While many in Illinois choose to vote in-person early or on Election Day, others prefer to vote by mail.
If you like the latter, an important deadline is coming Thursday: the deadline to request mail-in ballot.
With Election Day around the corner, here's what to know about mail-in voting.
When is Election Day in Illinois?
Election Day for the 2024 general election falls on Tuesday, Nov. 5.
Who is eligible to vote by mail?
According to Illinois state law, all registered voters can request mail-in ballots.
How Illinois residents can apply for vote-by-mail ballots
Voters should visit their county clerk's office to find out how to request a vote-by-mail ballot for their county. From there, voters will have the option to either vote by mail once, or sign up for permanent vote by mail status.
Mail-in ballot deadlines
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According to the State Board of Elections, requests to vote by mail must be received no later than five days prior to the election, which this year falls on Halloween: Thursday, Oct. 31.
Once a voter receives their ballot in the mail, it must be postmarked no later than the day of the election on Nov. 5, or must be dropped into a designated drop box by that date in order to be counted.
Where can mail-in ballots be dropped off?
Voters can mail the ballot back in via the return envelope enclosed with their ballot, or to drop it in a designated dropbox at their local county clerk’s office.
Not all counties offer dropboxes for those purposes, but voters can check the state Board of Elections’ website to see if their county offers a box to return mail-in ballots.
What can I do if I want to vote in-person instead?
If for whatever reason a voter wants to vote in-person, they can do so, but they have to go through a process to make that happen.
The easiest way is to present a mail-in ballot to an election judge at a polling place or the county clerk’s office. The ballot will be voided, and the voter will be issued a ballot to cast their votes.
If a ballot is lost in the mail, a voter will be asked to sign an affidavit certifying they have not received it, and then will be allowed to cast their ballot in-person.
A reminder from state officials: attempting to vote both via mail and in-person in the same election is considered a felony in the state.
How to track your ballot
Most counties offer websites to check the status of mail-in ballots. According to state officials, if a ballot is rejected, the county must contact a voter within two days to alert them to the reason for rejection.
