringĀ two pieces of identificationĀ to register, one with a current address.
Ā 2)Ā Ā Ā Ways to Vote:
Ā Early Voting
If you know you wonāt have time to vote on the day of the election (March 17, 2020) donāt worry! You can vote early (and you can register and vote at the same time!). Early voting takes place March 2-16th. There are dedicated early voting locations. Here is a list of the Cook County locations: https://www.cookcountyclerk.com/service/early-voting-locations
Ā Here is the location and schedule for the early voting polling station closest to Columbia:
Ā 69 W WASHINGTON, 5TH FLOOR
69 W WASHINGTON ST
CHICAGO,Ā ILĀ 60602
Ā MF
Feb. Ā 19Ā -Ā Feb. 21
09:00 Ā AMĀ -Ā 05:00 PM
Feb. Ā 24Ā -Ā Feb. 28
09:00 Ā AMĀ -Ā 05:00 PM
Mar. Ā 2Ā -Ā Mar. 6
09:00 Ā AMĀ -Ā 05:00 PM
Mar. Ā 9Ā -Ā Mar. 13
09:00 Ā AMĀ -Ā 07:00 PM
Mar. 16
09:00 Ā AMĀ -Ā 07:00 PM
SA
Mar. 7
09:00 Ā AMĀ -Ā 05:00 PM
Mar. 14
09:00 Ā AMĀ -Ā 05:00 PM
SU
Mar. 8
10:00 Ā AMĀ -Ā 04:00 PM
Mar. 15
10:00 Ā AMĀ -Ā 04:00 PM
69 W WASHINGTON, PEDWAY
69 W WASHINGTON ST
CHICAGO,Ā ILĀ 60602
Ā MF
Feb. Ā 19Ā -Ā Feb. 21
09:00 Ā AMĀ -Ā 05:00 PM
Feb. Ā 24Ā -Ā Feb. 28
09:00 Ā AMĀ -Ā 05:00 PM
Mar. Ā 2Ā -Ā Mar. 6
09:00 Ā AMĀ -Ā 05:00 PM
Mar. Ā 9Ā -Ā Mar. 13
09:00 Ā AMĀ -Ā 07:00 PM
Mar. 16
09:00 Ā AMĀ -Ā 07:00 PM
Mar. 17
06:00 Ā AMĀ -Ā 07:00 PM
SA
Mar. 7
09:00 Ā AMĀ -Ā 05:00 PM
Mar. 14
09:00 Ā AMĀ -Ā 05:00 PM
SU
Mar. 8
10:00 Ā AMĀ -Ā 04:00 PM
Mar. 15
10:00 Ā AMĀ -Ā 04:00 PM
Ā Election Day Voting
In Illinois, you do NOT need to present a photo ID or any documentation in order to vote. You just have to be on the registered voter list. I find it helpful to bring my voter registration card with me and just hand it to them so they can find me easier.Ā
Voting doesn't take long at all in most cases. Just roll up, check in, get your voting form, go to a booth, fill it out, return it to them, get your "I voted" stitcker, post on social that you voted, carry on with your day knowing you did your civic duty and used your voice to shape the country the way you see fit.
Ā Mail In Ballot/Absentee Ballot - Illinois
Don't want to wait to vote on election day or go to the polls? That's cool. Get your absentee ballot mailed to you. Fill it out at home and mail it back! So easy. It takes 2 minutes online. Here you go...Ā https://www.vote.org/state/illinois/Ā (Links to an external site.)
The ballot must be postmarked by the day of the election.Ā
Primary: March 17th / General: Nov 3rd
Ā Registered to vote in another state?
Cool! Get your absentee ballot from that state mailed to you. Fill it out at home. Mail it back before election day in your state. Easy.
https://www.usa.gov/absentee-votingĀ (Links to an external site.)
Ā 3)Ā Ā Ā Know Your Ballot
The primary is where each party votes on who they want to run in the general election (November 3,2020).Ā You are essentially narrowing down the field in this election.
In the Illinois primary, when you show up to vote you need to declare if you want a Democratic ballot or a Republican ballot. You can choose either but not both.
The choice on who you want to run for President is NOT the only choices you need to vote on. Each ballot is different based on where you live.Ā
Go to this site:Ā https://ballotpedia.org/Illinois_elections,_2020Ā (Links to an external site.)Ā and enter the address you used to register to vote. It will give you a sample ballot. You can then use the sample ballot to research candidates and issues. You can fill out your sample ballot ahead of time and then bring it with you into the voting booth so you remember all the folks you want to vote for. This will also make the voting process real quick.
Ā Ā 4)Ā Ā Ā Do your Research
This is probably the most challenging part of any election.
Local politics/local positions are SO IMPORTANT. Local elected officials get to make major decisions that impact your neighborhood, your city, your county, and your state. Yes, national politics is super important but local politics, I would argue, has an even greater impact on your day-to-day life.
Ā a)Ā Ā Ā Know your ballot
There are lots of ways to do your research. Knowing what is on your ballot will narrow down the amount of research you need to do. So be sure to go to :Ā https://ballotpedia.org/Illinois_elections,_2020Ā (Links to an external site.) and get a copy of your ballot.
Ā b)Ā Ā Ā Researching presidential candidates
Currently, there are 8 Democratic candidates and 2 Republican candidates.
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/us/politics/2020-presidential-candidates.html
Ā Since there are so many Democratic candidates running for president there is a lot to consider.
I found this resource helpful:Ā
https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/politics/policy-2020/quiz-which-candidate-agrees-with-me/Ā (Links to an external site.)
Ā It could help you narrow down where to start your candidate research.Ā
Ā c)Ā Ā Ā Voting for Judges
When deciding on what judges to vote for (because let's be honest...what the hell do I know about who should be a judge or not) I use this resource:Ā https://www.voteforjudges.org/Ā (Links to an external site.)
Ā Ā Ultimately, you cast your vote for the candidates that you believe will create the kind of country that you want to live in.Ā
Ā Ā I hope this is helpful to you.Ā I hope you choose to vote. As always, I am here to answer any questions or talk through anything with you.
=)
Shannon
Ā VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTEĀ













