2026 Skokie Election Guide: What's On The Ballot

SKOKIE, IL — Early voting is underway across the Chicago area for the November midterm elections, with additional early voting locations opening up on Oct. 19 in Skokie.

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Here's a look at what Skokie voters will be weighing in on for the Nov. 3 General Election.

Skokie Park District Referendum

Locally, Skokie residents will weigh in on a $53 million Park District referendum for improvements to Sports Park East and development of a new Channelside Park South. The referendum has been met with some pushback from residents, with some alleging conflicts of interest. Others argue the referendum will improve the quality of life in the community.

According to a sample election ballot, this is how the referendum question will read on the ballot:

"Shall the Skokie Park District, Cook County, Illinois, address facility and site improvements at Sports Park East, including building and equipping a new recreation center, constructing a walking/jogging path, park shelter, playground, and golf chipping and putting area, improving athletic fields, including but not limited to cricket, soccer and multipurpose fields, and adding sports lighting, and converting a former industrial site along the North Shore Channel into a new park that includes green space, an ADA-compliant playground, walking/biking path, bandshell, park shelter, and multipurpose facility, and other park improvements, and issue its bonds to the amount of $53,000,000 for the purpose of paying the costs thereof?"

Cook County Sheriff

Incumbent Thomas Dart (D) and Brad Sandefur (L) are running in the general election for Cook County Sheriff.

Dart has served as Cook County's Sheriff since 2006; he previously served as a state representative in the 28th District. Sandefur is a sergeant in the Cook County Sheriff's Office and a Marine Corps veteran.

County Millionaire Tax

Cook County voters will also decide whether to establish a 3 percent income tax on millionaires. The money would fund property tax relief and public education.

According to a sample election ballot, this is how the referendum question will read on the ballot:

"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?”

US. Representative, 9th District

In the 9th Congressional District, current Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss, a Democrat, faces Republican John Elleson, a pastor.

Other Races To Watch

All Skokie 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.

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.

Where To Vote

Early voting locations are open now, with additional locations opening in some counties on Oct. 19. Find hours and locations here for your county.

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.

Voting By Mail

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.

Find Your Sample Ballot

If you want to take a look at your local election ballot, you can do so here.

Find all of Illinois Patch's 2026 election coverage here.