PALOS, IL— The midterm election is Tuesday, but Cook County voters who want to cast their ballots ahead of Election Day have one final opportunity Monday.
The last day to request a mail-in ballot, including military and overseas voters, was Oct. 29; the last day to postmark a mail-in ballot is Nov. 3. If you've already received your mail-in ballot, it may be too late to put in the actual USPS mailbox for it to be postmarked in time. You may want to use the drop box at an early voting location nearest you.
The hottest races in the Illinois midterm are the gubernatorial race between incumbent J.B. Pritzker (D) who is running for his third term, and former state representative Darren Bailey (R)
Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton (D), former Illinois Republican Chair Don Tracy (R) and third-party candidate Whitefield Harrington Jr. are running to fill the U.S. Senate seat vacated by Richard Durbin, who announced his retirement earlier this year.
As of Friday, Oct. 30, early voting totals were 3,069 at the Palos Heights Recreation Center, 6601 W. 127th St.
The recreation center is open for voting—as well as mail drop box—until 7 p.m. Nov. 2.
Races to watch in Palos:
IL-01 Congressional District
Jonathan Jackson (D)*
Christian Maxwell (R)
Sean Casten (D)*
Niki Conforti (R)
Illinois Senate, 18th District
Fran Hurley (D)
Christine McGovern-Shanahan ®
Illinois House, 28th District
Robert "Bob" Rita, D, unopposed
Illinois House, 35th District
Mary Gill (D)*
David Dewar (R)
Illinois House, 36th District
Rick Ryan (D)*
David Sheppard (R)
Referenda
Voters residing in communities served by Moraine Valley Community College will be asked to vote yes or no to a $115 million bond referendum that will enable the college to add a building to the Palos Hills campus to accommodate the continuing growth of its career-ready programs:
"Shall Moraine Valley Community College District No. 524, County of Cook and State of Illinois, build, equip, renovate, and repair buildings of the District for programs including but not limited to: automation and engineering technology, fire science, emergency medical services, automotive, HVAC/refrigeration, and welding, and issue its bonds to the amount of $115,000,000 for the purpose of paying the costs thereof?"
Cook County voters will be asked to vote on an advisory question whether the state should adopt a "Millionaire Amendment," which would add a 3% income tax surcharge on millionaires and use 50% of the revenue to provide property tax relief, and 50% to improve state funding for public education.
Palos Heights voters in Palos School Dist. 128 will be asked to vote on a $0.59 limiting rate referendum that would generate approximately $2.4 million in recurring annual operating revenue to help address Dist. 128's ongoing funding challenges:
"Shall the limiting rate under the Property Tax Extension Limitation Law for Palos Heights School District Number 128, Cook County, Illinois, be increased by an additional amount equal to 0.590000% above the limiting rate for levy year 2024 for the purpose of providing educational programming and instruction and operating, maintaining and improving school buildings and facilities and for other school purposes, and be equal to 3.095955% of the equalized assessed value of the taxable property therein for levy year 2026?"
Palos Heights Dist. 128
Online voter registration ended Oct. 18. Voter registration is also available at early voting sites, but you need to fill out an application and vote that day. Voters can also register to vote on election day at their regular polling place.
If registering to vote at an early voting site, prospective voters are required to provide a valid photo ID to an election official before receiving a ballot to vote early. Valid forms of ID include a current driver's license or state ID, university/college ID or another government-issued ID with a photo, such as a passport.
Check Your Registration/Sample Ballot
You can check your voter registration, find your polling place and see your sample ballot here.
Other independent or minor-party candidates may appear in some statewide contests. Voters should consult their sample ballot for the complete candidate list.
Polls open at 6 a.m. and close at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 3. If you are already in line to vote when the polls close, you can still vote—so don't leave!
If you don't know your polling place, find it here.
Here's a look at what's on the ballot in Illinois for the Nov. 3 General Election.
For full coverage of the 2026 election in Illinois, go here.
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