How to find your polling place in Illinois for the 2026 primary election

With just under a week and a half until Election Day for the 2026 primary, voters in Illinois may be starting to make a game plan for where they’ll cast their ballot.

With numerous Congressional seats, a U.S. Senate seat, the governorship of Illinois and several judicial candidates all on the ballot, voters have a slew of decisions to make by the end of March 17.

Those who are hoping to check voting off their to-do list before the big day can take advantage of the early voting sites already open across the state.

To take a bit of research off the plates of Illinois voters this election cycle, NBC Chicago put together a guide on how to find your polling place and a few other key things for voters to know.

How do I find my polling place?

The Illinois State Board of Elections offers a “polling place lookup” feature on its website.

Enter your zip code and address into the website and hit “submit” and it will show you your polling place.

Chicago residents can vote at their designated polling place or at one of the 51 early voting centers across the city that will remain open through Election Day.

For those outside Chicago, your local county clerk’s website is another place where a polling place search feature is available, as well as additional information regarding the election.

How do I register to vote?

The traditional voter registration period always ends 28 days prior to the election, however, a voter registration “grace period” allows voters to register and vote in the same day in-person at designated sites up until and on Election Day.

So, no need to worry if you haven’t yet registered to vote or if you want to change the address where you are registered to vote.

To register, you’ll need two forms of ID, including one with your address, and to meet the following criteria:

• The voter must be a United States citizen
• The voter must be 18 years of age or older on Election Day
• The voter must have lived in their precinct for at least 30 days prior to Election Day

After registering during the “grace period,” you’ll then be required to vote immediately if you wish to vote in this election cycle.

More information is available here.

What if I don’t know if I’m registered to vote or not?

Voter registration in Illinois can be checked on a “registration lookup” feature offered by the Illinois State Board of Elections.

The website will prompt you to enter your name, birthday, zip code and address to check if you are registered in Illinois.

If you are registered, the website will also tell you where your polling place is.

from NBC Chicago https://ift.tt/lvD456a