Lake County, Ohio Clerk

Voter registration allows qualified voters to participate in the electoral process and exercise one of their most basic rights.

As a result of growth in Lake County and implementation of the National Voter Registration Act (Motor Voter), the number of registered voters in Lake County has increased to an all time high of over 405, 000 voters! We process an average of nearly 1, 200 new applications each week.

Am I Registered to Vote?
Verify your Voter Registration status on our Voter Power page.

Who Can Register to Vote?
To register to vote you must:

• Be a United States citizen
• Be at least 18 years of age on or before the next election (17 year old residents may register and vote in primaries if 18th birthday occurs before date of general election)
• Live in your election precinct at least 30 days immediately prior to an election
• Not be convicted and in jail.
• Not claim the right to vote anywhere else

Two forms of identification are required to register through a deputy registrar:

• At least one of the two forms must show your name and current address,
• Only one form of identification may be a piece of mail for a contractual service addressed and delivered to you.

Where and When Can I Register to Vote?
You may register to vote:

• At the Lake County Clerk's office 18 N. County St, Room 101
  Waukegan, Illinois
  847-377-2410
• Through a Deputy Registrar duly appointed by the County Clerk
• At your local municipal or township office and other local agencies
  (Official Places of Voter Registration (PDF))

Registration is open all year throughout the County except during the 27 days preceding an election and reopens the second day following an election.

Under federal law, citizens may apply to register to vote by mailing in an application. When you register by mail your mail-in form must be postmarked prior to the close of registration. In addition, a person must vote for the first time in person and may not vote by mail, unless the person first provides sufficient proof of identity and the County Clerk verifies the person's proof of identity.

Sufficient proof of identity shall be demonstrated by submission of the person's driver's license number or State identification card number. If unable to provide either form of identification, please call Voter Registration 847-377-2410.

Persons who apply to register to vote by mail but provide inadequate proof of identity to the County Clerk shall be notified by the County Clerk that the registration has not been fully completed and that the person remains ineligible to vote by mail or in person until such proof is presented.

Grace Period Registration
After registration closes 27 days before each election, grace period registration is available at the Lake County Clerk's office, 18 N County St. Waukegan. A voter who registers or changes address during this grace period must vote at the time of registration. Hours are Monday – Friday, 8:30 am – 5:00 pm.

Beginning 15 days before Election Day, grace registration is available at any Early Voting Site. Grace registration is also available on Election Day at the Polling Place for your current address.

How Do I Know Where to Vote?
Your Voter's Certificate of Registration card lists your township, precinct number and location of your voting site. You can also find your voting site by logging into Voter Power. Directions as well as photographs of your voting site are available.

Does My Voter Registration Expire?
Your voter registration does not expire unless you move or change your name.

Change of name
Should you change your name by marriage, divorce or other legal name change and move, you must re-register under your new name and provide the new signature on your registration record. Two forms of identification with your new name are required, one of which must have your current address.

Change of address
If you move within Lake County, you must provide written notification of your new address and sign the request:

• Mail notification including your name, old and new address, date of birth and your signature or,
• Complete the back of your Voter's Certificate of Registration Card including your signature

If you move to Lake County from another county or another state, complete a new registration application.

The County Clerk's office is required to verify the accuracy of the voter rolls. This is accomplished by mailing notices to all registered voters to confirm their residency at the address on file.

Sample Voter's Certificate of Registration Card
The Voter's Certificate of Registration Card is your official source document for determining where to vote and your congressional, state senate, state representative and county board districts.

You are not required to present your voter card in order to vote on Election Day, though it is helpful as a quick reference tool for your correct precinct number and voting districts.