When is the Illinois primary election and when can voters cast their ballots? There are several dates Illinois voters should know.
Illinois' 2024 primary election is right around the corner, but with many heading to the polls for Super Tuesday, it can be confusing.
(For a complete guide to voting in Illinois, click here.)
Here's what you need to know:
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When is the 2024 primary election in Illinois?
The 2024 primary election in Illinois will take place on Tuesday, March 19.
When can you vote in the Illinois Primary Election?
Early voting began in early February, with additional sites coming online this week, roughly two weeks prior to the election, according to the Illinois State Board of Elections.
On Monday, early voting expanded to all 50 wards in Chicago.
A list of early voting locations by county can be found below.
City of Chicago
Early voting continues at the Chicago Board of Elections Supersite, located at 191 North Clark, but additional sites are opening on Monday in each of the city's 50 wards.
A list of those sites, and more information on early voting procedures, can be found on the Board of Elections’ website.
Any voter in the city of Chicago can vote at the supersite, or at any of the ward-based early voting sites prior to Election Day, according to city officials.
Cook County:
For residents in suburban Cook County, early voting continues at the board’s downtown Chicago location at 69 West Washington Pedway.
Early voting at all other sites in the county will begin on Monday. A full list of sites can be found on the Cook County Clerk’s Office website.
DeKalb County:
Early voting continues at the Legislative Center in Sycamore, but four new sites will open for early and grace-period voting on Monday.
Those sites are located in Kingston and in Sandwich, as well as two sites in DeKalb, including the DeKalb Township Building and the NIU-Holmes Student Center.
You can find more information on the DeKalb County Clerk & Recorder’s website.
DuPage County:
Early voting continues at five locations across DuPage County on Feb. 8, including the DuPage County Fairgrounds in Wheaton. The Addison Township Office, the Naperville Municipal Center, the Stratford Square Mall in Bloomingdale and the Westmont Public Library will all host early voting sites.
Additional locations will open on Monday, including in Addison, Burr Ridge, Glendale Heights, Naperville, Lisle, Bloomingdale and more.
Residents interested in casting their ballots can find more information on the county clerk's website.
Officials also urge residents to check a new precinct map that was passed by the County Board in June 2023, with many residents having new precinct numbers for the coming election.
Grundy County:
Early voting continues at the Grundy County Courthouse’s lobby in Morris, but two more locations will open this week.
The Village of Minooka will host early voting beginning on Tuesday from 3-7 p.m. The Coal City Library's Annex Building will also host early voting beginning on Tuesday at 3 p.m.
More information on voting can be found on the Grundy County Election Department’s website.
Kane County:
Early voting continues at the Kane County Elections Main Office in Geneva and the Aurora Satellite Location, according to officials, but more sites will open on Monday.
Locations in Elgin Township, Aurora, Campton Hills, Batavia and more will all open for voting on Monday morning, with voting continuing through the Monday prior to the election.
More information can be found on the Kane County Clerk’s Office website.
Kankakee County:
Early voting remains ongoing at the County Clerk's Office in Kankakee, with two additional sites set for early balloting in coming days.
In Manteno, voters can cast ballots at the Leo Hassett Community Building from Thursday through Saturday, officials said. Early voting will also be available at the Bourbonnais Municipal Community Building beginning on Monday, March. 11 and running through Saturday, March 16.
Any qualified voter can vote early at any of the three locations, with more information available on the county clerk's website.
Kendall County:
Early voting continues at the Kendall County Clerk’s Office, located in Yorkville. Hours are Monday through Friday, though Saturday and Sunday voting will be available beginning on March 9.
Early voting will be available at the Oswego Village Hall beginning on March 4, according to officials.
More information can be found on the Kendall County Clerk and Recorder’s office website.
Lake County:
Early voting remains ongoing at the Lake County Clerk’s Office in Waukegan.
Early voting will expand on Monday, with sites available in Lake Villa, Ingleside, Gurnee, Zion, Wauconda and several others. A full list of sites can be found here.
For more information on early voting in Lake County, visit the county clerk’s office website.
LaSalle County:
Early voting remains available at the LaSalle County Clerk’s Office, located in Ottawa, according to the Illinois State Board of Elections.
McHenry County:
Early voting continues at the county clerk’s office in Woodstock, and will expand on Monday to other locations.
Those locations including the McHenry Township Office in Johnsburg, Nunda Township's offices in Crystal Lake, and the Lake in the Hills Village Hall, among others.
More information on early voting can be found on the County Clerk’s website.
