Election season is just weeks away from its conclusion, when voters around the nation will head to the polls on November 8 to decide who will become the next President of the United States. But if you've already made up your mind about who you're voting for or you'll be out of town on Election Day, you can take advantage of early voting in Chicago (which does, in fact, begin very early). Early voting is also a great option for anyone who doesn't want to stand in line on Election Day with all the other people who decided to wait until the very last minute to do their civic duty.
Before you beat the crowds to the polls, you'll need to confirm that you're registered to vote—just fill out this online form to check. If you're not registered, you have until 11:59pm on October 23 to register online, until October 11 to register by mail or until November 7 to register in person on the sixth floor of 69 W Washington St. You can also register at any polling location from October 12 through November 8, but you'll need to bring along two forms of ID, one of which displays your current address.
When you show up to vote early, you won't need to provide an excuse and you don't necessarily need to bring your ID with you (but you should, just in case). Once you vote, that's it—you won't be able to amend your ballot or cast a second ballot (so don't even think about it!).
Early voting in Chicago kicks off on September 29 and is divided into three phases. During the first two phases, you'll have to head to the Loop if you want to vote early, but on October 24, early voting will be available at locations in all 50 Wards. If you're not sure which ward you live in, you can find it here.
Phase 1:
Between September 29 and October 9, you can cast your ballot on the lower level of 69 W Washington St, Monday through Saturday from 9am to 5pm and Sundays from 10am to 4pm.
Phase 2:
Between October 10 and 23, more than 100 touch screen voting machines will be available at 15 W Washington St, Monday through Saturday from 9am to 5pm and Sundays from 10am to 4pm.
Phase 3:
From October 24 through November 7, you'll be able to cast your ballot at 15 W Washington St or visit a polling place (listed below) in each of Chicago's 50 Wards. Hours will vary throughout the early voting period as follows:
Monday Oct 24–Saturday, Oct 29: 9am to 5pm
Sunday, Oct 30: 10am to 4 pm
Monday, Oct 31–Saturday, Nov 5: 9am to 7pm
Sunday, Nov 6: 10am to 4pm
Monday, Nov 7: 9am to 7pm
Early voting sites:
Ward 1, Goldblatts Building, 1615 W Chicago
Ward 2, Near North Library, 310 W Division
Ward 3, Chicago Bee Library, 3647 S State
Ward 4, Dr. M.L. King Center, 4314 S Cottage Grove
Ward 5, Jackson Park, 6401 S Stony Island
Ward 6, Whitney Young Library, 7901 S King Dr
Ward 7, Jeffery Manor Library, 2401 E 100th St
Ward 8, Olive Harvey College, 10001 S Woodlawn
Ward 9, Palmer Park, 201 E 111th St
Ward 10, Vodak/East Side, 3710 E 106th St
Ward 11, District 9 Police, 3120 S Halsted
Ward 12, McKinley Park, 2210 W Pershing
Ward 13, West Lawn Park, 4233 W 65th St
Ward 14, Archer Heights Library, 5055 S Archer
Ward 15, Gage Park, 2411 W 55th St
Ward 16, Lindblom Park, 6054 S Damen
Ward 17, Thurgood Marshall Library, 7506 S Racine
Ward 18, Wrightwood-Ashburn Library, 8530 S Kedzie
Ward 19, Mt. Greenwood Park, 3721 W 111th St
Ward 20, Coleman Library, 731 E 63rd St
Ward 21, Woodson Regional Library, 9525 S Halsted
Ward 22, Toman Library, 2708 S Pulaski
Ward 23, Clearing Library, 6423 W 63rd Pl
Ward 24, Douglass Library, 3353 W 13th St
Ward 25, Chinatown Library, 2100 S Wentworth
Ward 26, Humboldt Park Library, 1605 N Troy
Ward 27, Eckhart Park, 1330 W Chicago
Ward 28, W. Side Learning Center, 4624 W Madison
Ward 29, Amundsen Park, 6200 W Bloomingdale
Ward 30, Kilbourn Park, 3501 N Kilbourn
Ward 31, Portage Cragin Library, 5108 W Belmont
Ward 32, Bucktown-Wicker Park Library, 1701 N Milwaukee
Ward 33, McFetridge Sports Center, 3843 N California
Ward 34, West Pullman Library, 830 W 119th St
Ward 35, NEIU-El-Centro, 3390 N Avondale
Ward 36, West Belmont Library, 3104 N Narragansett
Ward 37, West Chicago Library, 4856 W Chicago
Ward 38, Hiawatha Park, 8029 W Forest Preserve
Ward 39, N. Park Village Adm. Bldg., 5801 N Pulaski
Ward 40, Budlong Woods Library, 5630 N Lincoln
Ward 41, Roden Library, 6083 N Northwest Hwy
Ward 42, Museum of Broadcast Communications, 360 N State
Ward 43, Lincoln Park Library, 1150 W Fullerton
Ward 44, Merlo Library, 644 W Belmont
Ward 45, District 16 Police, 5151 N Milwaukee
Ward 46, Truman College, 1145 W Wilson
Ward 47, Welles Park, 2333 W Sunnyside
Ward 48, Edgewater Library, 6000 N Broadway
Ward 49, Pottawattomie Park, 7340 N Rogers
Ward 50, Warren Park, 6601 N Western
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