DeKALB – Voters must cast their ballots in the precinct they are registered to vote in if they are registered in DeKalb County.
If voters are registered to vote in another county, they must vote at the polling place in their respective county, or at any polling place in that county if the county allows residents to vote anywhere.
Where to vote:
Election Day:
The closest polling location for NIU students on campus is the Barsema Alumni and Visitors Center at 231 N. Annie Glidden Road.
How to check voter registration status:
Students who live in Illinois can check their voter registration using the Illinois State Board of Elections registration lookup tool.
This tool asks for your name, birthdate, five-digit zip code, street number and street name. The website tells voters if they are registered to vote in Illinois and where their polling place is. The website also tells voters the districts they can vote in.
Students who are out of state can check their voter registration status on the National Association of Secretaries of State website.
Early and Grace Period Registration:
Students and DeKalb citizens can vote early and register to vote during the grace period in the Holmes Student Center Gallery Lounge every day until Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
In DeKalb County there is Grace Period Registration until Monday.
Election Day Registration:
DeKalb County has an Election Day Registration/Vote Center where all DeKalb County residents may register for the first time, change their address or change their name and vote. Two forms of identification are required and at least one containing a DeKalb County residential address, like a photo id, utility bill, bank statement, paycheck, or government document.
The vote center is located in the DeKalb County Administration Building, 110 E. Sycamore St. in Sycamore. It is open on Election Day from 6 a.m. until 7 p.m.
Polling hours:
On Election Day, polls will be open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m.
If voters are physically in line at a polling place when polls close they still have the right to vote. Election officials are required to let you cast your ballot even if it takes extra time.
Electoral College
The Electoral College is the voting system used to determine the winner of the presidential race. Each state gets as many electors as it has members of Congress. There are a total of 538 electors including Washington D.C’s three.
After voters cast their ballot, votes go to a statewide tally that determines which candidate will get each state’s electoral vote.
A candidate needs the vote of 270 electors to win the presidential election.
As of April 15, 18 states have enacted bills to join the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact, which guarantees the electoral votes in their state will go to the candidate that wins the national popular vote if the number of states that have joined the compact equals 270 electoral college votes.
Direct Democracy
Other races on the ballot are voted on through popular vote measures. These races and measures will be decided based on who receives the majority of the vote. Advisory questions are on the ballot to advise legislators about the public’s opinion on future legislation.
If you are registered to vote in the City of DeKalb, here are items or races that might be on your ballot depending on where in DeKalb you are registered:
Congress
14th Congressional District
Illinois General Assembly
State House Representative – District 76
County
Circuit Clerk
State’s Attorney
Coroner
County Board
County Board – District 6
County Board – District 7
County Board – District 8
County Board – District 9
County Board – District 10
Appellate Court Judge
Shall Susan Fayette Hutchinson be retrained in office as judge of the Appellate Court Second Judicial District?
Public Questions:
Proposition to Impose County School Sales Tax:
Shall a retailers occupation tax and a service occupation tax (commonly referred to as a sales tax) be imposed in The County of DeKalb, Illinois, at a rate of 1% to be used exclusively for school facility purposes, school resource officers and mental health professionals?
Central Community Unit School District 301 Proposition to issues $224,600,000 School Building Bonds
Shall the Board of Education of Central Community Unit School District Number 301, Kane and DeKalb Counties, Illinois, build and equip a new high school building, including construction of career technical education labs, fine arts spaces, a college/career center, special education classrooms, collaborative spaces and secured entryways and installation of emergency response systems therein, build and equip an outdoor athletic stadium, a field house and improve sites and roadways and issue its bonds to the amount of $224,600,000 for the purpose of paying costs thereof?
DeKalb Questions
– Should the City Clerk of the City of DeKalb be appointed, rather than elected?
Statewide Advisory Questions
– Should any candidate appearing on the Illinois ballot for Federal, State, or local office be subject to civil penalties if the candidate interferes or attempts to interfere with an election worker’s official duties?
– Should the Illinois Constitution be amended to create an additional 3% tax on income greater than $1,000,000 for the purpose of dedicating funds raised to property tax relief?
– Should all medically appropriate assisted reproductive treatments, including, but not limited to, in vitro fertilization, be covered by any health insurance plan in Illinois that provides coverage for pregnancy benefits, without limitation on the number of treatments?
Students can find more information about voting on NIU’s Huskies Vote website.
