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Chicago opens early voting in all 50 wards

Chicago opens early voting in all 50 wards

Rule Changes Chicago, IL local

Illinois early ballots topped 1.6 million before Election Day, and Chicago polls recorded almost 334,000 votes on Nov. 3.

November 3rd, 2026: Election Day

Overview

Updated 2 days ago

Illinois voters cast about 1.6 million early ballots before Election Day, including more than 900,000 in person and nearly 700,000 by mail, according to the Illinois State Board of Elections. Chicago had nearly 300,000 early votes as of Monday, with more than 180,000 cast in person and more than 100,000 by mail.

On Nov. 3, almost 334,000 votes were cast at Chicago polling places, the Chicago Board of Election Commissioners said. Voters also chose all 21 members of the city's first fully elected school board, along with the governor and U.S. Senate races.

Why it matters

The all-ward expansion drew long early-voting lines and strong turnout, a test of whether more sites lift participation.

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Key Indicators

1.6M
Illinois early ballots (through Nov. 2)
About 1.6 million early ballots were cast statewide, including more than 900,000 in person and nearly 700,000 by mail.
334,000
Chicago Election Day votes
Almost 334,000 votes were cast at Chicago polling places on Nov. 3.
211,000
Chicago early ballots (through Nov. 2)
More than 211,000 early voting ballots were cast in Chicago through Monday.
109,000
Chicago mail ballots received
Another 109,000 mail-in ballots had been received in Chicago.
50
Ward early voting sites
All 50 Chicago wards had an early voting site through Nov. 2.

Voices

Curated perspectives — historical figures and your fellow readers.

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People Involved

RR
Richard Rolark
Chicago voter and Selma marcher
Voted early Monday at the Dr. Martin Luther King Community Service Center in Bronzeville
MH
Marisel Hernandez
Chairwoman, Chicago Board of Elections
Oversaw the Nov. 3 election; Chicago recorded almost 334,000 votes at city polling places, according to board spokesperson Julie Metea.
MG
Monica Gordon
Cook County Clerk
Reported 139,000 suburban Cook early ballots through Oct. 27, 30.4% ahead of 2022.
 J.B. Pritzker
J.B. Pritzker
Incumbent Illinois governor seeking reelection
Rallied West Side voters with Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton on Oct. 31 as early voting entered its final weekend.
 Brandon Johnson
Brandon Johnson
Mayor of Chicago
Rode a Chicago Votes bus with DRW College Prep students to the Loop supersite on Oct. 28.

Organizations Involved

Chicago Board of Elections
Chicago Board of Elections
City Election Authority
Reported nearly 300,000 early votes as of Nov. 2 and almost 334,000 votes cast at city polling places on Nov. 3.

The city agency that administers Chicago elections, including the expanded ward early voting program.
CC
Cook County Clerk
County Election Office
Reported 139,000 suburban early ballots through Oct. 27, 30.4% ahead of 2022.

The county office administering elections in Chicago's suburbs, which expanded early voting from six to 56 locations Monday.

Timeline

October 2026 November 2026

11 events Latest: November 3rd, 2026 · 1 week ago Showing 8 of 11
Tap a bar to jump to that date

  1. Election Day

    Latest Election

    Voters cast final ballots at precinct sites, ward offices, or the downtown supersite.

  2. Chicago polls record almost 334,000 Election Day votes

    Election

    Chicago election officials said almost 334,000 votes were cast at city polling places on Nov. 3, joining more than 211,000 early ballots and 109,000 mail ballots received. Voters also elected all 21 members of the Chicago Board of Education for the first time.

  3. Illinois early ballots top 1.6 million

    Election

    About 1.6 million Illinois voters had cast early ballots by late Monday, including more than 900,000 in person and nearly 700,000 by mail, according to the Illinois State Board of Elections. Chicago had nearly 300,000 early votes.

