Are you sure you can vote? Here's how to verify
Today is the last day for unregistered voters to get in on the upcoming presidential election and contentious local races.
Registration requests have to be in by the close of business today or postmarked by midnight tonight to be valid for the Nov. 4 general election.
Elections officials across the Chicago area have seen a crush of new registrations in the last few weeks as the logs of voters continue to grow.
More than 2.5 million people are registered to vote across the West and Northwest suburbs.
Lake County is reporting "the highest we have ever had," according to elections spokeswoman Cindy Pagano.
The county is home to a highly contested congressional race in the 10th District and several heated state legislative battles. County officials have been working to process more than 28,000 registrations in the past week and the official tally of registered voters sits at nearly 400,000.
DuPage County is seeing an average number of registrations, says election commission director Robert Saar.
The county has about 536,000 registered voters. That is up from the 529,726 voters signed up during the 2006 general election.
Kane County is reporting 208,665 registered voters as of Monday. McHenry had about 195,000, up from 188,000 in this year's primary.
Cook County is home to nearly 1.4 million registered voters with 185,000 voters coming onto the rolls since January, said spokeswoman Courtney Greve.
Here are some commonly asked questions and answers to help you make sure you can vote come Election Day.
When do I need to register?
If you have moved or changed your name, you must re-register to vote. If you have not voted in recent years, you should check with your county election board to be sure you are still on their books.
What do I need to register?
Two forms of ID, including one that has your name and address on it.
Who can register?
Any U.S. citizen who will be at least 18 years of age by Nov. 4 and who has lived in his or her residence for at least 30 days before the election.
Is there another time to register?
You can register up until 14 days before the election, Oct. 21, under grace period provisions. However, you will have to vote via an absentee ballot and will not be allowed to vote at a polling place on Election Day.
Where can I register?
Most governmental offices take registration applications.
For more information and for registration forms check with your county election department.
Lake County: (847) 377-2000 or www.co.lake.il.us
DuPage County: (630) 407-5600 or www.dupageelections.com
Kane County: (630) 232-5990 or www.kanecountyelections.org
McHenry County: (815) 334-4242 or www.co.mchenry.il.us
Cook County: (312) 603-0906 or www.voterinfonet.com