Chicago residents can vote at any early voting site within the city. Suburban Cook County voters may use any early voting location in the county’s suburbs. Additional sites also opened Monday in DeKalb, DuPage, Kendall, Lake, McHenry and Will counties.

The 2026 ballot includes races for U.S. Senate and the U.S. House, Illinois governor and other statewide offices, state legislative seats, and several referendums. Chicago voters will also choose a fully elected Board of Education president and board members for the first time, a change the Chicago Board of Elections described as historic.

Cook County Clerk Monica Gordon said her office had received more than 200,000 requests for mail-in ballots. The county is expanding its Election Lens tracking system to incorporate U.S. Postal Service scan data, allowing election officials to see more about where ballots are in the mail process and how long they remain at each stage, Gordon said.

Voter registration is available at all suburban Cook County early voting sites. Illinois does not require voters to show photo identification, though an ID may help resolve questions about registration, address or signature.

Voters returning mail ballots can use designated drop boxes at polling locations. A drop box is also available at Soldier Field. Details on polling locations and mail voting are available through the Illinois State Board of Elections.