Chicago residents will vote in the 2026 primary election on March 17, deciding races for congressional, gubernatorial, and other offices.
Voters must be registered to participate. Registration status can be checked online, and registration is possible ahead of Election Day or at the polls with two forms of identification, one showing a current address.
Voting options include voting by mail, early voting, and in-person voting on Election Day. No specific reason is required to request a mail-in ballot. Completed ballots must be postmarked by March 17. The League of Women Voters recommends mailing ballots by March 10 to ensure timely processing due to postal delays. Alternatively, ballots can be returned via drop boxes or delivered directly to the Election Board.
Early voting is available until March 16 at various ward sites throughout Chicago. These locations have set hours during weekdays and weekends leading up to the election and are open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Election Day itself. A downtown supersite will also offer extended hours during the final week before the election.
On Election Day, polling places across Chicago will operate from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m., and voters can cast their ballots at their assigned local polling place or any open early voting site.
Identification is generally not required unless an election judge challenges a voter’s eligibility; then one form of ID is needed. Those registering on Election Day or during early voting must provide two forms of ID.
Assistance for voters is available through hotlines operated by Common Cause in several languages and through the Illinois Attorney General’s Office for reporting suspected illegal activity at polling places.
The ballot includes federal races such as U.S. Senate and House seats across multiple districts with candidates from Democratic, Republican, Independent, and Libertarian parties listed for each contest. Statewide positions like governor, attorney general, secretary of state, treasurer, comptroller as well as county-level offices including assessor, board president, clerk, sheriff, treasurer and judicial vacancies are also up for selection this cycle.
Sample ballots are available online along with detailed guides about candidates for all major offices.
