Illinois Voter File
How to get the official Illinois voter list from the state, what it costs, who qualifies, and how to turn the file into a canvass once it arrives.
At a glance
- Estimated fee
- $500
- Who can request
- Registered political committees — including candidate committees, state or local — for political purposes. Not available to companies, vendors, or the general public.
- Activate can request?
- No — restricted
- Registered voters (estimate)
- About 8.4 million
- Verified against
- elections.il.gov — September 25, 2026
Illinois restricts direct access
Illinois provides voter data only to registered political committees — and candidate committees qualify. Your committee downloads the Request for Voter Information form from the Illinois State Board of Elections, emails it to [email protected], and pays from the committee's own account. Prices by area: a state house district $25, a state senate district $30, a congressional district $75, the City of Chicago or Cook County $100, the entire state $500. The file arrives encrypted, with the password issued to your committee — once you have it, bring it into Activate with the Upload Your List button below. Questions: (217) 782-4141.
Legal basis: 10 ILCS 5/1A-25(b), (c); 10 ILCS 5/4-8; 10 ILCS 5/5-7; 10 ILCS 5/6-35
What is the Illinois voter file?
The Illinois voter file is the official statewide list of registered voters maintained by the state election office. It typically includes voter names, addresses, party registration (where applicable), precinct, district, and voting history. Campaigns use it to organize canvassing and mail programs.
How to request the Illinois voter file
Once you have the file, you can import it into a political canvassing tool like Activate to organize volunteers and track outreach.
- 1Confirm you are a qualifying requestor in Illinois (Registered political committees — including candidate committees, state or local — for political purposes. Not available to companies, vendors, or the general public.).
- 2Visit the official Illinois election office request page.
- 3Illinois provides voter data only to registered political committees — and candidate committees qualify. Your committee downloads the Request for Voter Information form from the Illinois State Board of Elections, emails it to [email protected], and pays from the committee's own account. Prices by area: a state house district $25, a state senate district $30, a congressional district $75, the City of Chicago or Cook County $100, the entire state $500. The file arrives encrypted, with the password issued to your committee — once you have it, bring it into Activate with the Upload Your List button below. Questions: (217) 782-4141.
- 4Receive the file and upload it securely to Activate for your campaign.
When the Illinois file arrives, bring it into Activate
If you already have a voter file you are authorized to use, create a campaign and upload it through the campaign's voter import. Review the field mapping and import results before assigning voters to volunteers.
- Upload CSV, Excel, delimited text, or a ZIP containing supported CSV and Excel files.
- The importer detects the delimiter (comma, tab, semicolon or pipe) rather than assuming commas, and reads the UTF-16 exports some state systems still produce.
- Every value is kept as text, so a ZIP of 02134 stays 02134 and a long voter ID stays intact.
- The first 5,000 records in an import are stored free. The cost step shows the record count and the total in Credits before you confirm.
Core canvassing is free, and each import includes the first 5,000 usable records. AI-assisted preparation and additional records use Credits; SMS requires purchased Credits.
This state's voter file is not currently available in Activate. Before ordering, confirm that you qualify to request and use it, and check the election office's current fee and delivery instructions. Permission for Activate to request a file does not mean a file has been ordered or is ready to use.
Eligibility and restrictions
Eligible requestors: Registered political committees — including candidate committees, state or local — for political purposes. Not available to companies, vendors, or the general public.
Legal basis: 10 ILCS 5/1A-25(b), (c); 10 ILCS 5/4-8; 10 ILCS 5/5-7; 10 ILCS 5/6-35
Cost and turnaround
The estimated state fee is $500. Turnaround varies by state and request volume. Delivery may be instant download, email, or physical media depending on the state. Check the official Illinois election office page for the most current timeline.
Frequently asked questions
How much does the Illinois voter file cost?
The Illinois voter file costs $500 as of our last verification.
Who can request the Illinois voter file?
Registered political committees — including candidate committees, state or local — for political purposes. Not available to companies, vendors, or the general public.
Can I download the Illinois voter file online?
Some requestors may be able to request or download the file through the official Illinois election office portal.
How long does it take to get the Illinois voter file?
Turnaround varies by state and request volume. Check the official Illinois election office page for current processing times.
What is in the Illinois voter file?
State voter files typically include voter name, address, party registration (where applicable), precinct, district, and voting history fields. Exact fields vary by state and are controlled by state law.
How many voters are in the Illinois voter file?
Our state register estimates about 8.4 million registered voters in Illinois, so a statewide file runs to roughly that many records. A district, county or city list is a fraction of it.
Can I import the Illinois voter file into Activate?
Yes, if you are authorized to use it. Create a campaign and upload the file through the campaign's voter import. Upload CSV, Excel, delimited text, or a ZIP containing supported CSV and Excel files. The importer detects the delimiter (comma, tab, semicolon or pipe) rather than assuming commas, and reads the UTF-16 exports some state systems still produce. Every value is kept as text, so a ZIP of 02134 stays 02134 and a long voter ID stays intact. The first 5,000 records in an import are stored free. The cost step shows the record count and the total in Credits before you confirm.
Field guides
How to Get the Illinois Voter File: What Only Your Committee Can Do
Illinois releases voter data only to registered political committees, candidate committees included, and its 2025 application keeps the signature, the affidavit, the payment, and the decryption password with the committee itself; this walks through that process, the $25 to $500 area pricing, and the file formats worth choosing.
How to Get Your State's Voter File and Put It to Work in the Field
State voter files run from free to $5,000, and the fee has nothing to do with what you get. This walks through which office keeps the list, why almost every published figure is still an estimate, what actually arrives in the file, and what secure handling costs once you import it.
Bring Your Own List: Make a Voter File Import-Ready Before You Upload
A pre-upload readiness pass for a bring-your-own voter list: what a usable file looks like, where to get one when there is none, and the checks for provenance, minimization, normalization, deduplication, suppression, access, validation, and retention that decide whether the canvass built on it holds up.
Ready to use the Illinois voter file?
Canvassing is free on Activate for local campaigns — routes, door logging, and phone banking, plus the first 5,000 records of every import. Import your voter list, invite volunteers, and start reaching voters today.
This page is for informational purposes only and is not legal advice. Voter file access laws and fees change. Confirm the current procedure with the official state election office before submitting a request.