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With election day quickly approaching, students and residents in the Bloomington-Normal community are preparing to make their voices heard. All the information on how to register to vote and preparing to cast a ballot can be found online.

With election day quickly approaching, students and residents in the Bloomington-Normal community are preparing to make their voices heard. All the information on how to register to vote and preparing to cast a ballot can be found online.

With election day quickly approaching, students and residents in the Bloomington-Normal community are preparing to make their voices heard. Here are a few things to keep in mind leading up to Nov. 8:

For those unsure if they are registered, they can check the status of their voter registration online. 

Those not already registered can do so online with TurboVote. Keep in mind that online voter registration for the Illinois General Election closes 11:59 p.m. Oct. 23. 

Out-of-state students trying to register in Illinois will need to fill out and mail a paper form. 

Registration is also available during early voting and on election day, with two valid forms of ID required. For Illinois State University students voting on campus one form of ID with their ISU address on it is required. This can be as simple as a screenshot of one's current address from the ISU Student Service Center.

ISU’s Center for Civic Engagement developed a Redbird Voter Guide which offers information on candidates at the county, state and federal level. 

The guide explains the responsibilities of each position on the ballot and lists candidates’ names and political affiliations. Those interested in learning more can visit the attached links in the guide to find out more about the candidates. 

Early voting will take place from 10 a.m. through 4 p.m. Oct. 17 through Nov. 4. Students are eligible to vote early at one of two polling places on campus: the Founder’s Suite in the Bone Student Center or the Rosa Parks Room in Watterson Towers. 

However, those with Bloomington addresses are not eligible to vote on campus. 

“Bloomington has its own election commission, so the clerk’s office oversees the entire county, except Bloomington,” Joshua Crockett, graduate assistant for the Center for Civic Engagement, said. 

For those unsure of where to vote, they can find their polling place by looking up their voter registration online.

Crockett acknowledged that anxiety surrounding the voting process is a big reason why people — especially first-time voters — do not make their voices heard. 

“How long is the line going to be, what documents do I need, what questions are they going to ask me, what’s the electronic voting system going to look like … students don’t like those unknowns,” Crockett said. 

What many students do not realize is that ISU has a whole host of resources aimed at stripping away uncertainty from the voting process. 

Any student feeling unsure about casting their vote can check the Redbird Voter Guide for more information on how to register, how to vote and about what their ballot will look like. 

“We’re doing all we can to make sure students know voting is safe, easy, and accessible,” Crockett said.

ISABEL BRAICO is a News and Features Reporter for The Vidette. Braico can be contacted at icbraic@ilstu.edu. Follow Braico on Twitter at @IsabelBraico  

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