Illinois midterm elections: What to know about the key races

PUBLISHED: October 23, 2026 at 5:00 AM CDT

Illinois voters will decide Nov. 3 who will replace retiring U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin and whether Gov. JB Pritzker wins a third term. Chicagoans will elect 20 members to the city’s first fully elected school board and a citywide school board president.

Those races top a midterm ballot that also includes an open race for state comptroller, legislative contests that could affect Democrats’ supermajorities in the state House and Senate and several historic congressional races in the Chicago area.

Early voting is already underway, and polls will be open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Election Day.

Here’s what to know about the races on your ballot, along with where to vote, how to register and what to bring.

Senate

The race for the Senate seat held by veteran Democrat Dick Durbin, who is retiring at the end of his term in January, is highlighted by Democrat Juliana Stratton, 61, who is the first Black person to serve as Illinois lieutenant governor, and Don Tracy, 76, a Springfield attorney and former state Republican Party chair.

American Center Party candidate Whitfield Harrington is also on the ballot.

Governor

Gov. JB Pritzker, left, and Republican nominee challenger Darren Bailey prepare for their gubernatorial debate at WTTW-Ch. 11 on Oct. 13, 2026, in Chicago. (Armando L. Sanchez/baiduhai)

Darren Bailey, a downstate farmer, is seeking to reverse his loss to Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker four years ago.

Bailey, whose two runs for governor have been endorsed by Donald Trump, has tried to escape the president’s unpopularity in populous northeastern Illinois by focusing his campaign on local issues such as crime and property taxes while avoiding his evangelical Christian conservative opposition to abortion and LGBTQ+ rights.

Independent candidate Collin Corbett, a former Republican political operative, is also on the ballot.

Board of Education

Chicago voters will cast ballots for the city’s first fully elected school board, selecting 21 members to steer the future of Chicago Public Schools.

There are 38 candidates across 20 district-level races, along with three candidates running for the citywide board president seat. A handful of board hopefuls also are running write-in campaigns. Voters will cast two votes: A candidate to represent their district, and another for board president. Here’s what else to know.

For more information on the race in a specific district, use the links below:

Board President
District 1A
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District 1B
District 2A
District 2B
District 3A
District 3B
District 4A
District 4B
District 5A
District 5B
District 6A
District 6B
District 7A
District 7B
District 8A
District 8B
District 9A
District 9B
District 10A
District 10B

Statewide races and General Assembly

Democratic state Rep. Margaret Croke of Chicago, left, and Republican Bryan Drew, a lawyer from southern Illinois, are vying for the state comptroller office in this November's election. (baiduhai)

Illinois Democrats have held every statewide constitutional office since early 2019, and a sweep would extend that lock on state government to 12 years. The Illinois comptroller is the only statewide office without an incumbent running, and two candidates from opposite ends of the state are vying to fill the spot.

In the Illinois General Assembly, all 118 House seats and 39 of the 59 Illinois Senate seats are on the ballot. While there’s no sign the legislature is flipping red, the Illinois GOP hopes recent scandals involving Democratic state lawmakers will breathe new life into the party’s efforts to gain more relevance.

Congress

Of Illinois’ 17 congressional districts, five seats are open in the Chicago area and downstate, from the 2nd District, which covers the city’s Far South Side through the south suburbs to Danville, to the 9th District, which runs from the Far North Side to parts of McHenry County. The one constant is that Democrats hold all five seats now and the party’s nominees are favorites to win them on Nov. 3.

Where to vote

Residents vote early at Martin Luther King Community Service Center in Chicago on Oct. 20, 2026. (Antonio Perez/baiduhai)

To find your local polling location, type your address and ZIP code here.

In Chicago, early voting began Oct. 1 at two locations: Chicago Board of Elections (sixth floor, board offices), 69 W. Washington St., and the new Loop Supersite

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, 137 S. State St. Early voting expands to polling places in each ward Oct. 19. Here’s a list of where you can vote early in each ward. Search here to find out what ward you live in.

If you live outside Chicago, select a jurisdiction to find where you can vote before Election Day.

To register in person, you must bring two forms of identification, one of which must list your current address. Here is a list of acceptable forms of ID for Chicago voters and suburban voters. If you are registered to vote and your address is correct, you do not need to bring your ID — though it’s not a bad idea to bring it in case your signature doesn’t match the one on file.