Illinois 2026 elections: Everything you need to know
CHICAGO - With Election Day 2025 in the books, it's now onto next year when voters in Illinois and around the country will go to the polls to weigh in on several key federal, state, and local elected positions in the 2026 midterm elections.
Voters will decide the next governor, on a U.S. Senate seat that hasn’t been open in nearly 30 years, and several U.S. House seats that could determine the balance of power in Washington, D.C.
First though, Democratic and Republican voters will have to decide who will be the nominees of their respective parties in a primary election in just a few months.
Here is a look at what you need to know for the 2026 primary election.
When is the election?
Primary Election Day will be Tuesday, March 17, 2026.
Keep in mind, many counties will allow for early in-person voting and mail-in voting about two weeks before Election Day. For example, in Cook County, the first day of early voting will be March 2. Registered voters will also be able to request a mail-in ballot that they then have until Election Day to postmark.
The primary election will decide which candidates will advance to the general election on Nov. 3, 2026.
ILLINOIS, UNITED STATES - NOVEMBER 05: A sign saying "cast ballot" is seen as citizens cast their votes during 2024 United States presidential election at Supersite polling station in downtown Chicago, Illinois, United States on November 05, 2024. (P
Do I need to register to vote?
Yes. In order to cast a ballot, one must be registered to vote.
Illinois residents can register to vote online through March 1, 2026. They can register to vote after that date through March 16, but they would then be registering under a "grace period," meaning any vote they cast afterward would not be officially counted until election officials can verify that they were an eligible voter.
There are a few preconditions a resident must meet to become an eligible voter.
To vote in Illinois:
- You must be a U.S. citizen
- You must be at least 17 years old on or before the date of the primary election and turn 18 on or before the date of the general election.
- You must live in your election precinct for at least 30 days prior to Election Day.
- You must not be serving a prison sentence as a result of being convicted of a crime.
- You may not claim the right to vote anywhere else.
For more information on how to register to vote in Illinois, visit ova.elections.il.gov or your local election authority website.
What are we voting on in 2026?
In the 2026 midterm elections, voters will be able to weigh in on who will hold positions in federal, state, and local government, as well as any ballot initiatives relevant to their community.
In the primary election, voters will have to decide which party ballot they will fill out: a Republican ballot or a Democratic ballot. They do not need to be registered with a particular party. A voter can request a non-partisan ballot, but such ballots will likely only include local referenda and no candidate races.
This election is referred to as a "midterm" election because it takes place about halfway through the term of the president.
Still, members of Congress will be on the ballot next year. Democrats are hoping to recapture at least one chamber of the legislative branch, which would shift the balance of power since Republicans currently control the House and the Senate.
This year, Illinois voters will decide who will succeed longtime U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, the downstate Democrat who announced he would retire at the end of his current term and not run for reelection. He’s held the seat since 1997. U.S. senators are elected to six-year terms.
The other senator from Illinois, Democrat Tammy Duckworth, won’t be up for reelection until 2028.
Every one of the 435 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives will be on a ballot next year, including each representing Illinois’ 17 districts. Those races will also feature plenty of competitive campaigns with multiple members not running for reelection to run for another office or because they’ll retire at the end of the term.
At the state government level, Gov. JB Pritzker is running for a third term in office as Republicans will try to win back the governor's mansion for the first time in over a decade.
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - JUNE 26: Illinois Governor JB Pritzker speaks during a rally where he announced he would be seeking a third term in the Illinois governor's office on June 26, 2025 in Chicago, Illinois. Pritzker, an heir to the Hyatt Hotels fortun
Other statewide offices on the ballot include attorney general, secretary of state, comptroller and treasurer.
Several members of the Illinois State Senate and each member of the House of Representatives will also be up for election.
At the local level, county officials across the Chicago area will be vying for votes this cycle as well.
In Cook County, voters will decide the next Cook County Board president, assessor, county clerk, sheriff, treasurer, multiple Cook County Board member positions, and local township board seats.
To learn more
Residents will be able to register to vote and then vote through their local election authority, which is typically part of their local county government.
Below are links to each of the county clerk web pages for more specific election information.
For residents in the City of Chicago, visit the Chicago Board of Election Commissioners website.
Links for suburban voters: