Primary election day
is March 17, 2026

Make a plan to vote

(General Election Day is November 3, 2026)

December 17, 2025

Be Ready to vote in the March 17, 2026 General Primary Election

First day to apply for a vote by mail ballot.

February 5, 2026

First day to vote early at the office of the election authority.

First day for the election authority to mail an official ballot to registered voters within the United States.

February 17, 2026

Last day for regular (paper) voter registration.

March 12, 2026

Last day for election authority to receive vote by mail applications.

March 17, 2026

Primary Election Day! Polls are open from 6:00 am to 7:00 pm.

Feb 18 2026 - Mar 16 2026

Grace period registration and voting at election authority sites.

Elections are administered locally by Illinois’ election authorities. For the most accurate information on where and when to vote, consult your local election authority.

(17-year-olds are eligible to register for a Primary Election if they will be 18 by the General Election)

Am I eligible to vote in Illinois?

You must be a U.S. citizen

You must be at least 18 years of age by Election Day

You must live in your precinct for at least 30 days before the election

You must not claim the right to vote elsewhere

You must not be in prison or jail serving time for a conviction — but persons who have completed their sentences and who meet all other requirements listed above are eligible to register and vote in Illinois

Are you registered to vote?

Check your Registration

You can register to vote in person at any of the following locations:

County Clerk's Office

Board of Elections Office

City and Village Halls

Township Offices

Driver's License Facilities

Find early voting locations near you.

Illinois offers voter registration at all early voting locations in the lead-up to an election.

To register IN PERSON, you need two forms of identification, one of which must list your current address. The following are acceptable:

Passport or Military ID

Driver's License or State ID card

Vehicle registration card

College/University/School/Work ID

Lease, mortgage or deed to home

Social Security, Medicare or Medicaid card

Credit or debit card

Insurance card

Illinois FOID card

Mail of the following types addressed to you:

LINK/Public Aid/Department of Human Services card

Civic, union or professional membership card

Bill, transcript, or school report card
Bank statement, pay stub, or pension statement
Utility, medical, or insurance bill
Official mail from any government agency

You can register to vote (or change your address) online.

Online voter registration closes 16 days before the election.

To register ONLINE, you need all four of the following:

Illinois Drivers License or State ID number

Date the license or ID was issued

Last four digits of social security number

Birth date

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Statement on Candidate Forums

The League of Women Voters is committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion in all aspects of our work and organization. We believe that all people should have access to information in whatever format best meets their needs and we strive to meet this standard.

We are disappointed that we do not have the capacity to present a multilingual candidate forum and are working with our state League to remedy this issue for future forums.

The League of Women Voters of the Elgin Area is proud of our long history of providing candidate forums as a service to the community, a service that benefits candidates as well as voters. Our goal is to always be better, and so perhaps we can find a solution for the future. If you would like to help us work toward this goal, please join us. Membership information is at https://lwvelginarea.org/join-us/.