If you want to vote in the April 5 election, you have until March 8 to register.
The Champaign County Clerk’s website is very helpful, and this article will be ugly with links to their site. Apologies in advance.
First off, if you don’t know if you’re registered or not, click here to check your voter registration status. When you check your status, if you’re registered it will also tell you your polling station and let you view a sample ballot. Here’s mine (pdf).
If you’re registered, you can vote early, but you have to go to the Clerk’s office to do so. It’s located at 1776 E. Washington in Urbana. There are links to a map and driving directions on the Clerk’s site.
Not registered (yet)? Go here to get started. You must be at least 18, a U.S. citizen, and live in your precinct for at least 30 days before the election. There are several places to register in person:
- County Clerk’s Office (open 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday)
- Some banks
- Some libraries
- Driver’s License facilities
- With deputy registrars located throughout Champaign County
- Voter Registration Kiosks (These look really cool and there are two on campus. There’s one at the southeast entrance to the Union and one at the lower level entrance to the Undergrad Library)
You’ll need “Two forms of identification are required showing your name, one must show your permanent residence, such as an Illinois driver’s license, hunting or fishing license, library card, student identification, copy of a lease or rent receipt showing your address, or any piece of mail delivered to you at your residence. If you receive mail at a PO Box, please include this information with your street address.”
You can also print and mail a registration form (pdf), so long as you plan to vote in person (you’ll have to bring your two forms of ID to the polling station) and you get the form postmarked before midnight on March 8.