La Grange 2026 Voter Guide: What You Need To Know

LA GRANGE, IL – The general election is less than a month away on Nov. 3 and will include statewide and local races.

Congressional race

A key contest is 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 to him, 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.

In his 6th Congressional District, Rep. Sean Casten is expected to cruise to victory over Republican Niki Conforti. He has far outraised her.

County Board

The District 17 Cook County Board race is far from typical, given a controversy that made headlines around the world.

Democrat Elyse Hoffenberg of La Grange faces Republican Liz Gorman of Orland Park. They are vying to replace Republican Seth Morrison, who decided not to run again.

Hoffenberg is the elected clerk for Lyons Township; Gorman is a former County Board member.

Gorman requested a security video from Hoffenberg's office that showed the clerk kissing longtime Democratic power broker Steven Landek, Bridgeview's mayor. Hoffenberg said she told Landek that it was inappropriate.

Gorman said her political opponents tried to extort her regarding the video. Gorman called the allegation defamatory, saying neither she nor her campaign had spoken with Hoffenberg, let alone attempted extortion. Gorman threatened to sue.

Hoffenberg also suggested Christopher Getty, the township's elected supervisor, surveilled her and tipped off others about the footage. Getty denied that.

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

Cook County lists its early voting sites.

Other races to watch

All La Grange voters will have several statewide contests on their ballots.

• U.S. Senate: Democrat Juliana Stratton faces Republican Don Tracy in the race for U.S. Senate.
• Illinois Governor and Lieutenant Governor: Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker is seeking another term, facing off against Republican Darren Bailey.
• Illinois Attorney General: Democratic Attorney General Kwame Raoul faces Republican Bob Fioretti.
• Illinois Secretary of State: Democratic Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias faces Republican Diane Harris.
• Illinois Comptroller: Democrat Margaret Croke faces Republican Bryan Drew.
• Illinois Treasurer: Democratic Treasurer Michael Frerichs faces Republican Max Solomon.

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 Cook 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 Sample Ballot

Take a look at your sample ballot.

For full coverage of the 2026 election in Illinois, go here.