Cook County encourages voter registration as election season approaches

CHICAGO - Getting the vote out starts with registering to vote, and with a presidential primary fast approaching, the Cook County Clerk's office recognized National Voter Registration Day with an event on Daley Plaza.

On Tuesday, volunteers from the clerk's office and the National League of Women Voters of Cook County are registering voters and raising awareness about registration policies, deadlines, and other voting information.

New in recent years, you can scan a QR code from posters located all around the city for voting information in 12 different languages.

"People can simply put their phone on the QR code and it will take them right to the registration site and they can register online," said James Nally, chief legal counsel for the Cook County Elections Unit.

The pay for election judges, and technical assistants on Election Day has gone up.

"Clerk Karen Yarbrough arranged to have the pay increase for election judges to $250 and have polling place technicians make $385," said Nally. "They receive additional training in terms of being able to fix equipment that might have issues on election day."

Tuesday's event runs from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m. on Daley Plaza. If you're not yet registered, you're encouraged to stop by.

The next election is a primary slated for March 19, 2024 followed by the presidential election on Nov. 5, 2024.