What do I have to know?
When a voter comes to the Registration Station, they either need to register to vote, or they need to update the address on their voter record because they have moved. To help the voter with either of these, you first have to know 3 things:
- Does the voter have required ID?
- Have they lived in their residence for at least 30 days?
- Is the voter in the right polling place?
Ask the voter if they have the two IDs as required, then look at the IDs to make sure they are approved IDs (refer to list of ID examples).
Ask the voter if they have lived at the new residence for at least 30 days. If they have not lived there for at least 30 days, they must vote from their old polling place (even if that is in a different city or state).
Look up their address in the street guide to decide if the voter is in correct poll. If they are not in the correct poll, direct the voter to the correct poll by using the Green poll list and the Peach form to give them the address of the correct poll.
If the voter has the required ID, has lived in their residence for at least 30 days, and are in the correct poll, proceed on to the Registration process.
Register the voter
At this time, refer to the Yellow Instructions and Procedure Guide to help you with the registration process. A copy of it can be found by clicking HERE.
Inform the voter that they must be a US citizen and at least 18 years old before the next General Election. Refer to the sign that is posted as part of the Registration Station.
Give the voter a registration form, pen and clipboard. Instruct the voter to complete sections 1-9 on the form, and guide them as needed. You can see a copy of the registration form by clicking HERE .
Check the form to see that it is complete. It is very important to check:
- The entire form is legible (the form can be easily read when the voter’s information is entered into our computer database)
- The voter must sign in TWO places (by circle #3 and circle #9)
- Verify that the voter provided the ID # for either their driver’s license, state ID or last 4 digits of Social Security # (by circle #8)
- Ask: “Is this address a house or an apartment?” It is common for voters to forget to include their apartment number, so verify if this was included.
- For Primary Elections, the voter must indicate their Party selection in section 1 so they will receive the correct ballot style. If their Party is not listed (i.e. Libertarian, Democrat, Republican, etc), then scratch-out “Nonpartisan” and write their selected Party on the side of section 1.
When the registration form is completely filled out, and you have proofread the form to make sure it is correct, then add the following information:
circle b: Write the Precinct and Split, found on the street list
circle c: Write your initials AFTER you have verified the correct IDs
circle d: Sign your name
Give the voter a Blue receipt slip and their completed Registration form. Direct the voter to go to the ballot table, where the Ballot Election Judges will fill in circles e, f and g.
Possible Questions
How do we know the voter is not already registered?
Essentially, it does not matter. If the voter is already registered, the registration will be a duplicate and their information will get added to the existing voter record and history.
What should we do if the voter offers an ID on their smart phone?
A voter CAN use a digital ID as one of their ID’s. The digital ID must be current (the latest statement available) but more than 30 days old (to prove their residency for at least 30 days).
What if voter has not lived at residence for 30 days?
Send the voter to their old polling place, whether in the city of Bloomington, in McLean County, or elsewhere in the state of Illinois. If they were registered anywhere in the State of Illinois, the voter must go back to their old poll in their previous city.
If the voter has not lived in the state of Illinois for at least 30 days, they cannot vote here. Direct the voter to check our website for registration options after the election.
