SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WCIA) — Tuesday, Sept. 20th is National Voter Registration Day.
National Voter Registration Day is a holiday celebrated every fourth Tuesday in September to get more people registered to vote, seven weeks before Election Day. The holiday was first celebrated in 2012.
Sangamon County Clerk Don Gray says it’s important for people to check their registration status now while there’s plenty of time before people head to the polls.
“Should it not be in proper order, you have options now in advance [compared] to when we get closer to the opportunities for you to be able to cast the ballot, that your registration issues are resolved,” Gray said.
According to State Board of Elections spokesperson Matt Dietrich, historically the day has seen higher numbers of people registering to vote.
“In 2020, we went from about 9,000 registrations the day before, to 14,000 on Voter Registration Day,” Dietrich said.
Dietrich also says the number of people registering is higher for the days following Voter Registration Day due to people finding social media posts from National Voter Registration Day.
In Illinois, you can register online to vote here and check to see if you are registered here. You can register to vote online up until Oct. 23.
If you are not registered to vote before Election Day, you can register for grace period voting on Election Day by taking two forms of identification to your polling place.
“We like to emphasize that registration in Illinois does not close until the polls close at 7 p.m.,” Dietrich said.
For other states, you can visit here to find more information about voting.
