As the race between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton gets more tense, the presidential election grows ever closer. Deadlines for voter registration across the nation are coming up fast. The deadline for registering online in Illinois is Oct. 23, and the mail-in deadline to register is Oct. 11.
Several celebrities have taken to social media over the past month to motivate their followers to register to vote in their states. These messages have been varying in their tones, but their intent is the same: to get people out to the polls.
Katy Perry teamed up with the website Funny or Die and the nonprofit organization Rock the Vote in September to send out a message about voting. Before releasing the video, Perry tweeted, “TOMORROW, I USE MY BODY AS CLICK BAIT TO HELP CHANGE THE WORLD.” In the video, Perry attempts to vote naked, boasting that people can wear whatever they want to the polls.
In hearing these messages from celebrities and public figures, one question in particular may arise: am I registered to vote? There are a number of easy ways to check your voter registration, and if you are in fact still registered.
There is an advertisement on Snapchat that plays between stories on the Discover page that features multiple celebrities, such as Jimmy Fallon. In the advertisements, the celebrities tell users to swipe up on their screen to register.
Rock the Vote’s website not only makes registering to vote simple and quick, but it is also extremely easy to confirm registration. The website asks for basic personal information, then based on the address you provide it tells you if you are still registered. In addition to voter registration, Rock the Vote also provides information on polling locations, absentee voting and reminders on important election information.
Eight percent of North Central College’s students do not live in Illinois, and absentee voting is something that effects them while they are in school. Senior Emily Zadny is a Wisconsin native, and she is feeling the pressure of upcoming voter registration deadlines. “I still have to get my absentee ballot,” said Zadny.
Getting an absentee ballot is something Zadny thinks is very important, especially with the election coming up so quickly.
“It’s one thing I’m stressing out about because it’s really important to vote, especially with how tense this election has been.”
While the exact number of registered voters in Illinois is unknown, that number is higher than the number of residents in some areas. In an article published by the Huffington Post in Sept. 2015, Reboot Illinois named 17 counties in Illinois where more people were registered to vote than actually lived there.
According to the article, the county with the most variation in registered voters versus living residents is Franklin county. In this county, voter registration rings in at 190 percent. Illinois is just one state in the nation with counties that are over-registered: 21 states have over-registered counties.
Michigan is the state with the highest number of over-registered counties, with 24 in total. Illinois has the second highest number. Of the 17 counties named as being over-registered, Cook county is nowhere to be seen on the list.
Whether you are here from a different state, or you have called Illinois your home for your entire life, deadlines for voter registration are growing ever closer. The chance to have your voice heard only comes once every four years: will your voice be heard?
