CHICAGO - With Illinois' primary earlier than ever, election officials are reminding residents that the deadline to register to vote is earlier, too - Tuesday.

Illinois primaries have traditionally been held in March, but state lawmakers moved the date up this year to Feb. 5. They hope to boost U.S. Sen. Barack Obama's presidential chances by giving the Chicago Democrat a big win earlier in the national cycle.

To register to vote, people must be citizens of the United States and at least 18 years of age by the primary. Previously registered voters who have moved need to update their information, as well.

For those who forget to register before Tuesday, there will be a "grace period'' later this month, but the process is less convenient.

Election officials are unsure as to how having a primary election six weeks early will affect registration and voter interest, said Dan White, executive director of the Illinois State Board of Elections.

"This is new territory. It's hard to say at this point,'' White said, noting the holiday season ensured the election "probably wasn't at the top of the list in people's minds.''

At a news conference, Langdon Neal, chairman of the Chicago Board of Election Commissioners, urged voters to take advantage of multiple ways to register in person or by mail by the deadline.

After that, eligible voters - during a grace period of Jan. 9 through Jan. 22 - can register in-person at the office of their election authority, but they are required to then vote immediately in the office - not at their polling place on Election Day.

Neal said he worries the early Illinois primary will catch people off guard, and they won't be registered to participate dition to Obama's Illinois' ties, his Democratic presidential rival Hillary Rodham Clinton grew up in the Chicago suburb of Park Ridge. It's also the first presidential election in decades not to feature a sitting president or vice president as a candidate.

A few hours after his news conference, Neal visited the Chicago home of Virginia Call, who registered to vote on Thursday. It was also her 114th birthday, according to her family, who cite a family Bible as evidence of her birth date.

Call had voted up until about 20 years ago, when she moved in with her grandson, John H. Taylor, and did not update her voter registration, family members said.

Taylor said the family would discuss whether Call will actually vote on Feb. 5, but he doubted it, since she doesn't know who any of the candidates are.

Instead, Taylor, wearing a sweat shirt with an American flag and the words "Land of the Free'' on it, said he hopes his grandmother's story inspires other people to register to vote. He said he'll be at the polling place on Election Day - but hasn't made up his mind yet which presidential candidate to support.

Associated Press Writers Michael Tarm in Chicago and Ryan Keith in Springfield contributed to this report.

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Spots to register

The following are places listed by the Illinois State Board of Elections where residents can register

- County clerk's office

- Board of Elections' office

- City and village offices

- Township offices

- Precinct Committeemen

- Some schools

- Some public libraries

- Some labor groups

- Some civic groups

- Some corporations

- Military recruitment offices

Also, when applying for services at the following:

- Driver's license facilities

- Department of Healthcare and Family Services

- Department of Public Health offices

- Department of Human Services offices