Equip for Equality Voter Guide
This resource sheet is a guide to voting rights for people with disabilities. Nothing written here shall be understood to be legal advice. For specific legal advice an attorney should be consulted.
For alternate formats, contact Equip for Equality at 800.537.3632, TTY: 800.610.2779.
Who can register to vote?
- Citizens of the U.S. on election day
- Who are at least 18 years of age on or before election day
- Residents of the precinct at least 30 days as of the day of the next election
You must register to vote if:
- You have never registered before
- You have recently moved or changed your name
- People who move within 28 days of an election but reside in the same precinct may vote by signing an affidavit
When can you register to vote?
- Voter registration by deputy registrars is open year round except for the 28-day period just prior to an election and during the 2-day period after each election. (See grace period above for in-person registration.)
When you register, bring at least two pieces of identification -- at least one that has your address:
- Driver's License
- Illinois State ID
- Social Security card
- Employee or student ID card
- Recent Utility bill
- Credit card
- Birth certificate
- Public assistance ID card
- Library card
- Civic, union or professional association membership card
Where can you register to vote?
In Person:
- Equip for Equality offices
- Your local election authority
- County Clerk's office
- Board of Election's office
- City and village offices
- Township offices
- Military recruitment offices
- Some public libraries
- Some employers and schools; check with your employer or school to see if they sponsor a voter registration drive or suggest that they do.
- Some schools
- Some labor groups
- Some civic groups
- Some corporations
- Precinct Committeemen
When applying for services at the following:
- Driver's License Facilities
- Department of Healthcare and Family Services offices
- Department of Public Health offices
- Div. of Mental Health & Developmental Disabilities offices
- Division of Rehabilitation Services offices
Mail-In Registration
- Illinois State Board of Elections website has forms to download, print and mail in: www.elections.state.il.us
- Contact your local election authority for details
- Persons registering by mail must vote in person the first time and show identification at that time.
- Federal law says that polling places must be accessible to persons with disabilities. But if you want to be sure you can vote on election day, it's best to plan ahead.
- Call the election office in your city or county and tell them where you live and that you have a disability and you need an accessible voting place.
- Curbside voting -- If the building is not accessible, curbside voting should be provided. The election judges bring the ballot out to you. To take advantage of this, you are asked to contact your voting authority prior to Election Day. However, election judges should be prepared to offer curbside voting whenever a voter requests it.
- As a voter, you have a choice to ask anyone you want to assist you at the polls, except for your employer or an officer of a union of which you are a member. (You may bring a friend, family member, teacher, personal attendant, neighbor, etc.)
- You may also ask the election judges for help
- Two judges must assist you in the voting booth-one Democrat and one Republican.
- You sign a paper that states you have requested assistance, states your disability and whether it is temporary or permanent.
- You can be given instructions on how to vote with a sample ballot without signing the assistance paper.
- The person who assists you is not allowed to try to influence you to vote a certain way.
Contact Information:
Equip for Equality Chicago
Office Tel: (800) 537-2632 TTY: (800) 610-2779
Rock Island Office Tel/TTY: (800) 758-6869
Springfield Office Tel/TTY: (800) 758-0464
www.equipforequality.org Overview of EFE's voting activities; Help America Vote Act information
Voting rights training schedules; Links to other voting sites
On Election Day, November 7, 2006 Equip for Equality will have advocates available by telephone to answer your questions about any voting problem you might experience. Call (800) 537-2632; TTY: (800) 610-2779.
Chicago Board of Elections Tel: (312) 269-7976 www.chicagoelections.com Find out your registration status, where your polling place is located, and the elected officials in your area. Watch a voter instruction video and print multi-language voter information sheets and sample ballots.Download an absentee ballot application to fill out
Chicago Council of Lawyers www.chicagoappleseed.org Read reviews of federal and state judges.
Congress.org
www.congress.org
Identify and contact elected leaders in Congress, the White House, state legislatures and local elected officials
Look up a candidate's issue positions and key votes
Post letters online in Letters to Leaders and read what other Americans are saying to elected officials
Cook County Clerk Cook County Clerk, David Orr Tel: (312) 603-0906 TDD: (312) 603-0902 Spanish: (312) 603-6767 www.voterinfonet.com Cook County suburban residents: Type in your suburban Cook County street address and access a virtual ballot Locate your polling place Check an online voter guide to learn more about candidates.
Illinois Attorney General Chicago Tel: (312) 814-3000 TTY (312) 814-3374 Springfield Tel: (217) 782-1090 TTY: (217) 785-2771 Carbondale Tel: (618) 529-6400/6401 TTY: (618) 529-6403 www.ag.state.il.us Contact Attorney General, Lisa Madigan, if you have encountered discrimination, or suspect improper or illegal activity at the polling place or while registering to vote.
Illinois State Bar Association Springfield Tel: (217) 525-1760 (800) 252-8908 Chicago Regional Office Tel: (312) 726-8775 (800) 678-4009 www.isba.org Check a rating chart for judges to see if they are qualified or not according to ISBA standards.
Illinois State Board of Elections James R. Thompson Center Tel: (312) 814-6440 TDD: (312) 814-6431 Springfield Office Tel: (217) 782-4141 TDD: (217) 782-1518 www.elections.state.il.us Look up contact information for your local election authority Look up information on how to register and vote Print voter registration forms Locate candidate filing information Find election totals Read about campaign disclosures
League of Women Voters of Illinois Tel: (312) 939-5935 www.lwvil.org Get information about voting with an absentee ballot Print a yearly election calendar Learn about the candidates through forums
