ELMHURST, IL – The general election is less than a month away on Nov. 3, and will include statewide and local races.
In past years, the Democratic and Republican parties poured money into the 23rd District Senate and 45th District House races in Elmhurst. But the GOP has essentially ceded the territory to Democrats.
For the House contest, Democratic House incumbent Marti Deuter, a former Elmhurst alderman who was elected two years ago, faces Republican Gina Parrilli. Meanwhile, Democratic Sen. Suzy Glowiak Hilton, in office since 2019, is running against Republican Linda Polacek.
The Republicans aren't supporting their local candidates financially like they used to. Democrats have been gaining in suburbs across the country, while the GOP has made inroads in rural areas.
Another big race is for DuPage County sheriff between Democrat Peter Coolidge and Republican Sean Noonan. They are vying to succeed Republican James Mendrick. He decided against seeking a third term, instead unsuccessfully running for the Republican gubernatorial nomination.
The general election race for sheriff is quieter than the one in the Republican primary. That is when candidate Eddie Moore, the undersheriff, faced controversies such as his handling of a car crash and a bar incident from years before. Noonan defeated him.
Elmhurst residents may also watch the DuPage County Forest Preserve commissioner race between Democrat Susan Smentek and Republican Carolyn Ubriaco.
Both are Elmhurst park board members who took opposite sides of the controversy over where to build a bandshell at Wilder Park.
Smentek joined the majority to construct it near the trademark Wilder Mansion, even though the park district's own survey showed residents overwhelmingly opposed the site. Ubriaco joined the board minority.
Because people tend to vote their party in lower-profile races, Smentek may have the upper hand, given Democratic success in the suburbs.
Congressional race
A key contest is the one for the 4th Congressional District, where four candidates are vying to succeed Democratic Rep. Chuy Garcia of Chicago.
Last year, Garcia announced his departure just before the filing deadline.
His chief of staff, Patty Garcia, who is unrelated, was the only one who got an early heads-up. So she gathered enough petition signatures in time, letting her run unopposed in the Democratic primary.
Many criticized Garcia for his late announcement as a maneuver reflecting old-school politics. The House reprimanded Garcia.
The 4th District is strongly Democratic. Perhaps Patty Garcia's chief opponent is Christopher Getty, mayor of Lyons and supervisor of Lyons Township. A former Democrat, Getty said he would take a bipartisan approach in Washington.
The other candidates are Republican Lupe Castillo and the Working Class Party's Ed Hershey.
Registering to vote
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.
Voting early
DuPage County lists its early voting sites.
Other races to watch
All Elmhurst voters will have several statewide contests on their ballots.
Find all of Illinois Patch's 2026 election coverage here.
Voting By Mail
If you want to vote by mail, you must apply online or in person by Oct. 29 through DuPage County's election authority. Find vote-by-mail ballot applications on DuPage County's website.
Ballots must be postmarked or placed in a dropbox by Election Day, Nov. 3, to count.
Take a look at your sample ballot.
For full coverage of the 2026 election in Illinois, go here.
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