There’s only one more day of early voting for the 2026 midterm election in Illinois.
Monday marks the final day to vote early ahead of Election Day Tuesday, with major races on the ballot including Illinois governor. Under Illinois state law, polls open at 6 a.m. on Election Day, and will remain open until 7 p.m.
Ahead of Nov. 2, here’s what to know.
Where to vote early near you: Find your polling place
A “polling place lookup” feature is available on the Illinois State Board of Elections website. Simply enter your ZIP code and address on the website and click “submit” to see your polling place.
In Chicago
Chicago residents can vote at their designated polling place or at one of the 51 early voting centers across the city that will remain open through Election Day.
In the suburbs
Voters outside Chicago can also visit their local county clerk’s website to find their polling place and other election information.
Mail-in ballots
If you haven’t submitted your mail-in ballot for this year’s election yet, it’s not too late to make sure your vote counts.
Vote-by-mail applications in the state of Illinois closed in the days leading up to the election, but for those voters who have already received ballots and have not yet returned them to their local election authority, you may want to reconsider just dropping it into a mailbox.
That’s because mail-in ballots are only valid if they are postmarked by Election Day. Even if you drop the ballot into a mailbox on Monday or Tuesday, there is no guarantee that the ballot will be postmarked in time due to changes in the way the United States Postal Service postmarks mail.
Instead, there are several ways you can either return your ballot, or cast your vote in a different way. Here’s a breakdown.
Check to see if you’re registered to vote
The traditional voter registration period ends 28 days before the election, but those who haven’t registered can do so through Illinois’ “grace-period” registration, which allows people to register to vote at designated locations through Election Day.
Grace period registration is only available in-person at designated sites, including your local county clerk’s office, an early polling place, or at select sites on Election Day. Voters should check with their local election authority to determine the locations and hours available in their area.
At those sites, you’ll need two forms of ID, including one with your address, and to meet the following criteria:
Must be a United States citizen Must be 18 years of age or older on Election Day Must have lived in their precinct for at least 30 days prior to Election DayYou can check to see if you are registered to vote here.
Who’s on your ballot in the 2026 Illinois election? See a sample ballot
Use the tool below to see which races will appear on your ballot based on your location. These races include the governor’s race, the U.S. House and Senate races, and your state House and state Senate (if applicable) races.
(NOTE: Judges will not appear on the ballot below. You can find more information on judicial races in your area here.)
var pymParent=new pym.Parent('whos-on-your-ballot-eng', ' visuals.otsops.com/projects/whos-on-your-ballot-2026/index.html?market=IL&elec=ge-26', {title: '', parenturlparam: '', parenturlvalue: ''});Here is a list of links to additional information about races that could be on your ballot
City of Chicago
Cook County
DeKalb County
DuPage County
Grundy County
Kane County
Kankakee County
Kendall County
Lake County
LaSalle County
McHenry County
Will County
Voting for judges
While the state of Illinois does not have any state Supreme Court races on the ballot in November, there are circuit court and appeals court vacancies that must be decided upon, along with retention votes on those judicial seats.
NBC Chicago will have a guide to vacancies and retention votes in coming weeks, and in the meantime, voters can visit the Illinois State Bar Association’s website for recommendations.
Races to watch
The 2026 midterm elections are shaping up to be a hugely consequential battle for control of both chambers of Congress and multiple governor’s mansions around the U.S.
In the Senate, Republicans currently hold a a 53-47 majority. Thirty-five seats are up for reelection: Republicans hold 22, while Democrats hold 13. With Republican Vice President JD Vance’s ability to break tie votes, Democrats need 51 seats to win control of the chamber.
Voters in all 435 congressional districts choose their representatives in the U.S. House every two years. Going into the 2026 elections, 219 members caucus with Republicans — just one more than the minimum required for a majority when all seats are filled. Holding onto a majority that slim could be tough for Republicans in a midterm year, when voters tend to vote against the party in the White House.
In Illinois, the U.S. Senate seat vacated by longtime Democratic Rep. Dick Durbin is open after Durbin said he would not seek reelection. In that race, former lieutenant governor after Juliana Stratton is running against former Illinois GOP Chair Don Tracy.
Other major races to watch can be found here.
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