Voter Information

Tuesday August 5th, 2025 -- First day of to collect signatures on nominating petitions for candidates in the March 2026 primary.

Monday October 27th, 2025 -- First day to file nominating petition packets with the McHenry County Clerk for candidates to be on the March 2026 primary ballot

Monday November 3rd, 2025 -- Last day to file nominating petition packets

Thursday February 5th, 2026 -- Early voting begins at the McHenry County Election Center, 410 South Eastwood Drive, Woodstock

Monday March 2nd, 2026 -- Early voting begins at convenient locations around the county (also called "early satellite voting")

Monday March 16th, 2026 -- Last day for early voting

Tuesday March 17th, 2026 -- Primary Election Day

Tuesday November 3rd, 2026 -- General Election Day

Click here to check your registration or click the image below. The registration period for the online voter registration system may be closed if close or during an active election. If you are registered, the system will return your District information.  Remember, Districts changed in 2022 when districts were remapped.

Moved?  Submit a Voter Registration Change of Address Form to the McHenry County Clerk's office via email at [email protected] or by mail to:  McHenry County Clerk, 2200 N Seminary Ave. Woodstock, IL 60098

To register to vote in McHenry County:

• You must be a US citizen
• At least 18 years of age on Election Day.  (If you will be 18 on the date of the general election, you can register to vote both in that election and in the earlier primary election.)
• You must live in your precinct in McHenry County at least 30 days before Election Day
• You must not be serving a sentence of confinement in any penal institution due to a conviction, and you may not claim the right to vote anywhere else.

You'll need two forms of ID with at least one showing your current residence address.  Most people use their Illinois driver's license, Illinois state ID card, or passport for the first one.  See the pamphlet Registering To Vote below.

There are a variety of ways to register to vote in McHenry County: 

• online through the Illinois State Board of Elections
• when you obtain or renew your driver's license ("motor voter")
• in-person at our County Clerk's office
• by mail -- click here for the application or call the county clerk at 815-334-4242 to have one mailed to you
• directly by deputy registrars (many of our Democratic Precinct Committeepersons are trained and commissioned deputy registrars.)
• during the early-voting period, at any early-voting location
• on Election Day, at your polling place, or at the new McHenry County Election Center, 410 South Eastwood Drive, Woodstock.

Click the image below to begin the online voter registration process through the Illinois State Board of Elections. You'll need an active Illinois driver's license or Illinois state ID.

Register to vote in person at the Clerk's office, Monday through Friday, 8:00am to 4:30pm.  Office of McHenry County Clerk, McHenry County Administration Building, 667 Ware Road, Suite 107, Woodstock IL 

During the Early Voting period, voters must register and vote in person at one of the Clerk’s designated Early Voting locations.

Individuals wishing to vote during the Early Voting must bring two pieces of identification to register, one with a current address. Registrants must immediately cast their ballot after registering to vote.

On Election Day, you may register to vote at your home precinct or at the McHenry County Election Center.  Voters planning on registering to vote or updating their address on Election Day must bring two pieces of identification to register, one with a current address.

Mail an application to the Clerk's office using the form here: 

Moved?  Submit a Voter Registration Change of Address Form to the McHenry County Clerk's office via email at [email protected] or by mail to: McHenry County Clerk, 2200 N Seminary Ave. Woodstock, IL 60098

Information for voters on voting registration from the Illinois State Board of Elections - click on the image for the pamphlet.

The 2025 Consolidated Election is coming up on Tuesday, April 1st, 2025.  

A wide array of local offices are on the ballot.  Here's the schedule.

• On Monday March 17th, early voting begins at locations around the county.  You can vote early at any of the early voting locations.
  
  
• Early voting continues through Monday March 31st, the day before Election Day.
  
  
• Polls open at 6:00 am and close at 7:00 pm on Election Day, Tuesday April 1st.

Here's the full list of early voting locations, or click on this graphic:

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• Election Day is Tuesday, April 1st, 2025. 
  
