Election Day Is Tuesday, November 3

To Illinois Tech Students, Faculty, and Staff,

Election Day (Tuesday, November 3) is fast approaching, and I want to encourage all eligible students to exercise their right to vote. For those students who are not citizens of the United States, I hope that you will follow the election and watch the results so that you can learn more about the political process in the United States.

If you are eligible to vote and have not yet registered, I urge you to do so. Under Illinois law, you may register up through the day of the election as well as at your polling station on the day of the election. In general, to register to vote, you must:

be a U.S. citizen;
turn 18 on or before the date of the election (November 3);
live in your precinct at least 30 days before the election; and
not claim the right to vote elsewhere.

You can register to vote or update your records, which you must do if you have moved or changed your name since you last registered, in the following ways:

online at https://ova.elections.il.gov before 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, October 18;
by mail by completing and mailing before 11:59 p.m. on Tuesday, October 6, an Illinois Voter Registration Application, which can be downloaded from https://app.chicagoelections.com/documents/general/NVRA-Form275-English.pdf;
until Sunday, October 18, during normal business hours, at any Secretary of State’s office where drivers’ licenses and state IDs are issued but only if you are seeking to obtain a new license or ID;
until 11:59 p.m. on Tuesday, October 6, through an active deputy registrar affiliated with a local organization, such as a political party, ward organization, or other state-certified body;
from Monday, October 19 through Monday, November 2, in person at any of the estimated 51 early voting locations; additional details, including the actual location of all early voting sites, is at https://www.chicagoelections.gov/en/early-voting.html; and
on Election Day, Tuesday, November 3, in person at the precinct polling place assigned for that voter’s home address; information on polling places can be found at https://chicagoelections.gov/en/your-voter-information.html.

In light of COVID-19, I encourage those who may feel uncomfortable voting in person to consider voting by mail. Anyone interested in voting by mail must submit an application for a ballot to the Chicago Board of Elections by Thursday, September 24. Information on voting by mail is available at https://chicagoelections.gov/en/vote-by-mail.html.

Additional detailed information on registering and voting is available at https://www.chicagoelections.gov/en/videos.html. Information on the locations and hours of operations of the early voting locations is available at https://chicagoelections.gov/en/early-voting.html. If you plan to vote on the actual date of the election, the following website can assist you to locate your designated polling place: https://chicagoelections.gov/en/your-voter-information.html. All polling places in Chicago are expected to be open on Election Day from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m.

For anyone who lives outside the municipal limits of the City of Chicago but within Cook County, information on registering and voting is available from the Office of the Cook County Clerk at https://www.cookcountyclerk.com/agency/elections. Those living outside of Cook County should visit the website of or call the elected county clerk of their home county.

Illinois Institute of Technology, as a tax-exempt entity, is prohibited from directly or indirectly participating or intervening in any campaign on behalf of, or in opposition to, any candidate for elective office and must refrain from engaging in partisan political activity. As such, there can be no campaigning by any Illinois Tech employee or staff member during regular working hours or on Illinois Tech property. While individuals are free to express their opinions and to support political candidates on their own, it must be clear that the individual is acting on their own behalf and not on behalf of Illinois Tech. No one should identify oneself as an employee of Illinois Tech when supporting a candidate. If, when speaking or writing on behalf of a candidate, someone is identified as an Illinois Tech faculty member or other employee, the individual should indicate prior to any speech or as part of any writing that their comments are personal and not intended to represent the views of Illinois Tech. Further, no individual or event may use the name, symbols, letterheads, telephones, campus mail, email accounts, funds, or other resources of the university in any way in connection with any political campaign on behalf of or in opposition to any candidate for political office.

Further, until after the general election on November 3, no political candidate or campaign may use or rent any Illinois Tech facilities on any of its campuses. Subject to certain conditions and restrictions, political candidates may be invited to speak at events hosted by the university or a unit of the university. However, no invitation for such an event should be extended without the extending party first discussing the proposed activity with the Office of the General Counsel to ensure that it complies with applicable laws. Certain voter education activities, including voter registration and get-out-the-vote drives, are permissible but only if they are undertaken in accordance with applicable rules and regulations and are conducted in a non-partisan manner. Again, before any such activities are undertaken, the initiating party should contact the Office of the General Counsel.

Any questions about this policy should be directed to Anthony D. D’Amato, general counsel, at 312.567.8821.

Alan W. Cramb, President
Illinois Institute of Technology