DeKALB — The Center for Black Studies will be hosting the Voter Registration Drive from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday and Sept. 30. Voting registrars will help patrons get registered to vote. 

Social distancing guidelines will be practiced and in order to register, people interested must have their Illinois driver’s license, issue date of license’s identification, the last four digits of your social security number and date of birth. It is also recommended that people bring their own pens.   

“We’ll have tables setup outside.” Associate director of academic studies at the Center for Black Studies, Joseph Flynn said. “Visitors will be asked to come up one ramp and with social distancing observed, then they’ll be able to exit the other side safely.” 

There will be two tables: one for english speakers and one for spanish speakers, Flynn said. Voter registration will not be done electronically and it will be done with traditional pen and paper. 

To be able to vote, you must be a U.S. citizen, 17 years of age before the General Primary, and must turn 18 before the General Election. You must live in the election precinct for at least 30 days, and must not be serving a sentence of confinement in any penal institution as a result of a conviction. Voters may not claim to vote anywhere else, according to the NIU voter registration page.

Important registration deadlines for Illinois voters to keep in mind are you must be registered 27 days before the election if you’re voting in person. 

If you’re voting by mail, you need to complete an application to vote by mail, and that application must be sent to the election authority in the jurisdiction you want to vote and received by that election authority by Oct. 29. 

Online registration can be done 16 days before the election. And within the grace period of 27 days prior to the election, you must register at your local election office, according to the NIU voter registration page. 

General information and contact information can be found on NIU’s event page.