Illinois residents who want to vote in the Nov. 5 general election but who can’t — or simply don’t want to go to the polls may vote by mail.

Until 2005, Illinois required people to have a legitimate reason to vote absentee such as they were incapacitated, or would be out of the state on Election Day.

But since 2005, the state has had “no excuse” absentee voting. Registered voters no longer have to provide a reason or excuse for not voting in person on Election Day.

Wednesday, Aug. 7, is the first day for voters to apply for a vote-by-mail ballot. They may apply by mail, electronically or in person at the Henry County Clerk’s office in the courthouse in Cambridge.

The form for applying for a mail-in ballot can be found here: https://www.henrycty.com/DocumentCenter/View/878/A-7-Vote-By-Mail-App.

The county clerk’s office will begin mailing absentee ballots to voters in late September.

There is another option for people who don’t want to go to the polls: Starting on Sept. 26, they can vote in person at the county clerk’s office.

To vote in the Nov. 5 election, Illinois residents must be registered voters by Oct. 8. That’s also the deadline for filing a change of address with the county clerk.

The Henry County Clerk’s website also says:

“For those voters that miss the deadline for registering to vote or submitting their address change we have available for them to grace period vote. This allows any unregistered qualified elector to come to the County Clerk’s Office to register to vote or submit a change of address. The only stipulation for grace period voting is the requirement to vote their ballot at the time they do so.”

The first day for grace period voting is Oct. 9. Voters may vote this way until the polls close at 7 p.m. on Election Day.