It’s time to kick off another presidential election season in Illinois. If you’re wondering how you can register and where and when you can cast your vote, we’ve got all the answers to help you make a voting plan in this guide to the Nov. 5 election.In person early voting has begun in Chicago’s collar counties, and residents in suburban Cook County and Chicago will soon follow suit, as more locations open for voters to cast their ballots.Besides the race for president between Democrat Vice President Kamala Harris and Republican former President Donald Trump, Cook County residents will select a new State’s Attorney after Democratic incumbent Kim Foxx chose not to seek a third term. Chicago is transitioning to a fully-elected school board instead of a board appointed by the mayor, though whether city residents get an elected member from their district depends on what neighborhood they live in. The board will be fully elected in 2027.How do I register?You can register to vote online or even on the same day you vote. If you go in-person to cast your ballot but aren’t registered, you must bring two forms of ID (such as your passport, driver’s license, lease or mortgage) with at least one of them listing your current address. You can check your voter registration status online.When and where can I vote in-person early?Only certain early voting sites are open in the Chicago region right now. More in-person voting locations will open in the coming days and weeks. In-person early voting is open in Illinois through Nov. 4.City of Chicago: Starting Oct. 3, Residents from all over the city can vote at the downtown supersite location at 191 N. Clark St. or at the offices of the city’s Board of Election Commissioners on the 6th floor of 69 W. Washington St. Each of the city’s 50 wards will have an early voting location that will open on Oct. 21.Suburban Cook County: Starting Oct. 9, suburban Cook residents can vote in downtown Chicago at the pedway of 69 W. Washington or at the county’s suburban courthouses in Bridgeview, Markham, Maywood, Rolling Meadows and Skokie. More early voting locations throughout the suburbs will open on Oct. 21.For the collar counties, see more details about early voting at the following websites:DuPage County offers five early voting locations from Sept. 26-Oct. 19. After that, more locations are available.Kane County has two early voting locations in Aurora and Geneva that open starting Sept. 26. More locations open on Oct. 21.Kendall County residents can vote early in Yorkville starting Sept. 26 and in Oswego starting Oct. 21.Lake County voters can cast their ballots in-person at the Lake County Courthouse in Waukegan on weekdays from Sept. 26-Oct. 18. More early voting locations open on Oct. 21.McHenry County residents can go to Woodstock to vote early starting Sept. 26. More locations will be open starting Oct. 21.Will County begins early voting Sept. 26 at the Will County Clerk’s Office in Joliet. More early voting locations open starting on Oct. 21.How can I vote by mail?You can apply right now to receive your ballot through the mail. Anyone who wishes to vote by mail must apply before 5 p.m. on Oct. 31, 2024. Your ballot must be postmarked or placed in a dropbox by Nov. 5, 2024 in order for it to count. You must apply to vote by mail through your local election authority. Links to apply online are below:City of ChicagoSuburban Cook CountyDuPage CountyKane CountyKendall CountyLake CountyMcHenry CountyWill CountyI’ve voted by mail before. Will I automatically receive a mail-in ballot again?That depends. If you’re on the permanent vote-by-mail list, you don’t have to apply again.You can apply to permanently get your ballot through the mail through your local election authority’s website listed above.If you’re not on the permanent vote-by-mail list, you’ll need to apply for a mail-in ballot again.Where can I vote on Election Day?Chicago voters can cast their ballot at the voting supersite at 191 N. Clark St., at their early voting location or you can look up your local polling place here:City of ChicagoSuburban Cook CountyDuPage CountyKane CountyKendall CountyLake CountyMcHenry CountyWill CountyI just moved. Where do I vote?If you moved 30 days or more before Election Day, vote at the polling location for your new address (you can update your address at the polling place and vote, but be sure to bring two forms of ID, one of which shows your current address). If you moved less than 30 days before Election Day, vote at the location for your old address.I requested a mail-in ballot but now I want to vote in-person. Can I do that?Yes, but you must bring the ballot you received in the mail with you to your polling place and surrender it in order to cast an in-person ballot instead.Can I bring notes with me to the voting booth?Yes. Notes, sample ballots and endorsements are all allowed to be brought with you into a polling booth.Can I bring my young child with me to vote?Yes, you can bring your children with you into the voting booth.I’ve heard that you can’t post a photo of a completed ballot on social media. Is that true? Correct. Illinois prohibits “ballot selfies.” That said, there’s no law stopping you from taking a picture with that “I voted” sticker.Are ballots in languages other than English available? Chicago and Cook County polling locations have voting machines that offer audio ballots in the following additional languages: Arabic, Chinese (audio in Mandarin dialect), Gujarati, Hindi, Korean, Polish, Russian, Spanish, Tagalog, Ukrainian and Urdu.Can someone else help me fill out my ballot?Anyone who is blind, physically disabled, or unable to read or write can select an election judge, friend, family member or another voter to help them complete their ballot. That person can’t be a representative of your employer or union, however. The person helping you is not allowed to influence your vote and cannot fill out your ballot without your expressed intent.When will my vote get counted?In Illinois, ballots are tabulated after polls close on Election Day.