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Center for Civic Engagement

Ways to Vote

Vote by Mail

If you cannot make it to a polling place during an early voting time or on Election Day, you can request a mail ballot application through TurboVote. TurboVote will likely route you to your local election webpage which can provide more information about how to apply to vote by mail either via a paper or online application. If you want to vote in your home precinct rather than at your school address, but you won't be able to make it to vote in person, this is how you can still vote in that precinct. If this is how you prefer to vote, be sure to plan ahead! Allow time for your ballot be mailed to you, then for you to complete it and mail it back in time to be counted. Vote by mail ballots must be postmarked by Election Day. If you are studying abroad, you can find specific resources the Federal Voting Assistance Program. If you are voting absentee by mail as a resident of another state and need your signature notarized, know that the ISU Registrar's Office (Moulton 107) provides free notary services during regular hours for all students, staff, and faculty

Important Dates for Voting by Mail in the 2024 General Election:

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Vote Early

Avoid lines on election day and vote early at any of the following locations. Check here for specific hours for each polling place.

Important Dates for Voting Early in the 2024 General Election: 

  • September 26: First day of early voting in McLean County.
  • October 21: First day of early voting at the Bone Student Center.
  • November 1: Last day of early voting at the Bone Student Cetner
  • November 4: Last day of early voting in McLean County. 

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Vote on Election Day

Polling place hours are 6:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. If you are in line by 7 p.m., you are entitled to vote.

 

Transportation

If you need a ride to the polls on election day, you have several options:

  • A local company, Hadaway Transport, is providing free rides to the polls in Bloomington-Normal. Ride requests must be submitted before November 1, 2024. You can request a ride through this form.
  • Connect Transit provides free bus service to students and rides for everyone on Election Day are free. A bus runs from Uptown Station to Eastland Mall (a vote center) every 30 minutes.  
  • Connect Transit also offers Connect FLEX. Connect Flex offers on-demand, corner-to-corner service scheduled by using an app that provides flexible routing based on passenger demand on the south-west side of Bloomington. Their area of service includes the Government Center which is a Vote Center. 
  • Get a free one-way ride on Lyft now through election day using the codes below. Ride with a friend and carpool to the polls if you want to get a free ride to the polls and back. You can also use code VOTE24 to get 50% off rides on Election Day via Lyft. 

    • During Early Voting: STUDENTSVED

    • On Election Day: CAMPUSTAKEOVER24
  • Uber is also offering 50% off rides to the polling place, using their Go Vote tile. 

  • Bird rides service: Use code ROCKTHEVOTE2024 for 2 free rides to the polls (up to 30 minutes each) now through Election Day. 

  • Lime ride service: Use code VOTE2024 for free rides to the polls from October 29–November 5.

  • Use this tool to find your polling place! 

Still wondering how to vote and what to do once you are at the polling place? Check out this walk-through video explaining how the voting process works.

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