FYI FOR VOTERS CHICAGO, ILLINOIS

Absentee Voting/Voting By Mail

General Information on Absentee Voting/Voting By Mail

Under Illinois law, you no longer need a reason or excuse to vote absentee. 

By law, the first day that civilian voters in the United States may apply to cast an absentee ballot is Jan. 13, 2011. By law, voters cannot submit applications by fax or email unless the voter is in the military or living overseas.

The following provides information on absentee voting for persons who choose to vote by mail.

What is Absentee Voting? Voters are allowed to cast their ballots prior to Election Day -- either in person at an Early Voting site or by mail through Absentee Voting.

Who Qualifies for Absentee Voting? 

All persons registered to vote in Chicago are eligible to cast absentee ballots. The voter must file a completed and signed request for an absentee ballot by the legal deadline.

 - Applications from voters in the United States must be received at the Election Board by close of business on Feb. 17. NOTE: The Board strongly recommends applying well ahead of this deadline to avoid receiving your absentee ballot too late to be mailed to you or too late to be mailed back in time to receive a postmark before Election Day. Also, note that original forms must be submitted by mail, certified courier or in person. Forms from civilians in the United States cannot be accepted by email.

 - Applications from military and civilians overseas must be received at the Election Board by close of business on Mon., Feb. 14. 

No Excuse Needed 

Under a new law, voters in Illinois no longer need a reason or excuse to vote absentee.

In addition, the following unregistered voters are eligible to vote by absentee ballot: 

1.  Members of the Armed Forces or Merchant Marine and their spouses and dependents, whether serving in the United States or abroad. 

2.  U.S. citizens and their spouses or dependents, whose permanent residences are in Chicago but who will be temporarily residing abroad on Election Day. 

3.  U.S. citizens (not their spouses or dependents) who maintained a residence in Chicago immediately prior to their departure from the United States.

Absentee Voting by Mail 

The most common method of obtaining an absentee ballot is by mail. Although every effort is made to process ballot applications quickly, mail delays may still occur. Therefore, voters should consider applying long before the deadline or using some form of express mail to minimize lost time due to delivery. Absentee applications can be processed no earlier than Jan. 13, 2011.

Please note: Original absentee applications must be submitted by mail, certified courier or in person to the Election Board. Emails of forms from civilians in the United States cannot be accepted.

Step 1 - Obtain and complete an absentee ballot application and return the application to the Board at 69 W. Washington St., Suite 600, Chicago IL 60602.  Absentee ballot applications also can be picked up at the Board offices.

Voters may call 1-312-269-7967 to request an absentee ballot application be mailed. The application must include the voter's name and registration address, as well as the address where the absentee ballot should be mailed.

Upon receipt of the completed original application (no emails), the Election Board mails an absentee ballot to the voter (or as soon as ballots are available from the printer.)

Absentee voters whose applications do not arrive by the deadline must vote absentee in person at the Election Board or vote at their polling places.

Step 2 - Vote the absentee ballot and return it to the Board for Processing.

Follow all enclosed instructions and make sure to vote in secret. A voted absentee ballot must be postmarked (or in the absence of a postmark, certified by the voter) on or before at least one day before Election Day in order to be counted. In addition, the Board must receive the returned ballot by March 8, 2011 for the ballot to be counted.

The ballot may be returned personally, by an immediate relative, by U.S. Mail or by a state licensed motor carrier. Note: In the event of any postal delay or in the event that Feb. 21, 2011 is a U.S. Postal Service holiday, the voter may need to mail the ballot no later than Sat., Feb. 19, 2011 in order to receive a postmark before Election Day. The Board strongly recommends that absentee voters submit their applications for absentee ballots well before the Feb. 17 deadline.

Once an absentee ballot has been returned to the Board, it cannot be retrieved or withdrawn. An absentee voter cannot vote in person in the polling place on Election Day unless he or she brings the absentee ballot (or a portion of it) to the election judges or completes an affidavit stating the absentee ballot was never received by the voter.

NOTE: Chicago voters should submit their applications for absentee ballots and return their voted absentee ballots directly to the Chicago Election Board, 69 W. Washington St., Ste. 600, Chicago IL 60602 -- and not to any other address.

Military/Civilian Overseas Voters 

Click here for more information on voting for members of the armed services and civilians living overseas.

Absentee Voting in Person 

Any qualified voter may cast an absentee ballot in person in the offices of the Board of Election Commissioners the weekend before the election and the day before the election.

In-Person Absentee Voting will be offered at 69 W. Washington St., during these hours:

- Fri., Feb. 18: 9 am - 5 pm

- Sat., Feb. 19: 9 am - 5 pm

- Sun., Feb. 20: 9 am - noon

- Mon., Feb. 21: 9 am - 5 pm

Absentee Voting: For Physical Disability 

Certain voters may also qualify for special additional absentee voting privileges as explained below:

Five-Year DVI Card - A voter with a permanent physical disability or a qualified nursing home resident may request aDisabled Voter's Identification Card (DVI), which is valid for all elections during a five-year period. The voter is automatically sent an absentee ballot application by the Board prior to each election. The voter must complete the DVI application and return it to the Board in order to receive an absentee ballot.

Residents of Licensed Nursing Homes - Voters residing in licensed nursing homes vote on the Friday, Saturday, Sunday or Monday preceding an election. Residents who are registered voters and who submit an absentee ballot application by the Thursday before the election are allowed to vote during the scheduled nursinghome balloting. For complete information on nursing home voting procedures, contact the Board at 1-312-269-7865.

