Coming Up: NBC 5 is hosting a Chicago Mayoral Forum with all nine mayoral candidates on Feb. 13. Here's how to watch.
Early voting for the upcoming 2023 Chicago Municipal Election, which includes elections for all 50 alderman, newly-created police district councils and the nine-person race for mayor, is currently underway, with 9,440 ballots cast as of Feb. 2, the Chicago Board of Elections says.
And according to Chicago election officials, the majority of those ballots cast -- 7,909 to be exact -- are vote by mail ballots.
In Chicago, any registered voter can choose to vote by mail permanently, which means ballots will get "sent directly to their preferred address ahead of every election," the board says. Additionally, those who do sign up to receive mail ballots will receive email communications once a ballot has been successfully returned to the Election Board, as well as when it has been processed and counted.
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While vote-by-mail is currently available for the Feb. 28 election, there are key dates to pay attention to, and certain steps you'll need to take in order to make sure your vote is counted.
As Election Day approaches, here's a step-by-step guide to voting by mail for the 2023 Chicago election.
Step 1. Make Sure You Are Registered to Vote in Chicago
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In order to vote by mail for the 2023 Chicago election, you'll need to make sure your voter registration is up-to-date.
You can check to see if are registered to vote in Chicago by using this tool.
If you need to update your voter registration, you can do so in-person at an early voting site, at an Illinois Secretary of State's Drivers facility while obtaining a new driver's license, or online.
If you'd like to complete the registration process online, the deadline to do so for the Feb. 28 election is Feb. 12.
Step 2. Fill Out a Vote By Mail Application Online
In Chicago and Illinois, any registered voter can request to vote by mail for any election. Additionally, Chicago voters can request to join a "Permanent Vote By Mail Roster," which will automatically direct ballots for all upcoming elections to be sent to the address on file.
Either way, voters must fill out a vote by mail application first. The last day for the Board to receive new vote-by-mail applications is Feb. 23.
According to the Board, you will receive a confirmation email after your application is accepted, as well as when your ballot has been mailed to you.
According to the Board, vote-by-mail ballots began hitting the mailboxes of those registered on Jan. 19.
Step 3: Vote! And Don't Forget To Sign Your Ballot
Got your ballot in the mail? It's time to fill it out. However, you'll want to make sure you "follow all instructions that come with your ballot," the Board says, including how to sign it, how mail it back or how to drop it off.
Additionally, ballots should be filled out with a "felt-tip pen," the Board says. "Do NOT use a red pen, because red ink cannot be read by the ballot scanners," the Board adds.
Step 4: Return Your Ballot by the Deadline
There are several different ways Chicago voters can return their mail-in ballots, which already comes complete with a postage-paid ballot return envelope:
- Through the U.S. Postal Service
- In a secure drop box at any Chicago Early Voting location before Election Day (note that early voting sites will have drop boxes, but Election Day precinct polling places will not)
- By personal delivery to the Election Board at 69 W. Washington, Sixth Floor
According to election officials, email confirmations are sent to voters after their ballot has been received, as well as when their ballot has been processed and counted.
The last day for vote-by-mail ballots to be postmarked is Feb. 28, the Board says. Additionally, any mail ballot postmarked Mar. 1 or later cannot be counted, as stated by law.
However, as long as a ballot is post marked by Feb. 28, the ballot has up until Mar. 14 to arrive at the Board in order to be counted in the election, officials say.
What If I Want to Vote In-Person Instead?
If you have requested a mail ballot but have not voted by mail, you may take your mail ballot to any early voting site, surrender the ballot, and then vote on a new ballot, in-person.
However, if a ballot has already been returned to the Board, "it cannot be retried of withdrawn."
"The same voter cannot vote in person in the polling place on Election Day unless he or she brings the mail ballot (or a portion of it) to the election judges OR completes an affidavit stating the mail ballot was never received by the voter or that it was received and lost," the Board says.
Who to Contact for Questions
The Chicago Board of Elections can be reached at 312-269-7967. More information can be found here.
