Illinois general election 2022: Where to securely return your mail-in ballot in Chicago and the suburbs

Mail-in ballots are here to stay, Illinois.

Record-setting requests for them during the 2020 general election — amid the COVID-19 pandemic — led to Gov. J.B. Pritzker signing a bill in 2021 to make them permanent fixtures in state elections.

Anyone who has requested a mail-in ballot should receive it soon. Nov. 3 is the deadline to request a mail-in ballot, and Nov. 8 — Election Day — is the latest date a mail-in ballot can be postmarked to be counted.

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Returning these ballots is easy — there are several options (just remember that once a mail-in ballot has been received by an election jurisdiction, it cannot be returned):

• Drop it off with local election officials: Check your jurisdiction for details.
• Mail it back: It’s free to mail your ballot via the U.S. Postal Service — no postage required.
• Surrender your ballot: Want to vote in person instead? Just take the mail-in ballot to any early voting site or your Election Day precinct polling place and exchange it for a new ballot.
• Drop box: These secured locations — both free-standing and at early voting sites — accept ballots prior to Election Day, Nov. 8.

Jurisdictions choose where and when drop boxes are available. Many are located inside early voting venues that are only available during select days and hours. Others are free-standing and open without interruption — and under surveillance for added security — until Election Day.

Ballots should be returned to the jurisdiction that issued them — for example, voters in Chicago should return ballots to drop boxes located in Chicago, voters in suburban Cook County should return ballots to drop boxes offered by the Cook County clerk, and so on.

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Use the map and listings below to help find the drop box in your jurisdiction that is closest to you.

Locations of drop boxes and hours of operation are subject to change, so check with your local jurisdiction for latest information.

Jurisdiction: Chicago Board of Election Commissioners

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Jurisdiction: Cook County Clerk’s office

Jurisdiction: DuPage County Election Commission

Jurisdiction: Kane County Clerk

Jurisdiction: Lake County Clerk

Jurisdiction: McHenry County Clerk

Jurisdiction: Will County Clerk