Chicago Latinos concerned about critical issues such as crime, education, abortion, inflation and immigration will cast their votes in the Nov. 18 general election under a new ward map with 14 Latino-majority wards.
The new map, which sets the boundaries for Chicago’s 50 wards for the next 10 years based on the 2020 Census, also has 16 Black majority wards, one Black plurality ward, and the city’s first-ever Asian majority ward. The City Council’s Latino Caucus had initially proposed two new majority Latino wards, which would have created 15 Latino majority wards. But the final map that the City Council approved in May, after contentious debates, provides only the one additional Latino-majority ward.
The Latino population accounted for 80 percent of the city’s population growth during the past decade, according to the 2022 Illinois and Chicago Voter Profile compiled by the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials. Latinos account for 20 percent of Chicago’s registered voters, the group’s data shows.
Because of the remap, a new voter card will be mailed to all registered Chicago voters, showing your new ward and the precinct in which you will vote in November.
You can check your registration status on the Chicago Board of Election Commissioners’ website at Chicagoelections.gov. At that website, you may click on the “Espanol” button at the top for the Spanish-language translation, or go straight to EleccionesChicago.com. You may also check on your registration status by calling the Board at 312-269-7900.
You have several ways to still register to vote — and that’s a big priority for Giovanna Carrillo, the election board’s community services representative for Hispanic outreach.
“Latinos are the fastest-growing demographic in the United States, and with that comes the power to impact decisions made at all levels of government,” said Carrillo, who ensures that bilingual election workers are assigned to Chicago’s 548 precincts — 43 percent of the total 1,290 precincts — within the 14 Latino-majority wards and 25 other wards that require language assistance.
“The goal of the board is for every person who’s eligible to vote” to do so, Carrillo said. “We’ve tried to make the process as accessible as possible.”
Those measures include a general ballot in Spanish and in English throughout every ward and precinct.
“Every document and every communication from the Board of Election Commissioners comes in Spanish,” Carrillo said. “You can call the board and speak to someone in Spanish, too.”
If you go to a polling place to vote in-person on Election Day Nov. 8 and you want to speak with a bilingual worker but cannot find one, you may call Election Central at 312-269-7870 and ask for a Spanish speaker. The elections board also may send a bilingual investigator to that polling place.
Carrillo may be reached on Election Day at 312-269-7850. Polls will be open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m.
How to register:
To register to vote, you must be a U.S. citizen, live in your precinct for at least 30 days before the election, and not claim the right to vote elsewhere.
For anyone not registered, you can do so in person or online, but the deadlines are different:
• The deadline to register online is 11:59 p.m. Oct. 23. You must input your state ID or driver’s license number or the last four digits of your Social Security number into the Chicago Board of Elections website to register.
• If you want to go in person, you can register at the Board of Elections office at 69 W. Washington until Oct. 11. But you can also register on Election Day at your precinct polling place. You can find your polling place at that time by putting your name and address in this website at chicagoelections.gov/en/your-voter-information.html. Details on what identification you need – which includes something with your current address – is here: chicagoelections.gov/en/when-you-need-id-to-vote.html.
• More details about how to register to vote and the deadlines are at chicagoelections.gov/en/register-to-vote-change-of-address.html.
How to vote in person or by mail
• Early voting will start on Sept. 29 and continue through Election Day. The Chicago Board of Elections Supersite at 191 N. Clark and the Chicago Board of Elections Office at 69 W. Washington will be open for early voting starting Oct. 7.
• Early voting in the 50 wards starts Oct. 24. A list of locations is at chicagoelections.gov/en/early-voting.html.
• You may register to receive a ballot in order to vote by mail until 5 p.m. Nov. 3, although officials recommend doing so early in case of problems with the mail. You may do so at chicagoelections.gov/en/vote-by-mail-application.html.
Final polling place locations will be available Oct. 1.
