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:
Chicago Politics
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.”
