Dupage Policy Journal

Sen. John Curran encouraged voters, saying, "With the 2024 General Election just around the corner, now is the perfect time for Illinois residents to learn more about the voting process and how to register to vote!" in a Sept. 23 Facebook post.

"With the 2024 General Election just around the corner, now is the prefect time for Illinois residents to learn more about the voting process and how to register to vote," said John F. Curran, State Senator, according to Facebook. "You can learn more about registering or check your registration status on the Illinois State Board of Elections website."

Curran’s Facebook post included a link to the Illinois Online Voter Registration website. The website allows individuals to register or update an existing registration and explains the state’s requirements for someone to register to vote: U.S. citizenship, having lived in your precinct for at least 30 days leading up to the election, and all voters must be at least 18 years of age by the general election. In addition, individuals must not be serving a sentence of confinement in any penal institution and must not claim the right to vote anywhere else.

Screenshot of Sen. John F. Curran's Sept. 23 Facebook post | Senator John Curran Facebook page

From there, individuals can register to vote online or update a registration by answering a few questions. The registration portal has a note that it will close at 11:59 p.m. on Oct. 20 and reopen on Nov. 7.

Individuals can vote by mail in the state of Illinois. They must fill out an application and submit it to the clerk of the county they live in or the board of election commissioners for their county. According to the web page that focuses on applying to vote by mail, residents should not submit the application to the Illinois State Board of Elections because that will at least delay processing of the application and could stop that processing altogether.

Individuals can apply for a mail ballot up to five days before an election. For the 2024 General Election, that means the deadline to apply is Oct. 31, 2024. Completed ballots may be mailed or delivered in person to the local election authority or put into a secure drop box. They cannot be delivered to early voting locations, according to the Frequently Asked Questions document for vote by mail.

Curran has represented residents of Illinois' 41st District since 2017. He previously served three terms on the DuPage County Board and held the position of Vice Chairman of the Board. Additionally, he worked in the Cook County Attorney’s Office for 19 years during the 1990s, according to his official biography.