Enough beating around the bush. Reposting infographics on your Instagram story is a great way to show support, but it doesn’t create tangible change like voting does. Lucky for you, the 2022 primary elections are this Tuesday, June 28. Let’s talk about how you can do your part!

First and foremost, let’s determine if you can register. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Illinois compiles the necessary qualifications:

TO REGISTER TO VOTE IN ILLINOIS YOU NEED TO:

• Be a United States Citizen.
• Be a resident of the jurisdiction at least 30 days prior to the election.
• Be 18 before the next general election (17 year olds can register and vote in the primary if they will be 18 before the Election Day).

That’s it! You can vote in Illinois regardless of previous criminal history, or if you’re lacking certain identification, like a driver’s license.

Even if you don’t qualify to vote, you play an essential part in these (and all other) elections. Urge those who do qualify to get out and vote this Tuesday. Remind them that it’s important to participate in the democratic process. If you are eligible to vote in the primaries, let’s walk through the nitty-gritty details of participating.

1. Decide who to vote for. Before heading to your polling site, take note of which candidates you’ll be voting for. Keep in mind that campaign advertising heavily relies on biased narratives to sway voters, so the best way to make an informed decision is by doing your own research. It might be helpful to have your choices for candidates written on paper as some polling places do restrict cell phone use.
2. Find out where to go. If you didn’t register online or by mail but plan to vote, you’ll be registering and voting in-person on the day of the primaries. Follow this link to locate your polling place.
3. Bring necessary ID. In order to register on the day of, you need to bring two forms of identification. If you don’t bring proper ID, you can still vote with a provisional ballot and submit additional information to the election authority within two days.
4. Vote! Feel free to ask the poll workers for help with this step as it can be intimidating for first-timers. When you’re ready, take out your prepared list of candidates and fill out the ballot.