Chicago votes Tuesday. Early voting is running ahead of 2022; here is how and where to vote, and what's on the ballot

Chicago's general election is Tuesday, Nov. 3. Polls are open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. Early voting continues through Monday, Nov. 2, at a site in each of the 50 wards and at the Board of Election Commissioners' downtown Supersite, 137 S. State St.

Why it matters: this ballot elects the whole Chicago Board of Education for the first time, the governor and other statewide offices, members of Congress and the legislature, and county officials. It also asks citywide and ward-level advisory questions that the Council and the next mayor will hear about.

How many have voted

Through Thursday, 126,320 Chicagoans had voted early in person, about 35% more than at the same point before the 2022 general election, WTTW reported Friday from Board data. Mail ballots were running behind: 82,691 had come back by Thursday evening, compared with 89,905 at the same time in 2022, WTTW said. Suburban Cook County was on track to run about 30% ahead of 2022, Cook County Clerk Monica Gordon told ABC7 Chicago.

How to vote

• Find your polling place and sample ballot with the Board's voter lookup. Your ballot depends on your precinct, including which school board district and which ward questions you see.
• Not registered, or moved? Illinois allows registration in person through Election Day. Bring two forms of ID, one with your current address, according to the Board.
• Voting by mail? Your ballot must be postmarked by Nov. 3. The Board's mail voting page for this election lists the ways to return it.
• Problems at the polls? Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul is sending teams to monitor voting statewide, CBS Chicago reported, and U.S. Attorney Andrew Boutros' office opened a hotline for reports of fraud and voter intimidation, according to WTTW.

What's on a Chicago ballot

• School board. Every voter picks a board president and the member for their district. We explained the races and how City Hall fits in here.
• Three questions from the City Council, on gunshot detection, a permanent festival site and seeking federal money for costs of last year's immigration enforcement. How the Council chose them, and what the festival question would and wouldn't do.
• Three more citywide questions that didn't come from the Council: one from the Cook County Board on a state millionaires' surcharge, and two from the Board of Education, NBC Chicago reported. Our guide to those and the ward questions.
• Some mayoral candidates. Three people who filed for mayor are on Tuesday's ballot for other offices. What that means.

All the referendum questions are advisory: they record what voters think but don't change any law by themselves.

What our records add

One ward question came from the Council. The 26th Ward's question on limiting new short-term rentals, for example, was placed by a resolution from Ald. Jessie Fuentes that the Council adopted 49 to 0 (SR2025-0021045). We explained it here.

The next election is closer than usual. The February municipal election's calendar is already running. The objection deadline for 2027 candidates is 5 p.m. Monday, and regular registration for February closes Jan. 26, 2027, under the Board's 2027 calendar. Our 2027 election hub lists every candidate who has filed.

What's next

• Mon., Nov. 2: last day of early voting.
• Tue., Nov. 3, 6 a.m. to 7 p.m.: Election Day. Anyone in line at 7 p.m. may vote.
• Wed., Nov. 4: City Council budget hearings resume, with Planning, Housing, Cultural Affairs and Business Affairs, on the Budget Committee's schedule.

The Board posts unofficial results on election night. Mail ballots postmarked by Election Day that arrive afterward are still counted, so close races may not be settled Tuesday night.