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CHICAGO (CBS) ― Time is running out for Illinois voters who want to participate in the 2008 presidential election. New voter registrations will be accepted through 11:59 p.m. Tuesday night. CBS 2's Mai Martinez reports that election officials say in the department's 111-year history, they've never seen this kind of voter turnout.

People were lined up to register at City Hall and at the County Building before the doors even opened this morning. Election officials say they expect to process between 12,000 and 13,000 voter registrations Tuesday alone, and they say that's a conservative estimate.

"We had 31,000 new registrations in that last week before the primary, and that shattered all previous records, and now we're looking at probably 50,000 new registrations," said Jim Allen, Chicago Election Board.

Allen adds that number doesn't include the tens of thousands of people coming in to update their records. Bianca Hillsman was one of them. She says the November 4th election will be the most important vote in history.

"As that middle class that is so affected by what is going on, I want my say," Hillsman said.

Millions of others across the state want their say as well. State election officials say more that 7 million people are already registered to vote. Many voters say the current state of the economy and the country are what motivated them most to register.

"A lot of people are just concerned with what's going on," said Alberto Michel, voter. "Before in the past, you feel like, 'well, if I didn't vote, it's not such a big deal,' but I think in this election, you feel like it's something you need to do."

"It's my duty," said Katie Nielson, voter. "I'm a citizen. That's the way it is."

Nielson blames her little sister for her last-minute registration run, but she has some advice for others in the same boat.

"Everything was really easy to find online, so just print it out, get everything filled out, and it takes two seconds, it's so quick," Nielson said.

CBS 2's Joanie Lum reports that the number of registrations for this election is already expected to set a record in Cook County. The Chicago Board of Elections set up tables on the ground floor of the George W. Dunne Cook County Office Building, 69 W. Washington St., as well as City Hall.

The Board of Elections had been sending new voters to the sixth floor of the Dunne County Office Building to register until they concluded the elevators could not handle an additional 10,000 to 12,000 elevator trips.

Last week alone, 20,000 people registered to vote in Chicago, and election officials say the numbers mean the county is on track to set a new record in voter registrations, breaking the final-week records set in the 2008 primary.

In particular, this election has attracted younger voters, who are eager to cast their ballots.

"It would be nice to get a change here in the United States," said first-time registrant Evelyn Hernandez. "I'm actually here to vote for Obama."

"I think people see an opportunity to be part of the process, and heretofore I think they've been taken for granted, not really asked what their ideas are," added Linda Brown.

Election officials say the primary brought out a record number of people wanting to register on the last day and on Tuesday, a lot of people who have put it off will get their business done.

The Chicago Election Board will be open Tuesday from 8 a.m. - midnight. Suburban Cook County voters who have yet to register may also go to the Dunne Cook County Office Building, Suite 500. Suburban voters may also go to:

--The Skokie Courthouse, 5600 W. Old Orchard Rd., Skokie, Room 149
--The Rolling Meadows Courthouse, 2121 Euclid Ave., Room 238
--The Maybrook Courthouse in Maywood, 1311 Maybrook Sq., Room 109
--The Markham Courthouse, 16501 S. Kedzie Pkwy., Room 238
--The Bridgeview Courthouse, 10220 S. 76th Ave., Room 238.

At the suburban courthouse offices, registration closes at 9 p.m.

In Indiana, voter registration ended Monday, while Wisconsin residents have until Wednesday.

If you are registerd to vote in the City of Chicago, click here. If you're registered to vote in suburban Cook County click here.

CBS 2's Joanie Lum and Mai Martinez contributed to this report.

(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)

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