Election Information

General Election November 3, 2020

Key Dates

MAKE YOUR VOTING PLAN TODAY: REQUEST A MAIL BALLOT ONLINE
Sept. 24 Vote-by-Mail ballots sent out by Cook County Clerk
Oct. 6 Last day to register to vote in person or with written application (must be postmarked by 10/6)
Oct. 7 First day of early voting and secure drop box for mail ballots at Skokie Courthouse, Room 149. Weekdays only 8:30am-7pm through 10/23. Weekends 9am-5pm, starting 10/24
Oct. 7 First day of grace period registration and voting (same day option at open polling locations)
Oct. 18 Last day to register to vote online (registration is allowed at voting sites through 11/3)
Oct. 19 First day of early voting and secure drop box for mail
ballots at Centennial Ice Rinks
Oct. 29 Last day to request a Vote-by-Mail ballot, including military and overseas voters
Nov. 2 Last day of early voting
Nov. 3 ELECTION DAY (mail ballots must be postmarked by this date)

Be an informed voter

The Illinois Voter Guide is an online voter resource powered by the League of Women Voters of Illinois.

HOW TO VOTE

VOTE BY MAIL:
For complete information on how to Vote By Mail go to our Vote By Mail page.

All registered voters in Cook County are eligible to Vote-by-Mail. Any such voter with a driver's license, state ID or social security number on file may request a mail ballot, using either an online or paper application.
Mail-in ballot applications are still being accepted. Visit the Cook County Clerk's website .
For those who apply online, a personal URL code will be on the mail ballot, allowing voters to track ballot status.
Ballots will start being mailed out on September 24, 2020.
Ballots MUST be postmarked by Election Day (Nov. 3rd) in order to be counted.

VOTE IN PERSON:
Early Voting - Illinois offers and encourages in-person early voting.

No excuse is needed to vote early. You can also register to vote at any early voting site.
Early voting for Suburban Cook County runs 10/7-11/2 at the Cook County Clerk’s office and county courthouses. The nearest courthouse is Skokie Courthouse. Exact addresses and poll hours can be found on the Cook County Clerk’s website.
Local early voting in Wilmette runs 10/19-11/2. Wilmette's early voting site is Centennial Ice Center, located at 2300 Old Glenview Rd. Polling hours are weekdays 8:30 am – 7pm and weekends 9am – 5pm.
To be fully informed, voters can also check the Cook County Clerk's website for the approximate wait times at all Suburban Cook County polling locations.

Election Day - Tuesday, November 3rd is now a state holiday for the 2020 Presidential Election.

Poll hours are 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. If you are in line by 7 p.m., you are entitled to vote.
With schools allowed to be safely used as polling places due to the state holiday this year, the location of your polling place may have changed. Find your polling place.

** If you received a mail ballot but decide to vote in person, be sure to bring your mail ballot with you to the polls. You need to turn it in to the Election Judges to cast an in-person ballot. Without it, you will still be able to vote but will cast a “provisional" ballot, which means the Election Authority has to verify that you only submitted one ballot before counting it.

resources

Your Voting Questions Answered

our league provides ELECTION INFO PRESENTATION

On October 6th, the League presented “What You Need to Know to Vote in the 2020 Election,” a virtual program hosted by the Wilmette Public Library. Topics included dates, deadlines and processes for registration, early voting, mail-in ballots and Election Day voting. The presentation deck is now available as a resource for voters.

LIBRARY PRESENTATION