Illinois voter guide: How to vote in the 2026 primary and midterm elections
The 2026 Illinois primary election is on March 17, 2026. This is what you need to know about getting ready to vote in Illinois.
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The 2026 Illinois primary election is on March 17, 2026. This is what you need to know about getting ready to vote in Illinois.
Head to the mailbox with your ballot on Tuesday!
Hundreds of Cook County and Chicago high school students cast their ballots for the first time at the Loop early voting supersite, part of a first-of-its-kind program.
They include the Rolling Meadows, Skokie, Bridgeview and Markham courthouses, as well as Melrose Park Village Hall and the Cook County clerk's downtown offices. They will be open weekdays from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m.
An 11th Congressional District candidate, Tedora Brown, was left off the ballot after she was accused of gathering fake signatures to run for office.
Early voting for the 2026 primary began Thursday morning for anyone who lives within the Chicago city limits.
Illinois early voting for the 2026 primary begins for most counties in early February. Find out what your early voting dates are and where you can go cast a ballot below.
Some polls opened up for early voting on Thursday, with less than six weeks to go until primary day in Illinois.
The start of DuPage County early voting has been delayed by some unresolved objections being heard in court. Other Chicago-area counties start their early voting today.
The U.S. Justice Department has sued three states, including Illinois and Wisconsin, and D.C. for not turning over requested voter information to the Trump administration.
President Donald Trump's former attorney in battleground Wisconsin is alleging that a judge presiding over his case and that of two other Trump aides charged with felonies related to the 2020 election is guilty of misconduct and must step aside.
The Wisconsin Department of Justice is asking a judge to immediately put on hold his order that would require elections officials to verify the citizenship of all 3.6 million registered Wisconsin voters before the next statewide election in February.
A Michigan judge has dismissed the criminal cases against 15 people accused of acting falsely as electors for President Donald Trump in the 2020 election.
The island's three nuclear plants once provided half its electricity, but they shut down, one by one, between 2019 and this spring.
Wisconsin election officials have found that the former Madison city clerk broke five election laws during the 2020 presidential election.
Senators are kicking off a marathon voting session on amendments Monday morning.
Voters say they want the government to take action on climate change, including a growing number of moderate Republicans. The GOP has proposed gutting President Biden's climate bill to pay for Trump's tax cuts.
Pete Rose and "Shoeless" Joe Jackson are now both eligible for baseball's Hall of Fame after their careers were tarnished by sports gambling scandals.
Democratic voters in Wisconsin have asked the state's liberal-controlled Supreme Court to throw out the battleground state's current congressional district boundaries after a similar request was rejected last year.
A Wisconsin Elections Commission discussion of uncounted ballots in Madison devolved into a shouting match, with the Democratic chair threatening to kick a Republican commissioner out of the meeting.
Wisconsin's capital city's municipal clerk has resigned amid investigations into how she failed to count nearly 200 ballots in November's elections.
The recent election that determined control of the Wisconsin Supreme Court saw millions of dollars flooding in from billionaires, featured attack ads and drew national political attention.
Campaign funding smashed records, making it the most expensive judicial race in history.
Billionaire Elon Musk on Friday clarified his reasons for visiting Wisconsin two days ahead of its hotly contested Supreme Court election after deleting a social media post saying he planned to "personally hand over" $2 million.
The election to fill a Wisconsin Supreme Court seat is quickly becoming a referendum on the Trump administration and a test of enthusiasm on both sides.
Two separate child abuse cases in Lake County, Illinois, are prompting questions about the roles schools play in identifying warning signs and alerting authorities.
It was alleged that the woman and five coworkers returned from Turkey to O'Hare and were held for 30 hours. Since then, DHS, along with the Cook County and Dodge County sheriff's offices, said that didn't happen.
Police said the two men, 32 and 33, were shot by an unknown person inside an apartment in South Austin on Wednesday evening.
Garcia-Espinal formerly worked at the Sunset Ridge School, where, in 2020, he allegedly hid a video camera in a school bathroom and recorded students and staff without their knowledge or consent.
Northwestern now has a seven-game winning streak against the Hoosiers.
A new Iowa law bans local nondiscrimination protections on the basis of gender identity after the state became the first in the U.S. to roll back its civil rights code last year.
Illinois state Rep. Kam Buckner (D-Chicago) announced Wednesday that he has introduced legislation to rename part of Chicago's Dan Ryan Expressway in honor of the late Rev. Jesse Jackson.
A former Illinois mayor who is the subject of a federal investigation has taken her political aspirations to the metro Atlanta area.
Mayor Brandon Johnson has called off – for now – a bid to impose new polling place protections in Chicago in an attempt to prohibit federal immigration agents from entering so-called "democracy zones" while voters are at the polls.
About 30 U.S. service members remained hospitalized Tuesday after an Iranian drone strike in Kuwait.
For Cook County residents hoping to lower their property tax bills, applications are open for exemptions.
Officials in the north Chicago suburb of Wilmette issued a warning Tuesday about scammers who are impersonating representatives of village departments.
The war with Iran is causing gas prices to surge, with motorists in Chicago and around the country guaranteed to feel the impact at the pump Monday morning.
