Do you know if you’re registered to vote? National Voter Registration Day is next week.
The national “holiday” started in 2012 to prevent people from learning they’re not eligible to vote when they get to the polls — whether they missed a deadline, failed to update their registration or just don’t know how to register, according to National Voter Registration Day’s website.
The day is recognized every fourth Tuesday in September, which this year falls on Sept. 24.
If you’re a Chicagoan who needs to register to vote, here’s what you need to know.
Check to see if you’re registered
Don’t know if you’re registered? Check your status at the Cook County Clerk’s Office website. You’ll just have to enter your full name and address.
Who can register to vote?
To register to vote, you must be a U.S. citizen and be born on or before Nov. 3, 2002. You must also have lived in your precinct at least 30 days before the election you’re voting in and not claim the right to vote anywhere else. You cannot be in prison serving time for a conviction.
What you need to register
To register to vote online or in person, you’ll need two forms of ID, one of which shows your current address.
If you prefer to mail in your registration, print and fill out the registration form. You’ll need either a driver’s license number or a state identification number. Without either of those, you’ll need to provide the last four digits of your social security number along with a copy of an ID, a copy of a current utility bill or another document that shows your name and address. If you’re a college student, you can use your student ID card with a lease or contract that shows your name and current address.
Where to register in person
If you want to register in person, you can visit one of the Cook County Clerk’s six locations; a village, city or township clerk; or an Illinois Secretary of State’s drivers license facility.
Deadlines for registration
The deadline to register to vote online is March 1.
The deadline to register to vote by mail is February 18.
In person, the latest day you can register to vote is on election day on March 17.
