Know your rights at the polls

Under Illinois law, any voter who needs language assistance may bring a person of their choice to help them vote. This includes Urdu, Arabic, Gujarati, Bangla, Pashto, Dari, and any other language. The interpreter does not need to be a registered voter, a U.S. citizen, or affiliated with any organization.

If a poll worker refuses to allow your interpreter, state clearly: "I have a legal right to an interpreter under Illinois law." If they still refuse, call 1-866-OUR-VOTE immediately — do not leave.

You cannot be denied entry to a polling place, challenged at check-in, or prevented from casting your ballot because of religious dress. This applies at both moments where issues can arise: entering the building, and standing at the voting machine.

At check-in: Poll workers may ask to see your face for ID verification. If you wear niqab, you have the right to request a private area or a female poll worker to verify your identity. You are not required to remove your niqab in front of others.

At the machine: Poll workers may not hover near you, ask you to remove any head or face covering, or suggest your dress is "suspicious." Your right to vote is not contingent on visible identity once you are checked in.

If a poll worker questions your eligibility, says your name isn't on the rolls, says your ID doesn't match, or tries to turn you away for any reason — do not leave. You have an absolute right to cast a provisional ballot under federal law.

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  Say clearly: "I am requesting a provisional ballot." They must provide one.
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  Ask for the poll worker's full name and their badge or ID number. Write it down.
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  Complete and submit your provisional ballot. Keep your receipt stub — it has a tracking number.
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  Call 1-866-OUR-VOTE while still at the polling place if possible.
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  After the election, verify your provisional ballot was counted at elections.il.gov within 14 days.

There is no Illinois law that requires a polling place to accommodate prayer breaks or permit you to step out of line and return. If you leave the line, you rejoin at the back.

The practical answer is early voting. Early voting runs March 2–16 — you can vote at any time that works around Fajr, Dhuhr, Asr, and Iftar without any pressure. Polls also open at 6:00am on Election Day, well before Dhuhr.

See the full Ramadan prayer schedule and voting timeline on the How to Vote page →

Muslim names are frequently transliterated differently across documents — your registration might say "Mohamed" while your driver's license says "Muhammad." Illinois poll workers are trained to accept reasonable matches, not exact matches. A difference in vowel spelling or a missing prefix alone should not disqualify you.

If you are flagged for a name mismatch, remain calm and explain the transliteration difference. Show any additional ID you have. If the poll worker still refuses to let you vote, demand a provisional ballot — do not accept being turned away.

Your vote is completely secret. Poll workers cannot watch you vote. No one — not a family member, community leader, employer, or imam — has any right to know how you voted. You are never required to tell anyone. This is a foundational protection of the democratic process and it exists specifically to protect voters from pressure and coercion.

If anyone pressures you before or after voting to disclose your choices, you have every right to decline. "My vote is private" is a complete and legally sufficient answer.

If your work schedule does not give you two consecutive hours while polls are open (6:00am–7:00pm) to vote, your employer is required by Illinois law to give you up to two hours of paid time off to do so.

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  Notify your employer before Election Day that you will need time to vote.
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  Your employer can specify when you take the time — beginning, middle, or end of your shift — but they must provide it.
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  The time must be paid at your regular rate. They cannot make you use PTO or vacation time for it.
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  Your employer cannot retaliate against you, reduce your hours, or penalize you in any way for exercising this right.