# Chicago 2027 voter guide: who's running, your ward's race and how to vote

Chicago elects its Mayor, City Clerk, City Treasurer, Alderperson in all 50 wards, and members of the police District Councils on February 23, 2027, 125 days from now. This guide is built from public records: the Chicago Board of Election Commissioners for dates and candidate filings, the Illinois State Board of Elections for campaign committees and money, and the City Clerk for incumbents' voting records. [How we list candidates](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/elections/2027/criteria).

## Find your ward's race

Look up an address: https://www.chicagopolitics.org/find?to=election&address=121+N+LaSalle+St (redirects to that ward's 2027 race).

Or pick your ward from [the list of all 50 wards](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/elections/2027#the-50-ward-races), or see [who's running for alderman in every ward](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/elections/2027/alderman-candidates).

## What's on your ballot

| Race | Filed with the Board | Campaign committees registered (ISBE) |
| --- | --- | --- |
| [Mayor](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/elections/2027/mayor) | 0 | 17 |
| [City Clerk](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/elections/2027/clerk) | 0 | 2 |
| [City Treasurer](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/elections/2027/treasurer) | 0 | 0 |
| Alderperson ([your ward](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/elections/2027#the-50-ward-races)) | 71 | 41 |
| [Police District Council](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/elections/2027/police-district-councils) | 2 | 13 |

Candidates appear once the Board lists their nominating papers. A campaign committee registered with the State is not a ballot filing; we show those separately on each race page.

## Who's running for mayor

No mayoral filings are on the Board's list we have yet. 17 people have a campaign committee registered for the mayor's race (Illinois State Board of Elections, Oct 21, 2026): Alexi Giannoulias, Bill Quinlan, Brandon Johnson, Danielle Carter-Walters, George A. Cardenas, Jabari L. Taylor, Jessica Maronto, John Kelly, Joseph Holberg, Latonia "Toni" Brooks, Liam Stanton, Lisa Nee, Matthew Brewer, Mike Quigley, Susana A. Mendoza, Willie Wilson, Zoe Ma. A registered committee is not a ballot filing. [The mayor's race](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/elections/2027/mayor) · [The current mayor's record](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor)

## Key dates

| Date | What happens | Source |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Jul 28, 2026 | Candidates may start circulating nominating petitions | [Chicago Board of Elections](https://cboeprod.blob.core.usgovcloudapi.net/prod/2026-06/2027%20Election%20Calendar-ADOPTED.pdf) |
| Oct 19, 2026 to Oct 26, 2026 | Candidate filing period: nominating papers are filed with the Board. Alderperson candidates need at least 473 valid signatures from voters in their ward. | [Chicago Board of Elections](https://cboeprod.blob.core.usgovcloudapi.net/prod/2026-06/2027%20Election%20Calendar-ADOPTED.pdf) |
| Oct 27, 2026 to Nov 2, 2026 | Objection period: voters may challenge a candidate's nominating papers | [Chicago Board of Elections](https://cboeprod.blob.core.usgovcloudapi.net/prod/2026-06/2027%20Election%20Calendar-ADOPTED.pdf) |
| Dec 17, 2026 | Last day to withdraw; the Board certifies the candidates on the ballot | [Chicago Board of Elections](https://cboeprod.blob.core.usgovcloudapi.net/prod/2026-06/2027%20Election%20Calendar-ADOPTED.pdf) |
| Dec 24, 2026 | Last day to file as a write-in candidate. Later (Feb. 16, 2027) if an objection is sustained after this date. | [Chicago Board of Elections](https://cboeprod.blob.core.usgovcloudapi.net/prod/2026-06/2027%20Election%20Calendar-ADOPTED.pdf) |
| **To be confirmed** | Early voting locations and hours. The Board publishes the schedule between Jan. 3 and Jan. 9, 2027. | [Chicago Board of Elections](https://chicagoelections.gov/voting/early-votingvote-centers) |
| Jan 14, 2027 to Feb 22, 2027 | Early voting: earliest start through the day before the election. Jan. 14 is the earliest date the law allows; the Board's schedule sets the actual days. | [Chicago Board of Elections](https://cboeprod.blob.core.usgovcloudapi.net/prod/2026-06/2027%20Election%20Calendar-ADOPTED.pdf) |
| Jan 26, 2027 | Last day of regular voter registration. Grace-period registration and voting continue in person through Election Day. | [Chicago Board of Elections](https://cboeprod.blob.core.usgovcloudapi.net/prod/2026-06/2027%20Election%20Calendar-ADOPTED.pdf) |
| Feb 18, 2027 | Last day to apply for a mail ballot by mail or online | [Chicago Board of Elections](https://cboeprod.blob.core.usgovcloudapi.net/prod/2026-06/2027%20Election%20Calendar-ADOPTED.pdf) |
| Feb 23, 2027 | Election Day (polls open 6 a.m. to 7 p.m.) | [Chicago Board of Elections](https://cboeprod.blob.core.usgovcloudapi.net/prod/2026-06/2027%20Election%20Calendar-ADOPTED.pdf) |
| Feb 25, 2027 to Apr 5, 2027 | Runoff early voting: earliest start through the day before the runoff | [Chicago Board of Elections](https://cboeprod.blob.core.usgovcloudapi.net/prod/2026-06/2027%20Election%20Calendar-ADOPTED.pdf) |
| Mar 16, 2027 | Last day for the Board to proclaim the February results | [Chicago Board of Elections](https://cboeprod.blob.core.usgovcloudapi.net/prod/2026-06/2027%20Election%20Calendar-ADOPTED.pdf) |
| Apr 6, 2027 | Runoff, in wards where no candidate won more than half the vote | [Chicago Board of Elections](https://cboeprod.blob.core.usgovcloudapi.net/prod/2026-06/2027%20Election%20Calendar-ADOPTED.pdf) |
| May 17, 2027 | New Council term begins at noon | [Chicago Board of Elections](https://cboeprod.blob.core.usgovcloudapi.net/prod/2026-06/2027%20Election%20Calendar-ADOPTED.pdf) |

