Voting In Skokie: Everything You Need To Know

SKOKIE, IL — Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the number of ballots cast before Election Day have shattered previous records across the United States, including the Chicago area. As of late Monday afternoon, more than 770,000 voters in suburban Cook County had already voted — more than 45 percent of the county's 1.7 million registered voters.

Ahead of Election Day, a total of 8,531 voters took part in early voting at the 2nd Municipal District Courthouse on Old Orchard Road in Skokie and 7,977 voted at Oakton Community College's Skokie campus, according to the Cook County Clerk's Office.

Patch has compiled helpful links and info for the Nov. 3, 2020, general election in Skokie and suburban Cook County.

Voting Hours

Polling places will be open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Nov. 3, 2020. If you are in line by 7 p.m., you will still be allowed to vote.

Where To Vote

Early voting ended Monday, so if you intend to vote on Election Day, you have to go to your regular polling place. Suburban Cook County residents can find a sample ballot and assigned polling location on Your Voter Information available on the Cook County Clerk website.

Same-Day Registration

If you missed the voter registration deadline or grace period registration, you can take advantage of same-day registration and then cast your ballot on Election Day at your home precinct only.. Find your polling location on the Cook County Clerk’s Your Voter Information tool.

You must bring two pieces of identification, one with your current address. Acceptable forms of identification include a U.S. passport, military ID, school/college/ work ID, driver’s license or state ID.

First-class mail addressed to a voter may also be used as ID, such as a bill, transcript or report card from school; bank statement, pay stub or pension statement; utility, medical or insurance bill or piece of official mail from any government agency.

A voter who needs ID, but who cannot present ID, may cast a Provisional Ballot on Election Day. In order for that Provisional Ballot to be counted, the voter must present ID within 7 days of the election to the Cook County Clerk's office, 69 W. Washington St., Suite 500, Chicago.

Mail-In Ballots

If you requested a mail-in ballot it must be postmarked on Nov. 3, 2020 in order to be counted. Take it the post office or drop it off in the secure drop box at any location that was used for early voting — find an early voting location where secure drop boxes will be available on Election Day.

PLEASE NOTE: Mail-in ballot drop boxes will NOT be at regular polling places.

If you requested a mail-in ballot but never received it, you can vote at your home precinct and sign an affidavit station you did not receive your ballot.

Voting in person: Safety Precautions Amid COVID-19

Where to vote: Find your polling place here (you can also find this and a sample ballot on your county clerk's website).

If you've voted in Illinois before, you don't need to provide ID to vote

You may need an ID if:

• You registered to vote by mail and did not provide ID
• An election judge challenges your right to vote.
• If you are also registering to vote or changing your registration address on the day that you vote
• If you are already in line to vote when the polls close, you still have the right to cast your ballot
• Staying safe: Aside from wearing a mask and staying 6 feet away from other voters, you can also minimize risk by voting early to avoid long lines to vote.

You Can Vote Safely In Person Despite Coronavirus. Here's How »

Who's On My Ballot?

Depending on where you live in Skokie, not every ballot will be the same. You can view your sample ballot by entering your address and information on the county clerk's website.

In addition to voting in presidential, congressional, senatorial and some state and local races, Illinois voters are being asked to vote on the Graduated Income Tax Amendment.

• A "yes" vote supports repealing the state's constitutional requirement that the state personal income tax be a flat rate and instead allow the state to enact legislation for a graduated income tax.
• A "no" vote opposes this constitutional amendment and continues to require that the state personal income tax be a flat rate, prohibiting a graduated income tax.

Illinois Voters Asked To Decide 'Fair Tax': What You Need To Know »

Presidential race: While the ballot contains candidates from the Green Party, Party for Socialism and Liberation, American Solidarity Party and Libertarian Party, the major party candidates are Republican President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence versus Democratic former Vice President Joe Biden and U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris. Check out White House Patch for the latest coverage on the election.

And, while she might not be leading in the polls, this year's Libertarian candidate, Jo Jorgensen, is a native of the north suburbs. You can read more about her here: Lake Co. Native Is Libertarian Party's Presidential Pick.

U.S. Senate: Incumbent Democrat Dick Durbin faces off against Republican Mark Curran, Green Party candidate David F. Black, Libertarian Danny Malouf and Willie Wilson, of the Willie Wilson Party.

Illinois Elections: More Races to Watch, Election-Related Updates As We Near Election Day. »

Cook County Races To Watch

• Cook County State's Attorney: Incumbent Democrat Kim Foxx faces Republican Patrick 'Pat' O'Brien and Libertarian Brian Deenehy
• Clerk of the Circuit Court: Democrat Iris Martinez runs against Republican Barbara Bellar for the seat vacated by the retirement of longtime Circuit Clerk Dorothy Brown.

Sixty-two judges are up for retention this fall, including 10 candidates who are seeking seats on benches for the first time in contested races.

• VoteForJudges.org offers non-partisan information on all the judicial candidates. The Chicago Appleseed Fund, the creator of the website, provides research-based evaluations from over a dozen bar associations. VoteForJudges does not endorse judges to retain or not retain.
• VoteForJudges will publish the judicial evaluation results from the bar associations as they become available, and the endorsements from the Chicago Tribune.
• The Chicago Bar Association provides a voter's smart guide of its judicial recommendations and non-recommendations, as well as a phone app to bring into the voting boot
• Illinois Bar Association provides summaries and full judicial evaluations.
• Chicago Council on Lawyers is a non-partisan, public interest bar group. The CCL's evaluations are available now on the Council's website.
• IllinoisJudges.Net is maintained by the Illinois Civil Justice League. The ICJL is a coalition of interests in Illinois, including taxpayers, consumers, small businesses, lawyers, doctors, local governments, big businesses, not-for-profit organizations and individual citizens. The coalition fights what it believes to be abuses to the civil justice system. ICJL includes its own ratings, as well as drawing evaluations from bar associations and newspaper endorsements.
• Injustice Watch, a nonpartisan, nonprofit multimedia journalism organization that exposes institutional failures that obstruct justice in Cook County, has also compiled a 2020 judicial voting guide.

Voters are permitted to bring newspaper endorsements, printouts, sample ballots and smartphones to view judicial evaluations into the voting booth.

Check back with Skokie Patch for more updates as the election nears and subscribe to our free newsletters for the latest alerts

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