Believe it or not, there’s still time to register and vote in the Nov. 6 general election. Procrastinators who missed the standard Oct. 9 registration deadline have a “grace period” through Nov. 3 to register and vote so long as they do it in person and bring some photo identification.

City residents can register and vote on the sixth floor offices of the Chicago Board of Elections at 69 W. Washington St. Cook Countysuburban residents can register one floor below at the offices of County Clerk David Orr or at any of five suburban courthouses in Skokie, Rolling Meadows, Maywood, Markham and Bridgeview. For specifics on those outlying locations and hours go to www.cookcountyclerk.com

Citizens must present two forms of identification, one of which shows a current address. After verification and registration, voters are required to cast their ballots in-person at that time. “Grace period” voters are not permitted to vote on Election Day.

Acceptable forms of ID include: Illinois driver’s license or state ID; Employee or student ID; Credit card or social security card; Birth certificate or valid U.S. passport; Utility bill in applicant’s name or mail postmarked to the applicant; or a Lease or rental contract.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 15 percent of a sampling of the 30 million citizens who were not registered to vote in 2008 said that they did not register because they failed to meet registration deadlines.

But this year’s “grace period” makes that excuse less likely throughout Illinois. Jim Allen, a spokesman for the Chicago Board of Elections, said that as of Oct. 19, 1,000 “grace period” voters already had come in compared to the 1,200 by that day in 2008. This fits with other news reports that voter enthusiasm may not be what it was during that historic election of America’s first African-American president.

“We’re also mailing notices to people who missed the regular deadline, so we’ll be expecting to see them as well,” said Allen of those who tried to register by mail but missed the Oct. 9 cutoff. “Besides 2008, this is the largest voter turnout in a grace period.”

Early voting for the Nov. 6 Presidential election began last Monday and runs through Saturday, Nov. 3. Registered voters may go to any of the 51 early voting sites throughout the City of Chicago between the hours of 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sundays at the Board’s offices or its branches at Welles Park or Mount Greenwood Park.

Early voters must bring proper government photo ID. For a list of early voting sites, go to www.chicagoelections.com.

The “grace period” also gives residents a chance to file a name change or update an address, in addition to registration. If you’re not sure if you’re registered, check with your county clerk or go online at www.election.il.gov.

ξ

Story from DePolitics2012.com, featuring work by DePaul communications graduate students.