Voter Information

For complete information on registering and voting in Shields Township, as well as candidate information and election results, visit the Lake County Clerk's Web site.

Next Election | Election Schedule | How and Where to Register
Voting by Absentee Ballot | Early Voting

Next Election

The General Election is Tuesday, November 4, 2008. Voter registration for this election will close on October 7; early voting starts October 13. Click here for full calendar for this election.

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Election Schedule

Even-Numbered Years

• GENERAL PRIMARY ELECTION: Third Tuesday in March
  • Nominate candidates for: Federal, state, county offices
  • Elect: Precinct committeemen
• GENERAL ELECTION: First Tuesday after the first Monday in November
  • Elect: Federal, state, county offices

Odd-Numbered Years

• CONSOLIDATED PRIMARY ELECTION: Last Tuesday in February
  • Nominate candidates for: Municipal and township offices
• CONSOLIDATED ELECTION: First Tuesday in April
  • Elect: Municipal, township, park district, library district, and fire protection district offices; school board members; community college district trustees; Regional Board of School Trustees

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How and Where to Register

A resident may register to vote if he or she is (1) a U.S. citizen, (2) 18 years of age by the date of the next election, and (3) a resident of his or her Lake County precinct address for 30 days immediately prior to the next election.

Two forms of identification are required to register to vote: (1) at least one of the two forms must show the registering person’s name and current address; (2) only one form of identification may be a piece of mail addressed and delivered to the person.
For Shields Township, voter registration is available at the following locations:

• County Clerk's Office, 18 N. County St., Waukegan, 377-2410
• Lake Forest City Hall, 220 E. Deerpath, 234-2600 (Lake Forest residents)
• Lake Bluff Village Hall, 40 E. Center Ave., 234-0774 (Lake Bluff residents)
• Shields Township Office, 906 W. Muir Ave., 234-0802
• City of North Chicago, 1850 S. Lewis Ave., 596-8600 (North Chicago residents)

Any deputy registrar duly appointed by the County Clerk may also perform voter registration.

For more information on voter registration, see the County Clerk’s Web site or the State Board of Elections Web site.

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Voting by Absentee Ballot

Registered voters are eligible to cast an absentee ballot if they meet one of the following conditions:

• Persons expecting to be absent from Lake County on election day

• Persons physically incapacitated or hospitalized
• College or university students temporarily residing away from their home precincts
• Persons who will be serving as election judges outside their precinct on election day
• Officials employed by the County Clerk or a law enforcement agency
• Persons serving on jury duty on election day
• Persons who are observing a religious holiday
• Persons in jail as pretrial detainees not serving jail sentences

Absentee ballots may be cast in person or by mail. In addition, the county offers prearranged absentee voting plans for students living away from home and for “snowbirds” who live elsewhere for part of the year. These voters can, however, alternatively apply for absentee ballots by the standard methods, described below. There are also accommodations available for nursing home residents, hospitalized voters, and handicapped voters; contact the County Clerk’s office for more information.

Absentee Voting by Mail

Step 1—Request, complete, and return an Application for Absentee Ballot to the Lake County Clerk's office.

Request an Application for Absentee Ballot by e-mail through the County’s Web site (www.co.lake.il.us/cntyclk) or call the Lake County Clerk's office at 377-2406 (direct line to the Absentee Department).

Complete the application, including your name, home address and, if different, the address to which you want the ballot to be mailed, date of birth, and one of the eight reasons you are not able to vote in person on election day.

After completing the application, return it to the County Clerk's office. Your ballot will be mailed to you within two days of receipt of your completed application. The County Clerk’s office may not mail ballots more than 40 days or less than five days prior to the election.

Step 2—When you receive the absentee ballot, follow all instructions on how to vote and return the ballot to the County Clerk's office before election day. Voted ballots must be returned by mail or personally delivered to the County Clerk's office by the voter. There is a limited exception permitting ballot return by a spouse, parent, child, sibling, or a licensed delivery service where the authorization form (found on the back of the Specimen Ballot) is completed by the voter and included with the ballot.

Absentee Voting in Person

Any qualified voter may cast an absentee ballot in person at the Lake County Clerk's office not more than 40 days or less than one day prior to the election. You may also vote by absentee ballot in person at offsite voting locations not more than 21 days or less than one day prior to the election.

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Early Voting

Offsite voting locations also offer early voting to any registered voter, for any reason (early voters do not have to fulfill the criteria for absentee voting). Early voting begins 22 days before Election Day and runs through the Thursday before Election Day. Offsite voting locations will contunue to offer absentee voting during the two days after early voting concludes. Voters are required to present a valid Illinois driver’s license, an Illinois identification card issued by the Secretary of State, or any other government-issued identification document containing their photograph, name and address.

Early voting sites for the November 2008 General Election are not yet finalized at this time.

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