Center for Illinois Politics - Connecting People to Politics

Voting guide, candidate news + info

Learn how to vote and get more information to help you decide who to vote for.

First: Are you registered to vote?

Register to vote online or check your registration status in Chicago or all of Illinois. You may have been automatically registered to vote while renewing your drivers’ license or interacting with another state agency.

To register to vote in Illinois, you must be a U.S. citizen. By election day, you must be at least 18 years old and have lived in Illinois for 30 days. You may register to vote on election day, immediately before voting.

Then: Choose a way to vote

  1. Can’t make it to a polling place? Find out how to vote by mail in Chicago or how to vote by mail around Illinois.
  2. Want to vote at a polling place before election day? Find early voting locations in Chicago or find early voting locations throughout Illinois.
  3. Want to vote on election day? Find your election day polling place in Chicago or find your polling place for all of Illinois.

Learn more about candidates and Illinois politics

Ready to go beyond the candidate financial information we provide? There are lots of resources to learn about candidates and our state’s political process. Here are a few of our favorites.

Race and candidate information

These sites help you understand candidates’ positions on various issues and have additional information about how to vote.

Statewide

2019 Chicago municipal election

News, blogs and more

Follow the latest political news around the state with these news sources.