Election Day is April 6 -- the LAST day you can vote! So make your plan to vote early, by mail, or on Tuesday!
Make sure you vote in the Evanston Municipal Election by Election Day on Tuesday, April 6, 2021 -- otherwise known as the LAST day you can vote! Now that the primary is over, it's time to focus on your choices for City Council, School Board and City Clerk.* Let's make sure we have better turnout in April than we did in February. Your vote is your voice - use it!
Daily early voting at the Civic Center started on Monday, March 22nd and continues through 7 pm on Monday, April 5. Mail in ballots could be requested online through April 1, and must be postmarked or dropped at Skokie Courthouse drop box by April 6. More key dates and deadlines are below.
Who's on the ballot? This election is to decide on our representatives for City Council, our D65 and D202 School Boards and the City Clerk. The Mayoral race is not on the ballot since Daniel Biss won 73% of the vote (50% or more required to win the race) in the February 23 primary. For more information about all the candidates, please visit the Democratic Party of Evanston or OPAL sites for interviews, forums and endorsement videos, and check out the Evanston Fight for Black Lives' Voter Guide (also available in Spanish and French). Evanston Live TV also has recordings of their debates and interviews. We will continue to inform our members about candidate events and forums in our newsletter and on Facebook.
The City Clerk is Evanston's local election official. The office works closely with the office of Cook County Clerk Karen Yarbrough, Election Division, to determine accessible polling places. City staff also function as deputy registrars to register voters, process absentee ballot applications prior to each election and certify results from all referenda and local elections.
Key Dates: 2021 Consolidated General Election
3/9: Last day to register to vote in person or by mail.
3/21: Last day to register to vote online.
3/22: First day of early voting at the Civic Center. Days and hours HERE.
4/1: Last day to request a mail ballot, including military and overseas voters 4/5: Last day of early voting 4/5: Last day of grace period registration and voting 4/6: Last day mail ballots can be postmarked
4/6: Election Day!
What do you need to Early Vote or Vote on Election Day?
Government-issued photo ID is not required but is helpful if there is a question about the voter's registration, address or signature.
Early Voting: March 22-April 5
Location: Lorraine H. Morton Civic Center 2100 Ridge Ave., Room G300 Evanston, IL 60201
Hours
Weekdays March 29- April 5: 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Saturday April 3, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Sunday April 4, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Voting By Mail
Voting by mail is a convenient way to cast your ballot. Any registered suburban Cook County voter may apply for a mail ballot. It is no longer necessary to provide a reason. Request your ballot by 4/1 and mail it back ASAP and no later than 4/6/21. Note: if you requested a mail-in ballot for the 2/23 primary, you will also receive one for the 4/6 election.
How to vote by mail
To obtain an application to vote by mail, registered suburban Cook County voters can:
Apply online
Download and print the mail ballot application (applications are also available in Spanish, Hindi, Chinese, Korean and Tagalog)
Call the Cook County Clerk's Office at 312-603-0946
Call the Evanston City Clerk's Office at 847-448-8189 for more information
The last day to request a mail ballot is April 1. All ballots must be postmarked or submitted to the Cook County Clerk's Office by April 6. There are no Evanston drop boxes for the primary, but you can take your ballot to the Skokie Courthouse and use the Clerk's drop box there by 4:00 p.m. on April 5 (no drop box on Election Day!). Once the Cook County Clerk receives your application and verifies your registration, they will send you a paper ballot at the address you designate on your application. After making your selections and completing the certification form on the back of the envelope and signing it, mail or deliver your ballot back to the Cook County Clerk at a drop box.
Please note: If the certification form (on the back of the return envelope) is not signed, your ballot will not be counted.
Mailed ballots must be postmarked by Election Day. Mailed ballots are processed and counted at the Cook County Clerk's central office.
Ballot not received by Election Day? If you don't receive your ballot by April 6th (the last day your ballot can be postmarked to be counted), you can go vote in person at your polling place. Just tell the judge that you requested but did not get your ballot (if you feel safe going to vote in person). You can cast a provisional ballot, and it will be counted once they verify your mail-in ballot was not used.
You can check your voter information and mail-in ballot status HERE. Also you can call the Cook County Clerk's vote-by-mail line here: 312-603-0946 to see what is going on, and find out what they can do to help you cast your vote!
Drop Boxes
There are no Evanston drop boxes for this municipal election, but you can take your ballot to the Skokie Courthouse and use the Clerk's drop box there through 4/5. No drop box on Election Day.
More information about Mail Voting:
Eligibility - Learn who is eligible to vote by mail.
Deadlines - Important dates to remember.
Apply to Vote by Mail - Download a mail ballot application.
Disabled Voters - Absentee voting program for voters who are disabled.
Overseas and Military Voters - Learn about voting for overseas and military voters.
Nursing Home/Hospital Voting - Voting for nursing home and hospitalized voters.
Grace-period Registration and Voting Grace period registration and voting extends the registration period by allowing voters to register to vote up to the Monday before an election. However, guidelines limit when and where grace period registrants can vote. More
Election Day Voting: April 6
If you choose to wait until Election Day to vote, it will be held on Tuesday, April 6th.
Find your assigned polling place using the Cook County Clerk's Your Voter Information tool. Polls are open 6 am to 7 pm.
Residents who are not registered to vote may register and cast a ballot on Election Day. Two qualifying forms of ID must be presented.
Note: there are no drop boxes to turn in absentee ballots on April 6. You must drop them in the mail so they are postmarked on Election Day to be counted.
Voter registration
You can register to vote at all early voting sites and at your election date polling location.
Any voter who needs to register for the first time or file an address change or name change must present two forms of ID, one of which shows the voter's current address. Acceptable forms of ID include:
Illinois driver's license
Illinois state ID
Employee or student ID
Credit card
Social security card
Birth certificate
Utility bill in applicant's name
Mail postmarked to the applicant
Valid U.S. passport
Public aid ID card
Lease or rental contract
Suburban Cook County Voters: see the Cook County Clerk's website for more information.
Click HERE to check your voter information, mail-in ballot status, polling place and more.
VOTE! in your local elections. Every vote and voice matters, so cast your ballot and make it heard!
