Civics & Voting

Elections held on March 17 will select candidates for state and federal positions in the fall General Election.

Dates to know:

• March 17, 2020: Election Day; voter registration available at your voting location
• March 2 to March 16, 2020: early voting period
• March 1, 2020: deadline to register to vote online
• February 19 to March 16, 2020: grace period registration and voting
• February 18, 2020: deadline to register to vote by paper application

If you are interested in becoming an election judge to work on election day, you can apply online.

Register to vote online, by mail or in person, including at the library. Find instructions and additional locations on this page. You can also register to vote on Election Day at your polling place.

• Your Voter Information: find your polling location, sample ballots for upcoming elections and your elected officials. 

If you encounter issues while voting, Illinois Legal Aid Online highlights relevant resources.

Previous election information may appear below. This webpage will be updated as these resources publish information about the upcoming election.

• Chicago Sun Times Election Voting Guide
• Chicago Tribune Election Guide articles
• Daily Herald news, endorsements, profiles 
• Journal & Topics election articles

These tools offer information on judicial candidates:

• Illinois State Bar Association Judicial Evaluations
• Chicago Bar Association Judicial Evaluations

For additional information on candidates and races, some organizations also perform fact checking and publish articles:

• Ballotpedia Illinois:  A nonpartisan and nonprofit online encyclopedia of American politics and elections.
• Politifact Illinois:  A Pulitzer Prize-winning, fact-checking website.

• Follow state law at the Illinois General Assembly and track bills with their Legislative Reports.
• Track federal legislation in both the House of Representatives and Senate at Congress.gov.
• Congressional Research Service Reports from the Library of Congress are now available to the public. These reports examine issues from all perspectives to inform lawmakers throughout the process of drafting, debating, passing and enacting legislation.