November election information, Voter registration, Ways to vote, Did your vote count?, Safe, Protect your vote

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Robin M. O'Connor Lake County Clerk

October 2020

November election information

Visit LakeCountyClerk.info and click on the “November 2020 Election” icon to review:

  • races on the ballot;
  • candidate list;
  • referenda;
  • Voter Information Guide;
  • your personalized sample ballot;
  • voter registration options available and identification requirements;
  • Early Voting site locations, times and dates;
  • postage-free drop box locations for mailed ballots; and
  • your Election Day voting options.

Voter registration options

There are now many options for voter registrations, but the deadlines do vary.

Open until October 6

Open until October 18

Grace Period Voter Registration opens when regular voter registration closes on October 6, and you must vote at the same time. It is available:

  • Beginning October 7, at the Lake County Main Courthouse Lobby
  • Starting October 19, at any county-wide Early Voting site

On Election Day, you may also register at

  • your neighborhood assigned Election Day voting site,
  • the Lake County Main Courthouse Lobby, or
  • the Lake County Fairgrounds.

Visit our November 2020 Election page for registration details, locations, forms, and hours.


Ways to vote

Vote by mail

By mail

  • Due to COVID-19, we are encouraging all voters to vote by mail and avoid lines during Early Voting or on Election Day. Vote from the safety and comfort of your own home.
  • Available to any Lake County registered voter
  • Required application must be received in our office by 5 PM on Thursday, October 29
  • Ballots were processed on September 24 and should be arriving soon in the mailboxes of those who have already submitted a ballot application

Options for requesting an application

Ways to return your voted ballot

  • In-person delivery during weekday business hours to the Lake County Clerk's office by 7 PM on Election Day
  • Mailed with one first-class stamp, postmarked by Election Day, and received in our office by November 17
  • Placed in a postage free drop boxes by 7 PM on Election Day
  • Brought to a voting site and surrendered to the election judges

Postage-free vote by mail ballot drop boxes

  • New for this election!
  • If you don't want to return your ballot through the U.S. Postal Service, use one of the postage-free drop boxes
  • Use any location
  • Four are open now and are located outside of a Lake County Branch Court, have 24/7 access, and video surveillance
  • When county-wide Early Voting begins on October 19, every early voting site will have one inside the building
  • Ballots are secured daily by a team of election judges and returned to the Lake County Clerk's office for processing
  • Ballot Drop Box Finder with addresses, dates, and times
Lake County Postage Free Mailed Ballot Drop Boxes

In-person voting

If you received a ballot through the mail and decide to vote in person, please take your ballot with you to the voting site. You will surrender your ballot to the election judges and exchange it for one you can cast in the voting site.

If you cannot surrender your ballot, election judges will help you through a different process.

Early Voting

Early Voting

Now until October 16

  • Lake County Main Courthouse Lobby, 18 N. County St., Waukegan
  • Weekdays only 9 AM to 5 PM

October 19 through November 2

Election Day, November 3

Vote Here
  • Polls open 6 AM to 7 PM
  • Use your assigned neighborhood voting site
  • New this election! - Lake County Main Courthouse Lobby and Lake County Fairgrounds are universal voting sites and will serve all Lake County voters on Election Day
  • Election Day Voting Site Finder

Did your vote count?

If you voted by mail or during early voting, you can log onto LakeVoterPower.info and select "Track My Mail Ballot" to confirm our receipt of your ballot

Vote by mail confirmation

Ballot receipt confirmation

Early Voting confirmation

Early voted confirmation

Safe logo

SAFE is our commitment to voters that you can exercise your right to vote in a safe and secure environment. We will:

  1. Provide face coverings, hand sanitizer, and sanitizing wipes to all election workers.
  2. Train all election workers on COVID safety procedures.
  3. Optimize the voting site’s floor plans for safety and social distancing.
  4. Encourage voters to bring their own face covering and blue or black ink pen to the voting site.

Our election will be SECURE. It is ours—no one else’s—We:

  1. Promote and maximize the vote-by-mail option allowing voters to cast a ballot from the safety and comfort of home.
  2. Offer only paper ballots – the least vulnerable voting system and election results can easily be validated.
  3. Participate in the Illinois Cyber Navigator program. Developed by Homeland Security and Illinois Department of Innovations & Technology (DoIT), the program has a 24/7-year round security operations center monitors and intrusion detectors.
  4. Verify each voter’s signature. Bipartisan election judges will work together and compare and match voter’s signature on application to one on registration record before issuing a ballot.

Our election will be ACCESSIBLE. Voters can cast their votes quickly and conveniently. We will:

  1. Post online early and Election Day voting site locator tools at LakeCountyClerk.info.
  2. Provide increased voting hours during the early voting period.
  3. Ensure ADA accessibility in all early and Election Day voting sites.
  4. Place postage-free drop boxes around the county for mailed ballots.

Our election will be FAIR. Every eligible Lake County voter has equal access to the polls, and your vote is your voice in our democracy. We will:

  1. Increase outreach to all voters and groups.
  2. Count every ballot cast by mail, during early voting, and on Election Day.
  3. Ensure the accuracy of election results.
  4. Educate voters with special circumstances on how to be sure their ballot is counted.

And our election will be EFFICIENT. We will ensure that the resources are in place for our elections to run smoothly despite today’s unprecedented conditions. We will:

  1. Recruit enough election workers to operate voting sites during the early voting period and on Election Day.
  2. Train election workers to handle special voter circumstances.
  3. Clarify standard operating procedures for a safe and effective operation under the current circumstances.
  4. Ensure we have enough in-office election judges to process anticipated increase vote-by-mail usage.

Protect your vote

Now you know what we are doing to protect your vote. Here's what you can do.

  • Make sure you sign the ballot certification envelope containing your voted ballot.
  • Double-check that the mailing envelope is sealed.
  • Do not allow anyone you don't know to mail or deliver your ballot for you.

If your signature is missing, signature doesn't match your voter registration record, or the mailing envelope is unsealed, election judges will send you a letter explaining the issue and the correction steps you need to take to make sure your ballot counts. Ballots in unsigned or unsealed envelopes are not discarded.

Remember, you can log onto LakeVoterPower.info and select "Track My Ballot" to see our receipt date and your status.

Signed and sealed?

Robin M. O'Connor, Lake County Clerk
18 N. County Street, Room 101
Waukegan, IL 60085
847-377-2400

CountyClerk@lakecountyil.gov

LakeCountyClerk.info