  4. Pritzker, Stratton rally West Side voters

    Campaign

    Gov. JB Pritzker and Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton urged Chicago voters to cast ballots as early voting entered its final weekend before Nov. 3.

  5. Pope Leo XIV votes by mail in Illinois midterms

    Election

    The Chicago-born pope cast a mail ballot in the Nov. 3 election, the Holy See press office said. He is the first Catholic pontiff to vote in a U.S. election.

  6. Chicago in-person early voting 35% ahead of 2022

    Election

    The city recorded 126,320 in-person early ballots through Oct. 29, a 35% increase over the same point in 2022.

  7. Chicago Votes buses students to Loop supersite

    Election

    More than 1,000 high school students traveled to the Chicago Board of Elections supersite to vote. Many were first-time voters, part of a get-out-the-vote push.

  8. Suburban Cook early voting runs 30.4% ahead of 2022

    Election

    The Cook County clerk reported 139,000 early ballots cast, up from 106,615 at the same point in 2022. Another 83,700 mail ballots had been returned.

  9. Early voting expands to all 50 wards

    Election

    Expanded in-person early voting opens in every Chicago ward and at three universities.

  10. Suburban Cook County early voting expands to 56 sites

    Election

    Cook County opened 56 suburban early voting sites, up from six, on the same day Chicago's ward sites opened.

  11. Downtown early voting opens

    Election

    The Board of Elections opens its supersite and downtown office for early voting.

Scenarios

1

Early voting pushes Chicago past 2022 midterm turnout

Possible Resolves by Nov 20, 2026

Discussed by: Chicago Board of Elections officials; local election coverage

Chicago in-person early voting was 35% ahead of 2022 through Oct. 29, and suburban Cook County was 30.4% ahead through Oct. 27. If those gains hold through Election Day, the ward expansion will have lifted turnout.

2

Election Day, not early voting, decides the races

Likely Resolves by Nov 30, 2026

Discussed by: Local election observers

Early voting tracks normal midterm patterns, with most ballots cast on Nov. 3. Ward sites become a convenience option rather than the main driver of turnout, and candidate focus stays on Election Day.

3

First fully elected school board takes its seats

Likely Resolves by Dec 15, 2026

Discussed by: WTTW and community oversight groups

The fully elected board replaces Chicago's appointed board after certification. November's winners, including the board president race, are seated at a board meeting before year's end, closing the transition to an elected governing body.

Historical Context

2 moments from history that rhyme with this story — and how they unfolded.

March 1965

Selma to Montgomery marches (1965)

Civil rights activists marched from Selma, Alabama, to the state capital to demand voting rights. On the Edmund Pettus Bridge, state troopers attacked marchers, and Richard Rolark, then 15, was hit by a rock before reaching the crossing.

Then

The marches pressured Congress to pass the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which barred literacy tests and other barriers.

Now

The law led to a surge in Black voter registration across the South and became a foundation of federal voting protections.

Why this matters now

Rolark, who voted Monday in Chicago, connects today's early voting to the fight he joined at 15: expanding ballot access is the continuation of that effort.

2020

Pandemic-era mail and early voting (2020)

During the COVID-19 pandemic, most states expanded mail and early voting options. Record numbers of Americans voted before Election Day to avoid crowded polling places.

Then

Turnout reached 66% of eligible voters, the highest in over a century, with most ballots cast by mail or early.

Now

Many states kept expanded early and mail voting after the pandemic, normalizing voting before Election Day.

Why this matters now

That shift set expectations for convenience that Chicago's all-ward expansion now meets, giving voters weeks of options rather than a single day.

Sources

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Chicago Sun-Times CBS Chicago WTTW Chicago WBEZ Chicago FOX 32 Chicago NBC Chicago Axios Chicago Coalition of African American Leaders Hoodline ABC7 Chicago HF Chronicle POLITICO Chicago Tribune Axios Chicago NBC Chicago Chicago Tribune