The 2020 election is underway, and if you’re like us, you’ve got questions.
We have a newsletter, ProPublica’s User’s Guide to Democracy, written by Cynthia Gordy Giwa that aims to answer them.
With the help of ProPublica reporters, Cynthia focuses on your representatives in Congress (and what it is they do), the candidates who want to represent you in Congress, political campaigns, money in politics and the sometimes-convoluted business of voting. One thing she doesn’t cover? The presidential election. We figure you get plenty of news about that already — some of it even from ProPublica.
We pulled out some of the voting information she’s gathered about Illinois. We hope it’s useful to you. And if you want personalized updates about voting access, political ads, online disinformation, campaign cash flows and Congress, sign up for ProPublica’s User’s Guide to Democracy.
Even if you’re pretty sure you are, take a moment to get 100% certain.
Sometimes, election officials clean up their voter rolls to remove inactive voters and those who may have died or moved. These efforts, unfortunately, sometimes mean that active registered voters are swept from the rolls without their knowledge.
Take a moment now to check your status. Vote411.org, a clearinghouse of election-related information from the League of Women Voters, has a handy look-up tool that lets you verify your voter registration in seconds.
If you’re not, or if you need to update your information, there’s still time — but some deadlines are approaching soon. In Illinois, the deadline to register online is Oct. 18 (the mail-in deadline passed this week). You can register in person through Election Day (that’s Nov. 3 for those of you keeping track). Get all the forms and facts you need here.
First, I want you to breathe. (But from behind a mask, 6 feet away from others, if you’re out in these streets!)
COVID-19 has undoubtedly changed how people vote. In the rush to respond swiftly to the pandemic, most states have changed something about their voting processes. Your polling place may be different, and you may have to follow safety protocols. If you vote by mail, you’ll want to send in or drop off your ballot earlier than you normally would. (We recommend sending it as soon as possible.)
But chances are it won’t significantly change your ability to vote and have your vote count.
Every county has at least a couple of options for voting — a combo of in-person voting on Election Day and an extended period for early voting, for example. Or expanded access to voting by mail and casting a ballot in person. That will be handled differently depending on where you live because of our patchwork voting system. Illinois has more than 100 local election authorities; nationally, the U.S. has more than 10,000 voting jurisdictions that all run elections in different ways.
The more choices that are offered to voters, the more you’re able to choose the option most appropriate for your needs.
In-Person Voting
Even as many states have expanded the ability to vote by mail, a lot of people prefer to do the job in person. Some voters may require an interpreter to help them with their ballot. Many people of color, particularly African Americans, are wary about voting any way other than an in-person system that allows them to see their ballot physically being cast. Some states make it challenging to vote any other way.
Do you know where your polling place is?
It may not be where you voted last time. Most people vote at places like private businesses, schools or community centers — in 2018, Mick Dumke wrote about homes in Chicago’s 13th Ward that were used as polling sites — that are not required to be polling places. The owners of some of these buildings aren’t crazy about opening up to the public amid a pandemic, and some have opted out for this election.
County election officials have been scrambling to find new polling sites, and they’re coming up with creative solutions. Maybe you’ve heard about the arenas and stadiums that will be used as voting centers across the country.
It means that for some of you, your polling site won’t be sorted out until a couple weeks before Election Day. Check out the status of where you’re supposed to vote and remember to double-check closer to voting time.
What are you supposed to bring with you?
Illinois is considered a no-document-required-to-vote state, which means you don’t have to show any ID. Unless you’re a first-time voter. Then you do.
