JOLIET, IL — The General Election is less than a month away on Nov. 3, and will include the gubernatorial race, as well as various county races, including for Will County sheriff, clerk, county board positions, county treasurer and regional superintendent of schools.
Joliet Township voters will also see an advisory question on their ballots concerning the construction of future data centers in Joliet. Property owners who live in the Troy 30-Consolidated School District, headquartered in Joliet on Theodore Street, will also face a referendum question concerning their property taxes.
Illinois 2026 Voter Guide: Pritzker Vs. Bailey Rematch, Other Hot Races To Watch
Here's everything you need to know to cast your vote, from voter registration to polling places to mail-in voting to what's on the ballot for the Nov. 3 General Election.
Voters in Joliet, Plainfield, Shorewood Face Referendum
According to the school district website, Troy 30‑C has placed a limiting rate referendum on the November election ballot to address operating and facility needs; 20 years have passed since the District sought voter‑approved funding.
The Troy schools administration has explained that the 45-cent limiting rate referendum is 35 percent lower than what was originally planned after receiving community input, effectively resulting in no net tax rate increase, if approved by voters. Troy contends that most of the district's schools exceed their intended student capacity and that enrollment is projected to exceed 4,000 students within four years, largely driven by new housing developments that will further increase overcrowding.
If approved by voters, the limiting rate referendum could allow the district to prevent cuts to present teacher and educational support staffing levels, maintain academic and extracurricular programs, maintain class sizes and address facility improvements for safety and security reasons.
"The revised plan, after receiving community feedback, no longer includes building a new early childhood education center or renovations to the middle school," Troy school officials shared on their district's website.
According to a sample election ballot, this is how the referendum question will read on the ballot:
Shall the limiting rate under the Property Tax Extension Limitation Law for Troy Community Consolidated School District Number 30-C, Will County, Illinois, be increased by an additional amount equal to 0.4500% above the limiting rate for levy year 2025 for the purpose of providing educational programming and instruction, operating, maintaining, constructing and improving school buildings and facilities and constructing school safety and security improvements and for other school purposes, and be equal to 3.6241% of the equalized assessed value of the taxable property therein for levy year 2026?
Voters Will Elect New Sheriff For First Time In Years
Back in the spring, Democrat and three-term Will County Sheriff Mike Kelley urged the voters of Will County to follow his recommendation and make newly appointed Undersheriff Dan Jungles the next sheriff. The majority of the voters in the Democratic Party ignored Kelley's endorsement and decided it was time to bring an end to the Kelley administration.
Road Patrol Sgt. Patrick Jones had 59 percent of the Democratic primary vote, compared to Jungles at 40 percent. In February 2025, Jones had announced his candidacy for Will County Sheriff and plans to compete against Jungles.
"I currently have 24 years of experience between the jail and being a police officer with the Will County Sheriff's Office," Jones announced in his introductory YouTube video. "I hold the rank of sergeant, patrol division, right now. The reason for me running is that I believe that the squad car has become a barrier to the community, and we need more interaction with the community. I want to build trust through transparency."
On Nov. 3, Jones will go up against well-known Will County Sheriff's Deputy James "Jim" Reilly, who is making his third bid to become the sheriff as a Republican.
In 2022, Reilly was ahead against Kelley in the last general election on election night, only to lose after all the mail-in ballots were counted afterward.
Will County Government Contested Races
There are several more Will County offices that face contested races on Nov. 3.
Incumbent Will County Treasurer Tim Brophy, a Democrat, faces Republican challenger Carmen Maurella III, while incumbent Regional Superintendent of Schools Elizabeth Caparelli-Ruff, the Republican, is vying against retiring Joliet School District 86 Superintendent Theresa Rouse, who is a Democrat.
Incumbent Will County Clerk Annette Parker, a Republican, faces Democrat challenger Michelle Stiff.
Will County Judges Up For Retention, 1 Contested Race
Several of Will County's longtime judges, including Amy Bertani-Tomczak, who has served on the bench for 32 years, are up for retention. Of the judges up for retention, they must receive at least 60 percent of the yes vote from the Will County voters to remain on the bench for another six years. The last Will County Circuit Judge who was kicked off the bench by the voters was Judge Edward "Ned" Masters in the 1990s.
In addition to Amy Bertani-Tomczak, Chief Judge Daniel Kennedy, along with Daniel Rippy and Sarah Jones, is up for retention. As for the open circuit court judge positions, Associate Will County Judge Amy Christiansen, a Democrat, is running against Plainfield criminal defense lawyer JohnPaul Ivec, a Republican, to fill the vacancy of Dave Carlson, who left the bench to return to being a private practice attorney in Will and Grundy Counties.
Joliet Data Center Question Is Advisory
Back on May 19, the Joliet Township Government, led by Township Supervisor Cesar Guerrero, voted to put the following advisory question on the November election ballot. It's a yes or no question: "Should the Joliet City Council approve construction of AI data Centers?" Yes or No.
Contested Race To Fill Harry Benton's Seat
Voters in the 97th District will decide between Democrat Jessica Dixon Heitman and Republican Gabby Shanahan. The 97th District seat covers most of Plainfield plus parts of Joliet, Shorewood, Naperville, and Oswego.
On July 3, Plainfield Patch reported that nearly six months after he was stripped of his committee assignments, and a day after Illinois House Speaker Emanuel "Chris" Welch pressured him to step down, Plainfield-area State Rep. Harry Benton had resigned.
In February, Benton (D-Plainfield) was removed from the House Democratic caucus and all eight of his committee assignments amid undisclosed allegations of misconduct.
In the 11th Congressional District, incumbent Democrat Bill Foster will face Republican Jeff Walter.
All Joliet voters will have several statewide contests on their ballots.
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. According to its website, Will County voters may cast a ballot prior to Election Day at one of the Will County Clerk's many Early Voting locations including:
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:
For full coverage of the 2026 election in Illinois, go here.
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