There's no relief in sight for drivers at the pump as the war in Iran is directly driving up the cost of gas. Analysts expect more of the same unless something changes soon.
Drivers in the Chicago area can expect to start paying more at the pump this week, as oil prices have spiked amid the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran.
A new Iowa law bans local nondiscrimination protections on the basis of gender identity after the state became the first in the U.S. to roll back its civil rights code last year.
Food containing norovirus may smell and taste normal but still cause serious illness if consumed, FDA warns.
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker on Monday announced a $1.5 billion investment from biotherapeutics company CSL for a new plasma therapy manufacturing plant in Kanakee.
When a doctor was told there was no cure for his daughter's condition, he was motivated to transform not only her health, but the lives of thousands of others.
Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital announced this week that it is planning to open a new pediatric hospital in the west Chicago suburb of Downers Grove.
Despite a rash of restaurant closures, veterans of the plant-based food business pushed back against prophecies of doom — and in one case argued that such closures notwithstanding, plant-based eating is only growing.
Two popular Chicago craft breweries – Half Acre Beer Co. and Maplewood Brewery & Distillery – announced on Tuesday they are merging to create a new "premier Chicago beverage company."
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker on Monday announced a $1.5 billion investment from biotherapeutics company CSL for a new plasma therapy manufacturing plant in Kanakee.
Capital One is laying off more than 1,100 workers at the former Discover headquarters in north suburban Riverwoods.
A new development at the southeast corner of Chicago's East Lakeview community would clear away a medical office building and replace it with a residential high-rise.
A play inspired by the story of Emmett Till has now been extended twice past its initial run at Collaboraction Theatre in Humboldt Park.
Jennifer Runyon, a Chicago native who became famous as an actress appearing in "Ghostbusters" and "Charles in Charge," died last week.
A woman was arrested on Sunday for firing multiple shots at the Beverly Hills home of Rihanna, Los Angeles Police Department officials say.
Actor and filmmaker Bruce Campbell told fans that he is in treatment for cancer and will cancel some upcoming public appearances.
Singer-songwriter Neil Sedaka, known for his hits like "Laughter in the Rain," "Breaking Up is Hard to Do" and "Calendar Girl," has died.
The dogs arrived in Chicago on Wednesday afternoon to receive care and support following the devastating storms that impacted Kankakee County Tuesday night.
According to the study published in Nature Medicine, researchers found older adults who took a daily vitamin biologically aged about four months slower than people who did not.
The international energy agency said it plans to release 400 million barrels of oil to bring down crude prices.
The agency is reminding homeowners to beware of workers who swoop in and offer fast fixes for low prices. They also advise not to give in to high-pressure sales tactics and insist you hire a contractor on the spot.
In both cases, investigators said the boys were removed from school by their parents after questions of abuse were raised.
The National Weather Service so far has confirmed an EF-1 touchdown in Jasper County, Indiana.
It was alleged that the woman and five coworkers returned from Turkey to O'Hare and were held for 30 hours. Since then, DHS, along with the Cook County and Dodge County sheriff's offices, said that didn't happen.
Two separate child abuse cases in Lake County, Illinois, are prompting questions about the roles schools play in identifying warning signs and alerting authorities.
The family said Tuesday night's tornado leveled the couple's home.
Police said the two men, 32 and 33, were shot by an unknown person inside an apartment in South Austin on Wednesday evening.
Two separate child abuse cases in Lake County, Illinois, are prompting questions about the roles schools play in identifying warning signs and alerting authorities.
A Chicago senior citizen said his phone has been ringing off the hook with hundreds of unwanted spam calls that have made his beloved landline virtually unusable. New efforts in Springfield could bring real relief.
A proposed Illinois law hopes to create more oversight on private companies to protect consumers from skyrocketing utility prices.
The three women said they are working to make their way back home, but without any help from the U.S. State Department.
If you feel like you're drowning in a sea of text alerts and desperate email pleas for "just $5" this election season, you are far from alone.
Northwestern now has a seven-game winning streak against the Hoosiers.
Chicago's Jalen Smith converted two free throws with 1.4 seconds left in regulation to send the game into OT, and Tre Jones contributed 22 points for the Bulls
The Detroit Lions are losing another player, this time it's wide receiver Kalif Raymond, who is reportedly heading to the Chicago Bears.
Chicago, which had lost three in a row, including a 4-3 setback to Dallas on Sunday night, has now won all three meetings with Utah this season, with the teams' fourth and final game of the season scheduled for Thursday night.
The Chicago Bears have been busy bolstering their defense on the first day of free agency, signing linebacker Devin Bush Jr., safety Coby Bryant, and defensive tackle Neville Gallimore, according to reports.
A man was shot and killed on the street in the midday hours Wednesday in Chicago's West Garfield Park neighborhood.
Park rangers cited the four visitors, all from Illinois, for collecting and defacing park resources.
A woman has been charged in a road rage shooting that left someone injured this past weekend on the Dan Ryan Expressway.
A Lake County judge ordered a Fox Lake woman to remain behind bars on Tuesday, following her arrest on charges accusing her of abusing her 11-year-old son for years.
A 75-year-old man was due for a detention hearing Tuesday in a shooting that killed two women, ages 68 and 71, on Chicago's Far South Side this past weekend.
