Voter registration deadline approaching

SPRINGFIELD - More than 7 million Illinois residents have registered to vote as the deadline to do so approaches early next month.

The Illinois State Board of Elections reported 7.3 million registered voters as of Labor Day. The traditional deadline for registering is Oct. 7 for the Nov. 4 elections. There are provisions for registering after that date at local election authority offices, but there are then limitations placed on voting.

Heading into the Feb. 5 Illinois primary, there were 7,304,563 registered voters in the state, an all-time high for a primary here. Turnout in February topped previous highs by 17 percent.

In order to register, a person must be a U.S. citizen, at least 18 by Election Day and have lived in the precinct at least 30 days before Election Day.

More information about voting and elections can be found at the Illinois State Board of Elections Web site: www.elections.il.gov

Voting, by the numbers

Presidential race registration and turnout in Illinois

Year Registered Total Turnout

2004 7,499,488 5,350,493 71%

2000 7,129,026 4,932,192 69%

1996 6,663,301 4,418,270 66%

1992 6,600,358 5,164,357 78%

1988 6,356,940 4,697,192 74%

1984 6,470,438 4,969,330 77%

1980 6,230,332 4,868,890 78%

Source: Illinois State Board of Elections