Election Day is a misnomer.
It’s actually ELECTION SEASON.
And, Election SEASON is OPEN
DO.YOU.HAVE.AN.ELECTION.PLAN.FOR.NOVEMBER.
In most states, there are three ways to vote.
MAIL VOTING – YOU apply and receive a Mail Ballot. You fill out the ballot and return it to your local election authority.
There are usually three ways to return a mail ballot:
1. You take it to the Election Authority
2. Mail Ballot Dropboxes controlled by the Election Authority (IF AVAILABLE)
3. Mail Back the Ballot via the USPS.
I cannot stress this enough.
IF your only option to return you Mail Ballot is through the USPS
a. DO NOT give it to the Postman
b. DO NOT put it in a Mailbox
TAKE IT TO THE POST OFFICE. GO INSIDE AND REQUEST THAT THE POSTAL EMPLOYEE PUT A DATESTAMP ON YOUR RETURN ENVELOPE IN FRONT OF YOU.
The two largest rejection reasons for Mail Ballots are:
Signature on returned envelope DOES NOT MATCH your Official Signature on file at the Election Jurisdiction
The date stamped on the return envelope IS TOO LATE FOR THE ELECTION
Contact your local Election Jurisdiction and see if there is a form that you can use to Update your Official Signature, so that you can try and make sure that the signature on the ballot envelope matches what is in their database.
If you have a Mail Ballot, you need to call and ask:
Does your ballot have to be AT your local Election Jurisdiction BY ELECTION DAY
Or
Does it have to be POSTMARKED BY ELECTION DAY.
If the latter, what amount of time is the ballot given to arrive at the Election Jurisdiction?
The second way to vote is Early Voting.
Does your election jurisdiction have a time set aside, before Election Day, where you can go cast your ballot?
Early Voting is good for me. Get it out of the way. You never know what could happen on Election Day.
The Final Way is voting on Election Day, TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 2026.
Most jurisdictions open before you go to work. I would always suggest go early, because you never know what will happen throughout the day.
Have a Family Chat? Ask them what their voting plan is?
Do you have Seniors on your block or in your church/synagogue/mosque? Ask them if they have a Voting Plan, and if they need assistance? Maybe they don’t now how to go online to request a Mail Ballot? Maybe they don’t know where their local polling place is – you should be able to help them find that online. Maybe they can catch a ride with you to the site during Early Voting.
Do your Elders live in a Nursing Home? You can ask the Administrator if the local Election Jurisdiction has a Nursing Home Voter Program. If so, is your Senior signed up for it? If not, how can they participate?
Do you have family in the Military or Live Overseas?
They can vote, using the last address where they lived in the United States.
They Need to fill out a Federal Post Card Application for Military and Overseas voters.
Do you know when Voter Registration closes for your state? Look up on your State Board of Elections website.
If you are in Illinois:
Paper Voter Registration closes TUESDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2026
Electronic Voter Registration closes, SUNDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2026 AT 11:59 PM (if you have an Illinois Drivers License/State ID with the address that you want to use for voter registration)
https://ova.elections.il.gov/
Grace Period Voting begins Wednesday, October 7th. That’s when you register to vote and vote at the same time. You will need 2 pieces of ID, but only ONE has to have your address on it. Illinois is a state with a long list of acceptable forms of ID:
Acceptable Forms of ID
Passport or Military ID
Driver’s License or State ID card
College/University/School/Work ID
Vehicle registration card
Lease, mortgage or deed to home
Credit or debit card
Social Security, Medicare or Medicaid card
Insurance card
Civic, union or professional membership card
LINK/Public Aid/Department of Human Services card
Illinois FOID card
Examples of first-class mail addressed to voter that can be used as ID:
Bill, Transcript or Report Card from School
Bank Statement, Pay Stub or Pension Statement
Utility, Medical or Insurance Bill
Official mail from any government agency
Monday, October 19, is when large scale Early Voting Begins.
In Cook County, the voting is divided:
Chicago Board of Elections: City of Chicago proper
Cook County Clerk’s Office : Suburban Cook County
For the Chicago Board of Elections, there will be an Early Voting Site in EVERY WARD, beginning October 19th.
In Suburban Cook County, there will be 57 Early Voting Sites open, beginning October 19th.
For the rest of the Chicagoland area:
Will County Clerk
DuPage County Elections
McHenry County Clerk
Lake County Clerk
Kane County Clerk
Kendall County Clerk
Please get your VOTING PLAN in place.
