Y
EQ
OR
E
Q
UI P F
UALIT
From Equip for Equality’s HAVA Program
EFE FACT SHEET –
Voting Rights & Information
Equip for Equality Voter Guide
November 6, 2012 Election
IMPORTANT DATES IN 2012
Voter Registration
 October 9: Last day to register to vote by Deputy
Registrar
 October 10: First day of grace period registration
and voting at election authority
 October 30: Last day of grace period registration
and voting at election authority
Early Voting
 October 15: First day of early voting (at locations
named by the election authority)
 November 1: Last day of early voting (at locations
named by the election authority)
Absentee Voting
 September 27: First day to apply for an absentee
ballot (in person or by mail)
 November 1: Last day to apply for an absentee
ballot by mail (application must be received by this
date)
 November 5: Last day to apply for and vote an
absentee ballot in person
1
 November 5: Last day to mail a voted absentee
ballot (ballot must be postmarked by this date to be
counted)
ELECTION DAY
 November 6: General (Presidential) Election (Polling
places are open from 6:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.)
Who can register to vote?
Persons who are:
 Citizens of the U.S. on Election Day
 At least 18 years of age on or before Election Day
 Residents of the precinct at least 30 days as of the
day of the next election
You must register to vote if:
 You have never registered before
 You have recently moved or changed your name
Note: If you move within 28 days of an election, but reside in
the same precinct, you may vote by signing an affidavit
When can you register to vote?
 Voter registration by deputy registrars is open year
round except for the 27-day period just prior to an
election and during the 2-day period after each
election (one day after in Chicago).
When you register, bring at least two pieces of identification with at least one that has your current address:
 Driver’s License
 Illinois State ID
 Public assistance ID card
 Social Security card
2
 Library card
 Employee or student ID card
 Civic, union or professional association membership
card
 Recent Utility bill
 Credit card
 Birth certificate
Where can you register to vote?
In Person:
 Equip for Equality offices
 Your local election authority
 County Clerk’s office
 Board of Elections’ office
 City and village offices
 Township offices
 Precinct Committeemen
 Military recruitment offices
 Some corporations
 Some labor groups
 Some civic groups
 Some public libraries
 Some employers and schools; check with your
employer or school to see if they sponsor a voter
registration drive or suggest that they do.
When applying for services at the following:
 Driver’s License Facilities
 Department of Healthcare and Family Services
offices
 Department of Public Health offices
 Division of Mental Health & Developmental
Disabilities offices
 Division of Rehabilitation Services offices
3
By Mail-In Registration
 Illinois State Board of Elections website has forms to
download, print and mail in: www.elections.il.gov
 Contact your local election authority for details
 If you register by mail you must vote in person the first
time and show identification, unless you provide the
proper election authority with sufficient proof of identity
that has been verified by the election authority. In that
case, you may vote by absentee ballot.
Voter Rights
 Federal law says that polling places must be
accessible to persons with disabilities. But if you want
to be sure you can vote on Election Day, it’s best to
plan ahead.
 Call the election office in your city or county and tell
them where you live and that you have a disability and
you need an accessible voting place.
 Curbside voting -- if the building is not accessible,
curbside voting should be provided. The election
judges bring the ballot out to you. To take advantage
of this, you are asked to contact your election authority
before Election Day. However, election judges should
be prepared to offer curbside voting whenever a voter
requests it.
 As a voter, you have a right to ask anyone you want to
assist you at the polls, except for your employer or an
officer of a union of which you are a member. (You may
bring a friend, family member, teacher, personal
attendant, neighbor, etc.)
4
 You may also ask the election judges for help.
 Two judges must assist you in the voting boothone Democrat and one Republican.
 You sign a paper that states you have
requested assistance, states your disability and
whether it is temporary or permanent.
 You can be given instructions on how to vote
with a sample ballot without signing the
assistance paper.
 The person who assists you is not allowed to try to
influence you to vote a certain way.
For accessible formats, contact Equip for Equality at:
800.537.3632, TTY: 800.610.2779
RESOURCES:
Equip for Equality
Chicago Office - Tel: 800.537.2632
Moline Office - Tel: 800.758.6869
Springfield Office - Tel: 800.758.0464
Carbondale Office - Tel: 800.758.0559
TTY for all Offices: 800.610.2779
www.equipforequality.org
Chicago Board of Election Commissioners
Tel: 312.269.7976
www.chicagoelections.com
Chicago Council of Lawyers
www.chicagoappleseed.org
Cook County Clerk, David Orr
Tel: 312.603.0906 TDD: 312.603.0902
Spanish (Espanol): 312.603.6767
www.voterinfonet.com
5
Illinois Attorney General, Lisa Madigan
Chicago Tel: 312.814.3000 TTY: 312.814.3374
Springfield Tel: 217.782.1090 TTY: 217.785.2771
Carbondale Tel: 618.529.6400/6401 TTY: 618.529.6403
www.illinoisattorneygeneral.gov
Illinois State Bar Association
Springfield Tel: 217.525.1760, 800.252.8908
Chicago Regional Office Tel: 312.726.8775,
800.678.4009
www.isba.org
Illinois State Board of Elections
Chicago Office
Tel: 312.814.6440 TDD: 312.814.6431
Springfield Office
Tel: 217.782.4141 TDD: 217.782.1518
www.elections.il.gov
League of Women Voters of Illinois
Tel: 312.939.5935
www.lwvil.org
National Technical Assistance Center for Voting & Cognitive Access
Nancy Ward, Oklahoma Disability Law Center
2915 N Classen Blvd., Suite 350
Oklahoma City, OK 73106
Tel: 405.528.1900
E-mail: nward@thedesk.info
www.govoter.org
EQUIP FOR EQUALITY
20 N. MICHIGAN AVE., SUITE 300
CHICAGO, IL 60602
www.equipforequality.org
Equip for Equality is an independent nonprofit organization. Our mission is to advance
the human and civil rights of people with disabilities.
6