Hospitalized Voters - A registered voter who is hospitalized not more than 14 days before an election may request that an absentee ballot be delivered in person to him or her in the hospital. An affidavit must be completed by the voter, his or her attending physician, and the relative (or registered voter of the same precinct) who delivers the absentee ballot to the hospital. Contact the Absentee Department at 1-312-269-7967 for complete details on these procedures.

Absentee Voting Abuse 

It is a felony in Illinois to vote more than once in the same election or to attempt to vote more than once in the same election.

Falsifying Eligibility for Absentee Ballots, Intimidation/Interference 

Persons who knowingly make a false statement concerning their eligibility to vote absentee may be criminally prosecuted under Illinois law (10ILCS 5/29-10). Any person who intimidates or unduly influences another person to cast an absentee ballot in a manner inconsistent with the voter's intent or who marks or tampers with an absentee ballot of another person shall be guilty of a Class 4 felony. Note: A physically incapacitated voter is entitled to assistance if that voter requests the assistance. Voters are forbidden by law from using multiple voting systems (Early Voting and Absentee Voting, for example) to change or undo a ballot for any reason.

Copyright 2011 Board of Election Commissioners for the City of Chicago. All Rights Reserved.

Register to Vote/Change Address/Change Name

Tues., Jan. 25, 2011, is the deadline to register to vote to cast a ballot in the Feb. 22 Municipal General Election. Chicago voters may register or update their records:

  -- by submitting this mail-in form. This form can be used: to register for the first time; to file a change of address; or, to file a change of name.

  -- in person at 69 W. Washington St., Sixth Floor.

  -- at any Secretary of State's office where driver's licenses and state IDs are issued.

  -- through an active deputy registrar affiliated with a local organization, such as a political party, ward organization or other state-certified body.

After the form is processed, we will mail a new voter card.

To register to vote, you must:

 -- be a U.S. citizen;

 -- be at least 18 years of age by election day;

 -- live in your precinct at least 30 days before the election;

 -- not be in prison/jail serving time for a conviction; and,

 -- not claim the right to vote elsewhere.

Click here to check the status of your registration by entering your address and last name.

Need Adobe? Click here.

Copyright 2011 Board of Election Commissioners for the City of Chicago. All Rights Reserved.

Become a Judge of Election

What are Judges of Election?

Judges of election are the officials who are responsible for the conduct of the election in the precinct polling place. The judges of election are the backbone of the electoral process.  Their jobs are challenging, interesting and personally rewarding.

In each precinct, the judges share in responsibilities, duties and authorities that include: 

(1) Opening the polling place and setting up voting equipment at 5 a.m. on Election Day;(2) Conducting a fair and impartial election in the precinct polling place, allowing voting from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m.  

(3) Tabulating the vote totals for the precinct and transmitting the results to Election Central after the polls close at 7 p.m.  

The Judge of Election application for the term that ends with the 2012 Primary is available here. (NOTE: This form may not be used for those participating in the High School Student Judge program. Please refer to the information below on the Student Judge program.) 

Be sure to include your:

-- Name

-- Home Address

-- City/State/ZIP

-- Phone

-- Home Ward

The Democratic or Republican committeeperson in each ward has the ability to assign qualified judges for their respective parties for each precinct in that ward. Judge of Election applications without the signature of a committeeperson will be considered: (1) if there are vacancies not filled by the local committeeperson; (2) if the prospective Judge of Election is willing to work in another precinct if all of the judge positions are filled in his or her home precinct.  

Mail completed forms to: 

ATTN: JUDGES DEPARTMENT 

CHICAGO ELECTION BOARD 

69 W WASHINGTON ST  STE 600 

CHICAGO IL 60602-3006

Salary

Judges of Election are paid $170 only upon completion of training and service on Election Day.

Extra compensation is also paid to judges who:

--­ Pick up the Election Judge key envelope on either the Saturday or Sunday prior to Election Day; 

-- ­Allow the use of the judge's cell phone (by all judges within the polling place) on Election Day; 

--­ Return the election materials to a receiving station on election night (to be determined by all judges on Election Day.) 

Training & Materials

The Judge of Election Handbook for the Nov. 2, 2010 General Election will be available at training sessions. The contents of the handbook are also available here:

  Table of Contents

  Chapter 1. Voting Equipment

  Chapter 2. Important Information About Judges of Election

  Chapter 3. Who's Allowed in the Polling Place

  Chapter 4. Check Election Supplies/List of Supplies/Illustration of Supply Carrier

  Chapter 5. Setting Up the Polling Place

  Chapter 6. During Voting Hours: Who May Vote; Provisional Ballots; Issuing Ballot Scan Ballots; Issuing Provisional Ballots; Issuing Touchscreen Voter Cards; Split Precinct Instructions; Spoiled Ballot Procedure; Assistance for Voters with Disabilities

  Chapter 7. Closing the Polls

  Election Terms

  Forms Index

  Troubleshooting Instructions. Ballot Scanner; Touchscreen Voting Unit; Voter Card Activator; Emergency Ballot Scanner Instructions

  Index

High School & College Student Judges of Election

The Board of Election Commissioners for the City of Chicago is proud to lead the United States in hiring high school and college students to serve as judges and to provide technical support. In the 2008 and 2010 elections, more than 4,000 students helped administer elections in Chicago.

High School and College Student Judges of Election hold the same responsibilities and receive the same pay as other Judges of Election. Students may begin to serve as early as their junior year in high school, even before they are registered to vote, so long as they have a 3.0 grade-point average, sign-off from a parent/guardian and sign-off from a principal/college advisor.

Click here for more information on High School and College Student Judges of Election.

Copyright 2011 Board of Election Commissioners for the City of Chicago. All Rights Reserved.