Illinois Polling Hours & Key Election Day Info

Voters casts their ballots at ChiArts High School on March 15, 2016 in Chicago, Illinois. (Getty Images)

Illinois voters go to the polls on Tuesday to cast their ballots in the presidential race, along with the state’s U.S. House and Senate seats, and its state House and Senate seats.

Here’s what you need to know as you head to the polls in Illinois:

POLLING HOURS & LOCATIONS: Polling locations will be open from 6:00am until 7:00pm on Election Day. Voters will still be entitled to vote if they are standing in line when the polls close at 7:00pm. Voter identification requirements by state can be found here. Voters in Illinois are not required to present identification at the polls. There are two ways to find out what polling place you should use to vote on Election Day. First, according to the State Board of Elections “The list of polling places is published prior to Election Day in a newspaper of general circulation.” Second, you can search for your polling location by jurisdiction at the State Board of Elections website here.

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REGISTRATION GUIDELINES: To be eligible to vote on in the general election in the state of Illinois you must meet a set of criteria found here, and you must also be registered to vote. The deadline for voter registration was October 11. However, Illinois has a “grace period” for voting, lasting from October 12 through Election Day on November 8. For more information about the qualifications and requirements of voting during the grace period, click here. You can confirm your voter registration status using this link. More information about eligibility, registration, and the voting process in Illinois can be found here.

TRACKING RESULTS: On Election Day Illinois district web sites may post unofficial results after the polls close at 7:00pm. You can search for local results by district here.

WHAT’S AT STAKE IN FEDERAL RACES: Illinois has 20 electoral votes and has historically leaned red in the presidential election, with a lean majority of contests going to Republican candidates. However, democratic candidates for president have won the state in all contests since 2000. In a comparison of numerous polls by The New York Times the state is confidently in Clinton’s favor. Elections to the U.S. Senate are also confidently leaning blue in the Senate battleground state of Illinois. Incumbent Republican Senator Mark Kirk will be defending his seat and bid for a second term against Democratic opponent and Congresswoman Tammy Duckworth. Duckworth currently leads Kirk in Huffington Post Pollster predictions by more than 10 points. There will be 18 candidates up for election to represent Illinois in the U.S. House of Representatives, one representing each of the state’s congressional districts. Currently Democrats hold 10 of the total 18 seats, while Republicans hold eight seats. For a full list of representatives on the ballot in Illinois click here.

WHAT’S AT STAKE IN STATE RACES: Partisan control of government is divided in the state of Illinois. Senate elections will be held this year for 40 out of 59 total seats, with Democrats currently in majority holding 39 of 59 seats. All 118 seats in the state House of Representatives are up for election, with Republicans in majority currently holding 71 of the 118 total seats. Republican Bruce Rauner has served as Governor of Illinois since 2015 and the next gubernatorial election will take place in 2018 with Rauner eligible to run for re-election.