## How to vote

- **Register** by Jan 26, 2027, or register in person during grace-period voting through Election Day ([Board of Election Commissioners](https://cboeprod.blob.core.usgovcloudapi.net/prod/2026-06/2027%20Election%20Calendar-ADOPTED.pdf)).
- **Vote early** from as early as Jan 14, 2027; the Board posts the [early voting locations and hours](https://chicagoelections.gov/voting/early-votingvote-centers) in January.
- **Vote by mail**: apply by Feb 18, 2027.
- **On Election Day**, February 23, 2027, polls are open 6 a.m. to 7 p.m.

## Questions

**When is the 2027 Chicago election?**

Election Day is February 23, 2027. Polls are open 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. If no candidate in a race wins more than half the vote, the top two meet in a runoff on April 6, 2027.

**Who is running for mayor of Chicago in 2027?**

No mayoral filings are on the Board's list we have yet. 17 people have a campaign committee registered for the mayor's race (Illinois State Board of Elections, Oct 21, 2026): Alexi Giannoulias, Bill Quinlan, Brandon Johnson, Danielle Carter-Walters, George A. Cardenas, Jabari L. Taylor, Jessica Maronto, John Kelly, Joseph Holberg, Latonia "Toni" Brooks, Liam Stanton, Lisa Nee, Matthew Brewer, Mike Quigley, Susana A. Mendoza, Willie Wilson, Zoe Ma. A registered committee is not a ballot filing.

**How do I find my ward and my alderperson race?**

Enter your street address in the box on this page. We check it against the City's ward boundaries and take you to your ward's 2027 race, with the incumbent's record.

**When do candidates file to get on the ballot?**

Nominating papers are filed with the Chicago Board of Election Commissioners from October 19, 2026, to October 26, 2026. Voters may object to a candidate's papers through November 2, 2026. The Board certifies the ballot by December 17, 2026.

**Are Chicago elections partisan?**

No. Chicago city elections are nonpartisan: candidates appear on the ballot without a party label.

**What is on the ballot?**

Mayor, City Clerk, City Treasurer, the alderperson for your ward, and the police District Council for your police district.

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[How we list candidates, and our corrections policy](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/elections/2027/criteria) · [All 2027 races](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/elections/2027) · [Election calendar](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/elections/2027/calendar) · [Objections](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/elections/2027/objections)

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Source: https://www.chicagopolitics.org/elections/2027/voter-guide · Chicago Politics, an independent tracker of the Chicago City Council. Guide for agents: https://www.chicagopolitics.org/llms.txt