  
• As always, the polls open at 6:00 am and close at 7:00 pm.  If there's a line when the polls are closing, as long as you're in line by 7:00, you'll still be able to vote.
  
  
• If voting in person on Election Day, you must vote at the polling place for your precinct, or at the McHenry County Election Center at 410 South Eastwood Drive, Woodstock (turn in at the Taco Bell.)  (The Election Center is the one place on Election Day where any resident of McHenry County can vote.)
  
  
• Look up your polling place -- here's the full list by precinct.  You can also find your polling place with the polling place locator or when you check your registration.  

What to expect when voting:

When it's your turn to vote, step right up to the Election Judge and tell them your name and address.  They'll look you up in their "Electronic Poll Book" system, and ask you to sign your name.  Sign your name as you did when you registered.  There should be both a Democratic and a Republican election judge checking your signature. 

Illinois law does not require you to present your ID to the Election Judges, and normally the Election Judges will only ask to see your ID if one of the judges thinks your signature doesn't match.  If they do ask for your ID, your driver's license or Illinois State ID is best.  You don't need to bring your voter card.

Illinois has same-day registration, so if you're not registered by Election Day but still eligible to vote, you can still register and vote.  Go to your polling place and bring two forms of ID.  One form is your Illinois driver's license, Illinois state ID, or passport.  The second is a piece of mail with your address on it.

The Illinois Voter Protection Hotline is 244-990-2200.

TRACK YOUR VOTE-BY-MAIL BALLOT

Click here to track your Vote-By-Mail ballot on our county clerk's website.  It's quick and easy and you can make certain your ballot has been received and counted.  And you can sign up for automated texts, emails or phone calls whenenver the status of your ballot changes.

Check the details to make sure your ballot has been received and counted.  If however, you see a yellow caution signal together with a message to call the county at 815-334-4242, it means there was a problem with your ballot.  Possibly either or both of the two election judges who reviewed your signature, believed it didn't match your signature on file.  If so, you will receive a letter from the clerk, and will need to bring that letter together with ID to the clerk's office at 667 Ware Road in Woodstock to "cure" the problem with your ballot.  If you have any concerns about your vote-by-mail ballot, please email [email protected].

SIGNING UP FOR VOTE-BY-MAIL

McHenry County registered voters can sign up to Vote-By-Mail (VBM) right now, either just for this election or permanently ("Permanent-Vote-By-Mail").

Here's the applications for either - click on the link to open it, and then print it:

• Application to Vote By Mail for the next Election
• Application for Permanent Vote By Mail -- for this election and subsequent ones until cancelled

You can also request a Vote-By-Mail application by calling the County Clerk at 815-334-4242 and they'll mail it to you.

You print the form, fill it in. Then, you can either:

• Scan it and email the PDF to [email protected], or
• Mail it to McHenry County Clerk, Attn:  Vote By Mail Department, 2200 N Seminary Ave, Woodstock IL 60098.

Due date:  Applications to Vote-By-Mail must be received by the County Clerk by Thursday March 27th.

We recommend applying immediately.  If mailing the application, it's a good idea to keep a copy.

Check your voter registration. Look it up on our Are You Registered page.

Friday March 7th, 2025, is the first day for the Clerk's office to mail VBM ballots.  The Clerk requests allowing 5 days for the USPS to deliver your ballot.  If you expect to receive your ballot and haven't, don't hesitate to call the County Clerk at 815-334-4242 to inquire.

What to do with your Vote-By-Mail ballot

• When your ballot comes, open and discard the outer envelope.  Inside you'll find (1) the ballot, (2) two envelopes -- an inner Ballot Certification Envelope, and a mailing envelope, and (3) an instruction sheet.
  
  
• To vote the ballot, make your choices -- use a BLACK ink pen (not a permanent marker), completely darkening the oval next to the candidate of your choice and the propositions.  Then put it in the Ballot Certification Envelope, seal the envelope.  Sign the ballot in the signature box, again using a black ink pen, exactly as you did when you registered to vote, and add the date you signed the ballot on the date line.  Then put the inner envelope in the mailing envelope and seal it.
  
