OAK FOREST, IL — The Nov. 3 General Election is less than a month away, and will include the gubernatorial race, as well as various county races, sheriff, assessor and more.
Early voting has already kicked off across the Chicago area, with additional early voting locations set to open Oct. 19 in some places. Oak Forest Cit Hall, 15440 S. Central Ave., serves as an early voting site beginning Oct. 19.
Take a look at what's on the ballot in the Oak Forest area for the Nov. 3 General Election. Here's everything you need to know to cast your vote, from voter registration to polling places to mail-in voting cutoffs.
Illinois 2026 Voter Guide: Pritzker Vs. Bailey Rematch, Other Hot Races To Watch
Longtime incumbent Emil Jones III won his spot on the ballot in the March 2026 primary—the first time he'd had challengers in 20 years. He now faces Republican Brian Skala on Nov. 3. Skala ran unopposed in his party's primary.
First elected in 2009, Jones represents the 14th Senate District, which stretches from Roseland on Chicago's South Side to include all or parts of Alsip, Blue Island, Calumet Park, Chicago, Crestwood, Dixmoor, Dolton, Harvey, Homer Glen, Merrionette Park, Midlothian, Oak Forest, Orland Hills, Orland Park, Palos Heights, Posen, Riverdale, Robbins and Tinley Park.
Skala is a union plumber and a trustee with the Village of Crestwood, according to a Ballotpedia survey.
It will be a rematch between Democrat Sean Casten and Republican Niki Conforti, who were both declared winners of their respective March 2026 primaries in the state's 6th Congressional District.
Following his victory over Beverly computer software engineer Joseph "Joey" Ruzevich, Casten said he would use his public voice to remind constituents of his continued advocacy for affordable and high quality health care. He also reaffirmed his support for women to have control over their bodies. He blasted President Donald Trump's tariffs and "unnecessary, unconstitutional wars" as the cause for skyrocketing grocery and utility costs.
On the Republican side, energy consultant Conforti beat out Skylar Duensing in her third run for the seat. Conforti said witnessing the adverse effects on the community due to the influx of the liberal agenda is why she's running for Congress. Being concerned compelled her to take a stand, preserve the sanctity of our liberties and freedoms, and push back on the progressive left, according to her campaign bio.
Democrat Toni Preckwinkle seeks a fifth term as Cook County Board president. She goes up against Libertarian Michael Murphy.
Cook County: "Shall Illinois adopt the Millionaire Amendment for Property Tax Relief and Education, which would enact a 3% income tax surcharge only on millionaires and use 50% of this new revenue to provide property tax relief for residential and commercial taxpayers and 50% to improve state funding for public education?"
All Oak Forest 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, with additional locations opening in some counties on Oct. 19.
Early voting hours at Oak Forest City Hall are:
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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