Early voting is underway across the Chicago area for the November midterm elections, with additional early voting locations opening up on Oct. 19 in some counties.
Here's a look at what's on the ballot in Illinois for the Nov. 3 General Election.
Democrat Gov. JB Pritzker seeks a third term in office, again facing former state Sen. Darren Bailey, a Republican. It's the first Illinois gubernatorial rematch since 1986.
Pritzker previously defeated Bailey in 2022.
With current Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton vying for U.S. Senate, this time Pritzker's ticket includes former deputy governor and state Rep. Christian Mitchell as his running mate.
Bailey, with running mate Aaron B. Del Mar, remained in the race after tragedy struck when his son, daughter-in-law and two grandchildren were killed in a Montana helicopter crash in October 2025.
The race has turned contentious at times, with Pritzker saying Bailey "can't be trusted" to lead the state and is "too extreme for Illinois," citing his stances on abortion and the creationist teachings at a Christian academy founded by Bailey and his wife. In a 30-second ad spot, Pritzker's campaign took aim at the school's "extreme curriculum, which teaches that dinosaurs and humans walked on Earth at the same time."
Pritzker also likened Bailey to President Donald Trump in a state that's voted against the GOP president three times.
Despite Bailey appearing to distance himself from Trump, he received an endorsement from the president.
Bailey accepted the endorsement, saying, "It's fine, because at the end of the day, what the president does, whoever that president is, which I will be gladly working with, whoever the president is, has absolutely nothing to do with the devastation that JB Pritzker has wreaked on Illinois for the last eight years," according to WGN.
He also walked back comments calling Chicago a "hellhole" in 2022, along with getting an apartment in the city and campaigning more heavily in the Chicago area. Bailey has long been critical of Pritzker's approach to public safety and crime and was a vocal opponent of the SAFE-T Act.
Hot-button issues in the governor's race include taxes, public safety, the increasing cost of living and the Chicago Bears' likely plans to move to Indiana.
RELATED: Pritzker Meets With NFL Commissioner In Push To Keep Bears In Illinois
Incumbent Kwame Raoul, a Democrat, will spar against Republican Bob Fioretti.
Like Pritzker, Raoul is seeking a third term after being first elected in 2018, when he said he had "dreamed" of becoming AG since law school.
Raoul is a former Cook County prosecutor and was appointed for the state Senate seat vacated by Barack Obama's election to the U.S. Senate in 2004. He was repeatedly reelected, serving in that role until he became attorney general in 2019.
He has joined numerous lawsuits, taking aim at the Trump administration's tariffs, social media's impact on kids and protecting mail-in voting.
No stranger to politics, Fioretti most recently ran unsuccessfully for Cook County State's Attorney in 2024.
Fioretti is a former two-term Chicago alderman in the city's 2nd Ward and a veteran civil rights attorney who has been active in the Chicago community for many years. He's been a vocal opponent of the SAFE-T Act.
Incumbent Democrat Alexi Giannoulias faces Republican Diane Harris, a Joliet small business owner, substitute teacher and retired longtime ComEd employee.
In 2006, Giannoulias was elected the youngest state treasurer in the country at age 30. Over the past four years, Giannoulias has overseen the largest Secretary of State's office in the country, with more than 4,000 employees and 25 departments.
He has touted accomplishments, including his "Skip-the-Line" program, which allows Illinoisans to make appointments at the state's busiest DMV facilities, which has reduced wait times. To accommodate more on-demand requests for services, his office has deployed more mobile units, created "pop-up" DMVs, and established multiple senior centers to assist senior drivers.
Harris calls herself "a conservative Republican, born and raised with Midwestern values as the second child of a stay-at-home mother and a professional chauffeur for over 30 years," adding, "We didn't live beyond our means, and from a young age, I was taught the importance of integrity, kindness, helping others but working hard for the things needed to achieve. Those values have guided me throughout my personal and religious life, public service, and professional career."
Democratic Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton faces former Illinois GOP chairman Don Tracy in the race for U.S. Senate.
The winner will take over the seat long held by current U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, who announced in 2025 that he would not seek a sixth term.
Stratton faced nine other Democrats in the March primary to face off against Tracy in what Ballotpedia called a 2026 "battleground election."
A native of the South Side of Chicago, Stratton previously served as a state representative from 2017 to 2019 before becoming lieutenant governor.
She had pledged to "give the people what they want," saying she fights to make life easier for Illinoisans" and that she's "focused on policies that will uplift Illinois' working and middle-class families: making life more affordable, creating and expanding economic opportunities, and protecting our rights and freedoms."
Tracy, an attorney, previously served as the chairman of the Illinois Republican Party but resigned in 2024, just weeks before the Republican National Convention, citing "power struggles" within the party. He also previously ran for lieutenant governor in 2010 and sought a state Senate seat as a Democrat in 2002, NPR reported.
Tracy has called Stratton "the most progressive U.S. Senate candidate Illinois has ever seen," adding, "Everyday Illinoisans want common-sense leaders, not extreme politicians more interested in pushing political agendas than helping lower the cost of living for working families."
Find all of Illinois Patch's 2026 election coverage here.
If you're not sure if you're registered to vote, you can check online. To register to vote, you must be a U.S. citizen who is at least 18 years old — or will be 18 by Election Day — and you must have lived in your precinct for at least 30 days prior to the election.
Online voter registration is available until Oct. 18 on the Illinois Board of Elections website. To register online, residents must have a driver's license or state ID, or a Social Security number.
Even if you miss that deadline, you can take advantage of grace period in-person voter registration at your county clerk's office or permanent early voting locations. You can also register at your polling place on Election Day.
To register in person, you'll need to bring two forms of ID, with at least one showing your current address.
Early voting locations are open now, with additional locations opening in some counties on Oct. 19. Find hours and locations here for your county:
If you plan to vote on Election Day and don't know your polling place, you can find it here. The polls are open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m.
If you want to vote by mail, you must apply online or in person by Oct. 29 through your county's election authority. Find vote-by-mail ballot applications here:
Ballots must be postmarked or placed in a dropbox by Election Day, Nov. 3, to count.
Find your local mail-in voting drop boxes here.
If you want to take a look at your local election ballot, you can do so here:
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