Energized voters could mean tight primary races, expert says
Some of Illinoi’s primary races are crowded with candidates; others don’t even have an incumbent on the ballot, guaranteeing a new face in the seat. North Central College political science professor Stephen Maynard Caliendo believes that will lead to some surprises.
“When you have this many candidates, somebody’s going to win with a pretty low percentage of the overall vote. And that’s problematic from a democratic standpoint,” Caliendo said. “We don’t in Illinois require that candidates get a majority plus one, as they do in other states. In other words, we won’t go into a runoff if nobody gets to 50%. Whoever gets the most votes, that’s going to be the person who is the candidate for November, and so because you’re talking about those percentages that are spread out over numbers of candidates, surprises can absolutely happen tonight.”
Chicago’s aldermanic and mayoral elections are nonpartisan and do involved runoffs if no candidate gets 50% of the vote. There have been runoffs in the last three mayoral elections. But the state does not have the same rules, and Chicago’s local elections are in 2027.
Chicago voter turnout over 16% as of noon
The Chicago Board of Elections say voter turnout is over 16%, including early voting and mail-in ballots, as of noon Tuesday.
Officials said as of 12 p.m., 250,364 ballots have been cast in total in the Illinois primary.
There are more than 1.5 million active registered voters in Chicago, putting voter turnout at 16.11% so far.
So far the highest number of ballots have been cast by Chicagoans aged 65-74 (53,074), followed by ages 55-64 (42,982), Chicagoans over the age of 75 (41,534) and then ages 35-44 (36,710).
The number of ballots cast has also risen steadily hour by hour since polls opened at 6 a.m.
Polls close in Illinois at 7 p.m.
Could the Illinois Senate primary set the tone for other Democratic primaries?
The race to fill Dick Durbin’s Senate seat could provide to be a tone-setter for other Democratic midterm primaries on issues like President Trump’s deportation policies and outside spending on state races. It also could reveal how much sway Gov. JB Pritzker has on Illinois Democrats.
Pritzker has endorsed and donated millions to the campaign of his lieutenant governor, Juliana Stratton. But all three leading Democratic candidates –- Stratton, and Reps. Robin Kelly and Raja Krishnamoorthi –- have pledged to fight Trump on ICE and homeland security, as well as on other Trump Administration policies, but to differing degrees.
At the same time, the candidates have raised millions of dollars from outside groups including Super PACs and even individual out-of-state donors. Krishnamoorthi has outraised and outspent his opponents, and has outspent Stratton on advertising by more than $20 million, according to advertisement tracking firm AdImpact.
Voters will cast ballots for long-held seats this year
There are seats on the 2026 Illinois primary ballot that haven’t been open in years, even decades.
Gov. JB Pritzker is running for a third term with a new running mate, because Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton is one of the Democratic candidates for the U.S. Senate seat previously held for decades by U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin. Other contenders for the seat include U.S. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi and U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly.
Because Krishnamoorthi and Kelly are both running for Senate, their U.S. House seats are now open in the 8th and 2nd districts. Former U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr., who previously represented the 2nd District, which Kelly now represents, from 1995 until Nov. 2012, when he stepped down citing health reasons, is on the ballot again and could win the Democratic nomination in a bid to reclaim the seat.
The 8th District, represented by Krishnamoorthi, includes the Far Northwest Side of Chicago and several west and northwest suburbs, including parts of Carol Stream, Schaumburg, Hoffman Estates, Geneva and Elgin.
U.S. Rep. Danny Davis is also retiring, opening a crowded ballot in the 7th District for a seat that’s been held for 30 years.
U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky’s retirement after nearly 30 years in office has opened a wide race with many candidates in the 9th District of Illinois.
Where’s my polling place?
Do you know where your polling place is?
To find your specific polling place, go to the Illinois Board of Elections website, where you need to enter your address. You can do the same thing at the clerk’s website for the county you live in.
Some areas, especially in the city of Chicago, have multiple polling place representing the same precinct in the same neighborhoods, or polling places that serve multiple precincts that are both located in that neighborhood. It’s best to check your polling place before you leave to cast your vote to make sure you’re going to the right place.
When do polls open and close on primary day?
If you haven’t already cast your vote in Illinois’ primary, you’ve still got hours left to do so.
All polls in Illinois open at 6 a.m. on primary day and close at 7 p.m. If you’re still in line to vote at 7 p.m., stay in line because anyone in line will be allowed to cast their ballot and have their vote counted.
Chicago and Cook County both posted strong early and mail-in voting numbers before primary day but plenty of people also wait until the day of to cast their votes.