National Voter Registration Day is an opportunity for election authorities to raise awareness about the importance of voting.
Monica Gordon, the Cook County Clerk, said making sure residents are registered to vote is more important than ever.
"As Chicago and cities across the country experience unprecedented federal tax on voting rights and voting access, there has never been a more important time to promote voter registration," Gordon said.
That's why over the next few months, Gordon will be taking new steps to promote voter registration, specifically among young people.
"The Clerk's office plans to partner with local fraternities and sorority organizations," she said. "We will also be engaging directly with high school and college students, empowering the next generation of voters."
Paris Essex is one of those future voters.
Essex is a high school student at Jones College Prep and interned with the Clerk's Office this summer.
"Doing this internship really taught me a lot about the voting and election process and a lot of stuff I didn't even know about, so that was my drive for wanting to encourage other people," he said.
He said the youth can be a tough group to reach because not all people his age know or care about politics.
"A lot of students don't know much about voting, don't know much about politics in general," he said. "I think because it's not fun for them or they don't see it as very engaging."
He said that's why it's important that young people themselves get their peers involved.
"We are the future of this country," he said. "Establishing that foundation early on will encourage us to continue being voters throughout our lives."