Chicago Voting Information & Resources for the November 2026 General Election

Every election I try to round up resources to share with friends; this time I figured I might as well put it on the blog.

I won’t claim that this is everything you need to vote, since everyone’s threshold for researching candidates is different, but it’s a starting point!

The information on this page is intended for people who are eligible to vote in the City of Chicago since that is where I live. It is not comprehensive; there are lots of resources and opinions out there.

This is focused on Chicago-specific resources. Ballotpedia is a general (non-Chicago-specific) resource.

What is on the ballot

This is a general election covering federal, state, and local offices; judicial retention (whether judges should get to keep their spots); and advisory (non-binding) referendum questions. This is notably the first election for a fully-elected school board for Chicago Public Schools.

You can preview your specific ballot here or see a general list of offices and other decisions on the ballot here.

Non-endorsement voter guides and resources

These are non-partisan resources that don’t make recommendations on who or what to vote for. I recommend looking at news coverage of the candidates (some is linked from within these guides) in addition to the questionnaires/structured information in these types of guides; especially in the school board president race, there has been reporting on controversies that is not included in central guide content.

• WTTW Voter Guide: General purpose election guide covering federal, state, and local offices; includes bar association ratings for judges

• School Board Voter Guide from the Sun-Times, WBEZ, Block Club, and Chalkbeat: Features candidate questionnaires and some additional information (e.g. fundraising totals) for school board candidates
  • You can hear more context about the school board elections from some of the reporters behind this guide in this City Cast Chicago episode
• Injustice Watch Check Your Judges judicial election guide: This guide provides the most extensive, structured information on the judges that are up for retention (they also have information on what judicial retention means)

Endorsement voter guides

These are resources that make recommendations on who and what to vote for. I’m only including ones that include written explanations for their endorsements.

Personally, I find it helpful to read endorsements from multiple sources because it helps deepen my understanding of how different “sides” are viewing the race, even if I disagree with the reasoning, priorities, and conclusions of some endorsers.

• Girl, I Guess Progressive Voter Guide: Progressive/left endorsements
• Chicago Tribune Editorial Board endorsements: Centrist/right endorsements (requires a Tribune subscription)
• A City that Works’ Guide to the 2026 November Election: I’ll defer to how they describe their own politics – they have said they support “candidates who are willing to make tough choices on issues like pensions and public safety, but also embrace growth and housing in their communities”

How to vote

chicagoelections.gov is your one-stop shop for information on how to vote in Chicago.

Key dates

• October 19, 2026: Early voting opens in all the wards. A couple downtown locations are already open for early voting at time of posting. See this early voting page for details.
• October 29, 2026: Last day to apply to vote by mail, but (this is me editorializing) this is cutting it very close! Ballots must be postmarked or dropped into a dedicated drop box before or on Election Day! If you want to vote by mail, request your ballot ASAP.
• November 3, 2026: Election Day! Mail ballots must be postmarked or returned to a dedicated drop box on or by this date.

Notable rules

• We have same-day voter registration in Illinois. You can register to vote (or change your registration, e.g. for a new address) up to and including Election Day. See this page for details on eligibility and ID requirements.
• Chicago voters can vote (or register, or update their registration) at any Chicago early voting site (doesn’t have to be in your ward!), up to and including on Election Day.

We have a lot of great voting access measures in Chicago, and you have rights as a voter on Election Day:

“Chicago Voters Bill of Rights“

Post photo taken by me