The first round of the 2023 Chicago municipal elections is just four days away, with Chicago voters getting ready to cast their ballots for Mayor, City Council and Police District Councils.
While many voters will head to the polls on Election Day, Chicagoans still have a chance to vote early, either by mail or in-person.
If no candidates receive 50 percent or more of the vote in any race, the top two candidates will advance to runoff election, which will be held on April 4.
As Election Day quickly approaches, here's everything you need to know about registering to vote, where to cast your ballots and more for the upcoming Chicago elections.
Where Can I Vote on Feb. 28?
If you are choosing to vote on Election Day itself, but are unsure of where your polling place is, the process to find out might be easier than you think.
If you want to verify your polling place, then the Chicago Board of Elections operates a digital tool to allow you to do so.
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Voters simply enter their address into the finder, then submit their name, and the lookup tool will find your current polling place.
A complete list of polling places by ward and precinct can also be found here.
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All early voting locations, along with the city's election Supersite, at 191 N. Clark St., will be open on Election Day on Feb 28.
Where Can I Vote Early?
With one week to go until Election Day, authorities across Chicago have opened additional early voting sites for those seeking to cast ballots prior to Feb. 28.
And they're open for any Chicago voter to use.
"Any voter in Chicago can vote at any Early Voting site, no matter where they live in the city," the Chicago Board of Elections says. 'Voters can choose whatever voting site is most convenient for them, including on Election Day."
Here's' the full list of voting locations and hours.
Still Need to Register? Here's How.
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.
It's important to note, however, that if you wanted to complete the registration process online, the deadline to do so for the Feb. 28 election was Feb. 12.
Rather Vote by Mail? You Still Can.
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.
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.
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.
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.
