APRIL ELECTION

3/3/25

It is almost time for the April 1^st Illinois Consolidated Municipal General Election.

Although the election is about a month away, Ashley Cravens, Illinois Farm Bureau Associate Director of Political Affairs wants to ensure voters know the upcoming deadlines.

Online voter registration for the consolidated election is open until March 16^th through the Illinois State Board of Elections website.  Voters can use their Illinois driver’s license or state identification card to register to vote online or change their name or address for voter registration.  For an online application, visit https://ova.elections.il.gov/.

Voters must be 18 or older on the next Election Day, live in the jurisdiction for 30 days before the election and be US citizens to be eligible to register to vote.

A voter may register at a local election authority through March 4^th.  If they are obtaining a new driver’s license or state identification card, they can also register at a secretary of state office.

Voters may still register in person at an early voting site, or at their polling place on Election Day, April 1^st.

Election authority offices began offering early voting on February 20^th.  Early voting at permanent polling places begins March 7^th.  In Clay County Early voting is available at the Clay County Clerks office in the Courthouse during normal business hours.  The Clerk’s Office will also be open on Saturday, March 29^th from 9 to Noon for early voting.

Voters may register in person when casting a ballot during early voting.  To register, individuals will need to bring two forms of identification, one of which must have their current address.  Early voting will close on March 31^st.

Any registered voter is eligible to apply for a vote-by-mail ballot.  Illinois also allows voters to apply to receive a ballot every election through its permanent vote-by-mail program.

The last day to request a vote by mail ballot is March 27^th through mail or March 31^st at a local election authority.  Ballots can be mailed, delivered in person to a local election authority or dropped in a secure drop box.  About half of Illinois election jurisdictions offer the drop box option.  Applications must be sent to the election authority for the jurisdiction where the voter is registered.

Grace period registration and voting is available through Election Day for voters who don’t register or submit an address change before the deadline.  With grace-period voting, voters may cast a ballot during the grace period at the election authority’s office, at a location specifically designated by the election authority, or by mail if no ballots are available at the election authority’s office.  This year, grace-period registration and voting are offered March 5^th through April 1^st.

The IFB website offers important election information including a list of offices up for election this year, Cravens said. Go to www.ilfb.org/vote.