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Early Voting Expands Across Chicago, Illinois: What You Need to Know

On Monday, early voting expanded to locations across all 50 wards in Chicago

Early voting options expanded to 50 sites in Chicago and dozens of others across the state Monday.

Early voting began in Illinois last month, but only certain locations were made available at that time and online voter registration through the Illinois State Board of Elections ended Sunday.

On Monday, voting expanded to locations across all 50 wards in Chicago. On Oct. 31, four additional sites will open at Chicago universities, officials said.

The Nov. 6 election features races for governor and lieutenant governor, attorney general, secretary of state, comptroller, treasurer, and seats in the state House and Senate and in Congress.

According to the State Board of Elections, 1.4 million voters cast early ballots in 2016, a presidential election year. Two years before, there were 497,000 early voters.

Early voting was first allowed in the 2006 election and has gained popularity ever since.

Here’s what you need to know if you’re planning to vote early in Illinois:

Do I need a reason to vote early?

In Illinois, you don’t need to provide a reason to vote early.

If you are a U.S. citizen who will be 18 years old by Election Day and have lived in the state for at least 30 days before Nov. 6, you can cast an early ballot in any site within the county you live in.

What if I’m not registered to vote yet?

Voters can also register at any of the early voting sites, as long as you cast a ballot at that site and at that time. Any voter registering for the first time or filing an address update or name change must show two forms of ID, one of which showing the voter’s current address.

How long does early voting last?

The last day for early voting is Nov. 5.

What do I need to bring?

A government-issued photo ID is not required but is helpful should there be any question about a voter’s address or voters with the same name.

Where and when can I vote?

Chicago

Mon, Oct 22 - Sat, Oct 27: 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

Sun, Oct 28: 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

Mon, Oct 29 - Fri, Nov 2: 9 a.m.-7 p.m.

Sat, Nov 3: 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

Sun, Nov 4: 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

Mon, Nov 5: 9 a.m.-5 p.m. 

NOTE: On Nov. 5, six "permanent sites" will remain open thru 7 pm.

Loop Super Site, 175 W Washington (On Nov 5, this site will remain open thru 7 pm.)

Ward 1 Goldblatt's Bldg 1615 W Chicago

Ward 2 Near North Library 310 W Division

Ward 3 Hall Branch Library 4801 S Michigan

Ward 4 King Community Ctr. 4314 S Cottage Grove (On Nov 5, this site will remain open thru 7 pm.)

Ward 5 Jackson Park 6401 S Stony Island

Ward 6 Dist. 3 Police Station 7040 S Cottage Grove

Ward 7 Jeffrey Manor Library 2401 E 100th St

Ward 8 Olive Harvey College 10001 S Woodlawn

Ward 9 Palmer Park 201 E 111th St

Ward 10 Vodak/Eastside Library 3710 E 106th St

Ward 11 Dist. 9 Police Station 3120 S Halsted

Ward 12 McKinley Park 2210 W Pershing

Ward 13 West Lawn Park 4233 W 65th St

Ward 14 Archer Heights Library 5055 S Archer

Ward 15 Gage Park 2411 W 55th St

Ward 16 Lindbloom Park 6054 S Damen

Ward 17 Thurgood Marshall Library 7506 S Racine

Ward 18 Wrightwood Ashburn Library 8530 S Kedzie

Ward 19 Mount Greenwood Park 3721 W 111th St (On Nov 5, this site will remain open thru 7 pm.)

Ward 20 Bessie Coleman Library 731 E 63rd St

Ward 21 Woodson Library 9525 S Halsted St

Ward 22 Toman Library 2708 S Pulaski

Ward 23 Clearing Branch Library 6423 W 63rd Pl

Ward 24 St. Agatha Parish 3147 W Douglas Blvd

Ward 25 Chinatown Library 2100 S Wentworth

Ward 26 Humboldt Pk Library 1605 N Troy

Ward 27 Union Park 1501 W Randolph

Ward 28 W. Side Learning Ctr 4624 W Madison (On Nov 5, this site will remain open thru 7 pm.)

Ward 29 Amundsen Park 6200 W Bloomingdale

Ward 30 Kilbourn Park 3501 N Kilbourn

Ward 31 Portage Cragin Library 5108 W Belmont

Ward 32 Bucktown-Wicker Park Library 1701 N Milwaukee

Ward 33 McFetridge Sports Ctr 3843 N California

Ward 34 W Pullman Library 830 W 119th

Ward 35 NEIU El Centro 3390 N Avondale

Ward 36 West Belmont Library 3104 N Narragansett

Ward 37 West Chicago Av Library 4856 W Chicago

Ward 38 Hiawatha Park 8029 W Forest Preserve

Ward 39 North Park Vill. Admin. 5801 N Pulaski

Ward 40 Budlong Woods Library 5630 N Lincoln

Ward 41 Roden Library 6083 N Northwest Highway (On Nov 5, this site will remain open thru 7 pm.)

Ward 42 Museum/Brdcst Communications 360 N State

Ward 43 Lincoln Park Library 1150 W Fullerton

Ward 44 John Merlo Library 644 W Belmont

Ward 45 Dist. 16 Police Station 5151 N Milwaukee

Ward 46 Truman College 1145 W Wilson

Ward 47 Welles Park 2333 W Sunnyside (On Nov 5, this site will remain open thru 7 pm.)

Ward 48 Edgewater Library 6000 N Broadway

Ward 49 Pottawattomie Park 7340 N Rogers

Ward 50 Warren Park 6601 N Western

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University Early Voting - Wed, Oct 31 – Fri, Nov 2: 10 am-5 pm

Chicago State Univ. 9501 S M L King Dr

UIC Student Center 750 S Halsted

Northeastern Ill. Univ. 5500 N St Louis

NEW: University of Chicago Reynolds Club 5706 S University Av

Cook County:

For locations across Cook County click here.

DuPage County

For locations across DuPage County click here.

Kane County

For locations across Kane County click here.

Kendall County

For locations across Kendall County click here.

Lake County

For locations across Lake County click here.

All other locations:

To find a location near you, click here.

Any tips for early voters?

“We want to emphasize three key points about in-person Early Voting,” Election Board Chairwoman Marisel A. Hernandez said in a statement. “First, the first week of Early Voting is always the best for beating the traffic. Lines get longer in the second week. Second, you may register or update your registration when you come to Early Voting. Third, keep it simple: review your sample ballot and make a cheat sheet that you can bring with you to Early Voting or on Election Day.”

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