Prepare to Vote - February 23, 2021 Primary

See Your Ballot

Sample ballots are specific to your location. The ballot you request will list all the candidates you can vote for in the Primary Election on February 23.  The Champaign County Clerk's website has a  My Sample Ballot page but the ballots for 2021 elections are not yet available.  Learn about candidates by using the information below. For other questions call or email the County Clerk's office.

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Learn About the Candidates 

There are a number of ways to learn about the candidates well before an election. 

Candidate Forum Webinars (Available now for primary candidates.)

LWVCC, NAACP and the News-Gazette sponsor forums before each election where all candidates from contested races answer questions from the public. This year's forums are being held virtually, recorded in advance and then made available to the public.  See the Candidate Forum page for information on all 2021 forums and links to the videos. 

Vote Champaign Candidate Guide

Vote Champaign has partnered with LWVCC to compile a Candidate Guide for each of the contested races in Champaign county.  The guide features questions and answers from each candidate and includes  links to each candidate’s homepage, social media, email, and phone number, making it easy for a voter to do further research or contact each candidate.  If a candidate has appeared in a Forum, there's also a link to that video.  Like LWVCC, Vote Champaign is nonpartisan and endorses no candidates. This site can help you get ready to vote with a minimum of time and effort. 

Illinois Voter Guide

The Illinois League of Women Voters offers an Illinois Voter's Guide that helps voters construct their own sample ballot. Candidate information is available as the election dates get closer. Also available are useful links on voting in Illinois. 

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Make a Plan

After confirming your registration and learning about your ballot and candidates, make a plan for how and when you want to vote. There are three options for voting in Champaign County: voting by mail, voting in person early and voting in person on election day. Due to Covid-19, voters are strongly encouraged to vote by mail or vote early.

If you want to vote by mail

1. Request your mail ballot.
2. Learn how to fill in your ballot.
3. Decide how and when you will return your completed mail in ballot.
4. Get help if you need it - your family, friends, community organizations, faith organizations or political parties may be able to help. Or contact the County Clerk's office.  

Learn more about how to vote by mail

If you want to vote in person early or on election day

1. Decide what date you will vote. 
2. Figure out where you can vote. If you vote early you can vote at any of the Early Voting locations.  All Early Voting locations are "universal" - meaning that no matter where you live in the county, you can vote at any of these locations. If you vote on election day, you can vote at your home polling place any of the universal voting locations. 

If you need to, you can register and vote at the same time/day.  Known as Grace Period voting, it's a good way to get it all done at once. Learn more about Grace Period Registration at the County Clerk’s website.

Learn more about how to vote in person (Early or on Election Day)

Get help if you need it!

Whether you need help with filling out your ballot,  getting a ride to the polls or something else, reach out to family, friends, community organizations, faith organizations or political parties that may be able to help. If you have any questions, reach out to the County Clerk's office through email at elections@co.champaign.il.us or call (217)384-3724.