  
• Add your return address in the upper-left corner of the mailing envelope.  You can now either (a) add a first class stamp and pop the sealed mailing envelope in any US mailbox (taking it to the post office is best), or (b) deposit the ballot in any McHenry County ballot dropbox.

What’s the deadline for dropping off or mailing my ballot?

Vote-by-mail ballots must be returned or postmarked no later than election day, April 1st, 2025. VBM ballots can be returned by either the voter or any person authorized by the voter, or by a licensed delivery company. Ballots can be delivered to a drop box or to the Clerk's office prior to the polls closing at 7 pm.  If mailed, they must be postmarked by April 1st.

If you've lost your Vote By Mail ballot, or you've never received it, you can still vote -- just go to the polling place and tell the Election Judge.

What if I get a VBM ballot and then decide I want to vote in person?

Easy. Just bring your VBM ballot and envelope to your polling place once in-person voting begins, return them to an election judge, and request a regular ballot to vote then and there. Having the VBM ballot in hand before the polls are open for in-person voting, ensures that if you’d rather not leave home, you can still vote. Remember we need your vote!

Where are the ballot dropboxes?

You can use any convenient dropbox.

There's a 24X7 ballot dropbox in the parking lot of the McHenry County Administration Building, directly across from the building entrance, at 667 Ware Road in Woodstock, immediately north of the courthouse.

Additionally, there are drop boxes available inside the voting room of the following early voting locations.  Note: NOT ALL EARLY VOTING LOCATIONS WILL HAVE A DROPBOX FOR VBM BALLOTS!  Please see the Q&A "EARLY VOTING" for exact locations and hours.  Dropboxes are typically available at the following locations during early voting hours at:

• Algonquin Township Office
• Crystal Lake Public Library
• Lake in the Hills Village Hall
• McHenry Township Office

What if there's a problem with my VBM ballot when the county clerk receives it?

The county clerk is required to notify you of any problems with your ballot within 48 hours of receiving it.

What if I requested a VBM ballot but don't receive it by Election Day?

Go to your polling place on Election Day.  Ask to fill out an affidavit stating that you never received the VBM ballot.  You can then vote. REFUSE TO VOTE PROVISIONALLY.

What if I returned a VBM ballot to the Clerk but they have not received it by Election Day?

Go to your polling place on Election Day.  Ask to fill out an affidavit stating that you returned the VBM ballot and the election authority did not receive it. You can then vote.  REFUSE TO VOTE PROVISIONALLY.

What if I still have questions about VBM?

You can email the Democratic Party of McHenry County at [email protected] or call us at 847-906-1559.

VBM Tips

• Do not initial the ballot!
• It is ok to undervote, which means to leave a question blank or to only vote for one candidate even though you can vote for two. Your ballot will still count. For example, if there is no Democrat running or there is only one Democrat running, only vote for the Democratic candidate. 
• Sign your name as you signed it when you registered to vote. 
• Make sure your envelope is sealed!

Sample ballots for the November 5, 2024 General Election are now available! You can look up your sample ballot (and find your precinct) on the County Clerk's site.  

When using the sample ballot and polling place locator, make sure to follow exactly the directions at the top of the screen. For example, we strongly recommend that if your address is 123 S. Main St, Woodstock, IL, enter "123" in the address number field and "main" in the street name field and nothing else. Less is more when using the sample ballot locator. If you are having trouble retrieving your sample ballot, please email Vice Chair Ed Gogol at [email protected].

There are many races on the ballot for the April 1st Consolidated Election, and we have done our best to assemble a guide to help you in your selections.  Please read the explanation below to properly interpret the guide.

We have listed ONLY those races that meet one or more of the following criteria:

• which are contested,
• where we have a recommendation either for or against,
• where there is NO CANDIDATE.

These are just recommendations, not endorsements, as the Party does not endorse in non-partisan races.