Important Dates
Deadlines to register to vote, apply for an absentee ballot, and send in your ballot vary by state. Click here to check your state's deadlines.
- Election Day - November 5, 2024
Upcoming Holidays and Anniversaries
- Anniversary of the Voting Rights Act - August 6, 2024
- Anniversary of the 19th Amendment - August 18, 2024
- Constitution Day - September 17, 2024
- National Voter Registration Day - September 17, 2024
- National Voter Education Week - October 7-11, 2024
- National Vote Early Day - October 29, 2024
- Election Hero Day - November 4, 2024
Research and Learning Librarian
Loyola Votes 2024!
Whether you're registered to vote in Illinois or your own home state, this guide is here to help you navigate election season. Make sure to check out the deadline for voter registration in your state—many states even provide options to register by mail or online! Just remember to get it done 15-30 days before Election Day. And don't forget, absentee ballot return deadlines can differ depending on where you live, so it's good to be aware!
Loyola Votes, organized by the Loyola University Public Engagement Task Force (LUPE), is Loyola's hub for all things voting and voter registration!
Be an Informed Voter!
- BallotpediaBallotpedia is the go-to online guide for all things American politics and the best place to find fair info about elections, politics, and policies.
- BallotReadyBallotReady provides personalized, nonpartisan information to voters in all 50 states. BallotReady is backed by the University of Chicago, the National Science Foundation, and the Knight Foundation.
- Injustice WatchInjustice Watch is a Chicago-based nonprofit journalism organization that examines issues of equity and justice in the court system.
- League of Women VotersThe League of Women Voters is a nonpartisan, grassroots organization working to protect and expand voting rights and ensure everyone is represented in our democracy.
- League of Women Voters IllinoisThe League of Women Voters of Illinois is a nonpartisan organization that works to protect fair elections and increase civic engagement.
- Vote411Launched by the League of Women Voters Education Fund (LWVEF) in October of 2006, VOTE411.org is a "one-stop-shop" for election related information. It provides nonpartisan information to the public with both general and state-specific information.
- Vote SmartVote Smart's mission is to provide free, factual, unbiased information on candidates and elected officials to ALL Americans.
Research Tools
These research tools are useful for learning more about specific issues, finding data, and fact-checking information.
- U.S. Politics and Policy by Topic (Pew Research Center)
Pew Research Center provides information about a variety of political and policy-related topics.
- PolitiFact Truth-o-Meter
PolitiFact's Truth-o-Meter provides fact-checking of statements made by politicians to determine accuracy.
- FactCheck.org
Created by The Annenberg Public Policy Center, FactCheck.org is a nonpartisan, nonprofit project designed to help monitor factual accuracy of major U.S. politicians and to reduce the spread of misinformation.
- Open Secrets: Campaign Finance Data
Created by the Center for Responsive Politics (a nonpartisan and independent nonprofit), Open Secrets researches and tracks money in government. Additionally, the website also includes a "LEARNING CENTER" with basic information about money in politics and offers news stories related to campaign finance.
- Public Agenda - Resources Page
Public Agenda offers three types of resources: reports on topics related to health, education, and democracy; Public Agenda survey data since 1979 that can be searched; and "Guides & Toolkits" that discuss issues and offer information, suggestions, and resources related to various issues, such as political divisiveness, immigration, and healthcare.