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For Chicagoans, at stake will be the election of a Chicago Public Schools board president — a race that features attorney Victor Henderson, Jessica Biggs, a former CPS principal, and Hilario Dominguez, a former CTU deputy political director. Also on the ballot are all 20 seats for the city’s Board of Education. It marks the first time the entire CPS board will be elected by the city’s voters.

As for non-CPS races, on the ballot will be: candidates for U.S. Senate; Congress, Illinois governor, attorney general, comptroller, treasurer and secretary of state, and the Illinois General Assembly, along with Cook County races, including board president and county commissioners. Outside of Cook, a vast array of races will appear on ballots in the collar counties.

Election Day is on Nov. 3, 2026. Here's everything you need to know to cast your vote.

Important dates

• Oct. 1: Early voting starts at the downtown Chicago supersite (137 S. State St.) and at the Chicago Board of Elections office (69 W. Washington St., 6th floor).
• Oct. 7: First day of grace period for in-person voter registration and voting at election authority and early voting sites. This continues through Election Day.
• Oct. 18: Last day for online voter registration.
• Oct. 19: 50 ward early voting sites open in Chicago.
• Oct. 29: Last day to apply to vote by mail.
• Nov. 3: General Election Day. Polls are open from 6:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.

Are you eligible to vote in Illinois?

To vote in the Illinois, you must be the following:

• U.S. citizen
• 18 years or older by the date of the general election
• Resident of the Illinois precinct for at least 30 days

Are you registered to vote?

To check your voter registration, go to the Illinois State Board of Elections website or the Chicago Board of Elections website.

There are multiple ways to register:

• Online: Go to the Illinois State Board of Elections’ website. Registration closes 16 days before Election Day.
• Municipal offices: Multiple local government offices register voters in-person including the County Clerk's Office, Board of Election Commissions Office, City and Village Offices, Township Offices, Military Recruitment Offices.
• Driver's license renewal: When applying for or renewing your driver's license or state ID card at a DMV, you will be asked if you want to register to vote. If you answer yes, you will be required to attest, under penalty of perjury, that you meet the qualifications to register to vote and provide your electronic signature.
• Same day in-person: Illinois allows same day registration at early voting sites and on Election Day. Bring at least two forms of ID or proof of residency — such as a passport, driver’s license, lease or mortgage. At least one document must list your current address.

Where to vote early in person

Early voting sites in the Chicago area open on different dates:

• City of Chicago: Early voting opens on Oct. 1 at the downtown Chicago supersite (137 S. State St.) and the Chicago Board of Elections office (69 W. Washington St., 6th floor). The 50 ward early voting sites will open in Chicago on Oct. 19.
• Suburban Cook County: Early voting starts Oct. 7 in suburban Cook County, with more locations opening Oct. 19.

For the collar counties:

• DuPage County started early voting Sept. 24 at five locations, according to the DuPage County Clerk's office. Two dozen more early voting sites open in the county starting Oct. 19.
• Kane County early voting started on Sept. 24 at the Kane County Clerk's Office in Geneva and at the clerk's Aurora satellite office.
• Kendall County early voting started on Sept. 24 at Kendall County Clerk's Office.
• Lake County started early voting on Sept. 24 at the Lake County Courthouse. More locations will be open Oct. 19, with some shutting down by Oct. 31 while others will carry on through the election. Hours vary location to location.
• McHenry County early voting began Sept. 24 at the McHenry County Election Center and more sites open starting Oct. 19.
• Will County early voting began Sept. 24 at the Will County Clerk’s Office with more sites opening starting Oct. 19.

How to vote by mail

Illinois residents: To receive a mail-in ballot, through the mail via your local election authority. You must apply to vote by mail by 5 p.m. on Oct. 29 and your ballot must be postmarked or placed in a dropbox by Election Day — Nov. 3 — in order for it to be counted.

You also have the option to join the vote-by-mail permanent roster to automatically receive mail-in ballots going forward. If you have voted by mail before, but aren't on the permanent list, you must apply again to vote by mail during the upcoming election.

If you receive a mail-in ballot but decide you want to vote in person instead, you must bring the mail ballot you received with you to your polling place and turn it over to cast an in-person ballot instead.

Apply online to vote by mail below:

• City of Chicago
• Suburban Cook County
• DuPage County
• Kane County
• Kendall County
• Lake County
• McHenry County
• Will County

Where to vote on Election Day

Look up your local voting place here.

Chicago voters can cast their ballot at the voting supersite at 191 N. Clark St., at their early voting location or their local polling place, which can be found below:

• City of Chicago
• Suburban Cook County
• DuPage County
• Kane County
• Kendall County
• Lake County
• McHenry County
• Will County

What to remember while voting

• Ballots in other languages are available. Chicago and Cook County polling locations have voting machines that offer audio ballots in Arabic, Chinese (audio in Mandarin dialect), Gujarati, Hindi, Korean, Polish, Russian, Spanish, Tagalog, Ukrainian and Urdu.

• You can bring notes, sample ballots and endorsements with you into a polling booth.

• You can bring children with you to vote.

• If you're blind, physically disabled or unable to read or write, you can ask an election judge, friend, family member or another voter to help you complete your ballot. But that helper can't be from your employer or union, and that person also cannot influence your vote and cannot fill out your ballot without your expressed consent.

• Illinois prohibits "ballot selfies" — a Class 4 felony punishable by up to three years in prison and a $25,000 fine in Illinois — so you can’t post a photo of a completed ballot on social media. However, there are no laws against taking and posting a selfie with your "I Voted" sticker.