What do you need to bring to vote in Illinois? Here's your checklist for Election Day
CHICAGO (CBS) -- When you go to your polling place to cast your vote in Illinois on Election Day, what do you need to bring with you?
Oftentimes, the answer is you only need to bring yourself.
Do I need an ID to vote in Illinois?
With very few exceptions, Illinois does not require registered voters to present ID.
If you're already registered to vote at your current address and have voted previously while living there, you do not need to show ID. You only need to sign a document to ensure that your signature matches the voter signature on file for you.
What if I'm voting for the first time, or registering on Election Day?
However, the voter registration organization ILVOTE notes that you may need to show ID if it is your very first time voting in Illinois – depending on what method you used to register to vote. To be safe, ILVOTE advises first-time Illinois voters to bring two forms of ID – neither of which has to be a photo ID.
One form of ID must include your current address where you're registered to vote. This can be something like a lease or mortgage, or a utility bill from within the past 30 days.
A second form of ID can be a passport, Social Security card, driver's license or state ID, student ID, birth certificate, bank statement, paycheck, Firearm Owners Identification card, public aid ID card, credit card, or the voter ID card you were sent in the mail upon registration.
ILVOTE notes that if you're voting for the first time, and you provided your Illinois driver's license or state ID when you registered by mail or online – and the Illinois Board of Elections has matched it to the records in the Illinois Secretary of State's office database – then you do not need to show ID at the polls at all.
If a deputy voter registrar registered you, you had to show them two IDs at the time – and thus, you do not need to bring ID when voting for the first time.
If you are voting for the first time and you registered with a "motor voter" form at a Secretary of State's DMV office or a voter registration event, you may need to show a form of ID upon voting depending on what forms of ID you showed upon registering, ILVOTE notes.
If you submitted your driver's license or state ID number upon registering, you will not need to show ID at all upon voting. If you submitted only the last four digits of your Social Security number, you will need one additional form of ID that shows your address. If you submitted neither of the above when registering, you'll need two forms of ID, ILVOTE notes.
There are other narrow circumstances in which an ID may be requested – including if an election judge challenges your right to vote, or if you're registering to vote in person or changing your address on Election Day, as noted by the American Civil Liberties Union.
Voter registration by mail is open year-round except during the 27-day period just before an election. Online registration is available except for the 16-day period before an election – and during the two days after the election (within the city of Chicago, it is only one day).
However, in-person "grace period registration" continues through Election Day.
What else can I bring to vote in Illinois, and what should I not bring?
Beyond all that, you may bring written or printed materials with you in the voting booth to assist you with your choices.
As noted by the American Civil Liberties Union, you may not bring campaign signs or pamphlets, and if you're wearing campaign clothing, buttons, or stickers, you will be asked to cover them.
