Evanston residents will officially observe Election Day on April 4. On the ballot are the 2nd and 9th Ward City Council seats, as well as three open seats on the Evanston/Skokie School District 65 Board of Education and four on the Evanston Township High School District 202 Board.

[Read The Daily’s Evanston Election Guide here]

The window to register in-person or via mail to vote has already closed, but residents can register online through March 19 using the Illinois Online Voter Application that’s available on the Illinois State Board of Elections website.

To request a mail-in ballot online, residents must have a driver’s license, state identification or Social Security number filed via the application on the Cook County Clerk’s website, which will close five days before the municipal election.

Voters, including military personnel and overseas residents, may request a mail-in ballot through March 30. All mail-in ballots must be postmarked on or before Election Day. 

If mail-in voters fail to submit an Illinois identification, driver’s license or Social Security number in their online registration form, they must present one form of identification when they vote.

Some in-person voters must bring identification to vote, depending on their registration status. Acceptable forms of identification include a Social Security card, a University identification card or a driver’s license. The Cook County Clerk’s website contains the complete list of acceptable identifications.

Residents may vote early from March 20 through April 3 at the Lorraine H. Morton Civic Center, with hours subject to change depending on the date. They can use the Cook County Clerk’s “Your Voter Information” tool to find registration status, polling location and early voting sites. 

On April 4, residents can vote at more than 20 locations throughout the city.

This election will be Evanston’s last local one to use a “winner-take-all” system, in which the candidate with the most votes wins their race. In April 2025, voters will elect city officials using a ranked-choice system due to a recent referendum.

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Twitter: @charlottehrlich