Get ready to vote in the General Election

Tuesday, November 3, 2020

1) Register to vote

Make sure you are registered to vote in the upcoming general election. If not, register to vote online. Online voter registration only takes a couple minutes.

The deadline to register online to vote in the general election is October 18. If you miss the deadline, grace period registration is available at polling places through Monday, November 2. To register during the grace period, bring two pieces of identification, one with a current address, to the polling place. Grace period registrants must immediately cast their ballot after registering to vote.

To register on election day (November 3), bring two pieces of identification, one with a current address, to your home precinct.

2) Have a voting plan

Vote by mail – Any registered suburban Cook County voter with a driver’s license, state ID or social security number on file can request a mail-in ballot. The last day to request a mail ballot is October 29. Ballots must be postmarked by election day (November 3) in order to be counted.

A secured drop box will be available at all early voting sites for Vote by Mail voters to return their ballots from October 19 – November 3.

Answers to some Vote by Mail Frequently Asked Questions from the Cook County Clerk’s Office.

Vote early – In Mount Prospect, early voting will be available October 19 – November 2:

Mount Prospect Village Hall
50 S. Emerson Street.
Mount Prospect, Illinois 60056

Monday – Friday: 8:30 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Saturday and Sunday: 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Before you head out for early voting, find out how long the wait time is at your polling place.

Vote on election day – Find your polling place.

3) Be an informed voter

Obtain a sample ballot, and learn about the candidates.

BallotReady.org is a collection of information from campaign websites, social media and the news about candidates across the ballot.

Daily Herald Election 2020 Endorsements

Voteforjudges.org compiles information on judicial nominees, including evaluations from 13 local bar associations.

Illinois voters will find the Illinois Allow for Graduated Income Tax Amendment, also know as the ‘Fair Tax’ Amendment, on their ballot. This constitutional amendment would repeal the state’s requirement that state personal income tax be a flat tax and allow the state to enact legislation for a graduated income tax.

‘Fair Tax’ calculator, from the Office of the Illinois Governor.

4) Go the extra mile

Watch a presidential debate.

Debate schedule:

October 7 – Vice Presidential Debate
University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah

October 15 – Cancelled: Second Presidential Debate
Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County, Miami, Florida

October 22 – Third Presidential Debate
Belmont University, Nashville, Tennessee

More information on the presidential election process –https://www.usa.gov/election

Campaign finance data from the Federal Election Commission (FEC) – https://www.fec.gov/

More information about political contributions in Illinois – https://illinoissunshine.org/

Fact checking of statements made by politicians to determine accuracy – https://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/

Fact-based analysis of claims made by political ads and politicians – https://www.factcheck.org/