Will County:
Early voting remains underway at the Will County Clerk’s Office in Joliet, and will expand to a slew of different sites on Monday.
A full list of early voting sites, and information for voting hours at each location, can be found on the Will County Clerk’s office website.
Winnebago County:
Early voting began at the Rockford Board of Elections, located at 301 South 6th Street, on Feb. 8, and will continue through Election Day.
You can find more information, including voting hours, on the board's website.
How can you register register to vote in Illinois and when?
While certain deadlines have already passed, voters still have options for registering.
Voters in Illinois have numerous methods to register to vote, including same-day voter registration and grace period registration even after the February deadline to register.
Residents seeking to register to vote must:
-Be a United States citizen
-Must be 18 years of age or older on Election Day
-Must live in their precinct for at least 30 days prior to an election
-Must not be serving a prison sentence as a result of a criminal conviction
-May not claim the right to vote anywhere else
Automatic voter registration is available in the state of Illinois, including when obtaining a driver’s license. When obtaining a REAL ID-compliant license, residents will be registered automatically unless they opt-out. For non-REAL ID-compliant licenses, individuals may be asked if they would like to register.
Voter registration can also be submitted to a local county clerk’s office via the U.S. Postal Service, but registering in that fashion must be done no more than 28 days prior to an election, which fell on Feb. 21, 2024, for the primary.
Voters could also register online, but that deadline was March 3.
Finally, grace-period voter registration is available at local county clerk’s offices or at participating early voting polling places.
Same-day registration is also available at some polling places, with ballots submitted on a provisional basis prior to being accepted and tabulated.
A full list of information can be found here.
How can you vote in Illinois?
There are four different ways to cast ballots in the state of Illinois, beginning before the election with in-person early voting and voting by mail.
All local election authorities in the state are required to offer early voting sites, with many counties opening their sites on Feb. 8, 2024, 40 days ahead of the primary election.
Most counties will open additional early voting sites on March 4, two weeks prior to the election.
Voting by mail is also an increasingly popular option for residents. There are a variety of ways to submit mail-in ballots, which we will detail in the next section of this guide, but applications for mail-in ballots must be received by March 14, and the ballots themselves must be returned or postmarked by March 19, the day of the election.
Members of the military or Illinois residents living overseas also have several options for obtaining and returning ballots, which are detailed on the State Board of Elections’ website.
Finally, there is traditional voting on Election Day. Voters are not required to present an identification to vote in Illinois unless they are changing items on their registration, or if their voter registration documents had incomplete information.
When are polls open on Election Day?
Polls in Illinois are required to open at 6 a.m. on Election Day, and will close at 7 p.m.
Certain circumstances can lead to polling places remaining open for extended hours, but the most important information is that if a voter is in line when polls close, they will be allowed to cast a ballot.
How to find your polling place?
The Illinois State Board of Elections operates a website where voters can use their five-digit ZIP code to find their polling place. You can find that site here.
Who’s on the ballot in Illinois
In order to vote in the 2024 primary election, voters will need to declare their choice of ballot when they arrive at their polling place.
In the 2024 primary, Illinois voters will choose their preferred nominees in all of the races, including the presidential race, which will appear at the top of ballots.
Voters will also choose their preferred presidential delegates, who will formally cast votes on behalf of their candidate during the Republican and Democratic National Conventions later this year.
Outside of the presidency, voters will also choose nominees for the November election for their respective members of Congress, with all 17 members of Illinois’ Congressional delegation facing reelection this year.
All 118 members of Illinois’ House of Representatives will be up for re-election in 2024, as will approximately one-third of the state’s 58 senators.
Some districts will also have primary votes on Supreme Court justices, with elections in the first and fourth districts to provide nominees for vacancies to those seats.
Voters will also determine nominees for appellate court, circuit courts and subcircuit courts when they cast their ballots.
Finally, some counties will also have countywide races to decide in 2024.
Sample ballots can be found on the local election authority’s website in your area.
What are the races to watch in Illinois?
The presidential election will feature two contested races on primary ballots, with President Joe Biden facing a trio of challengers and former President Donald Trump facing former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.
Elsewhere, multiple members of Congress will face high-profile primary challenges, including Rep. Jesús “Chuy” Garcia, who will go up against Chicago Ald. Raymond Lopez in the fourth district. Rep. Mike Bost will face a Republican challenge from former gubernatorial candidate Darren Bailey in the 12th district, while Rep. Danny Davis will face four Democratic challengers in the seventh district.
More information on the races to watch can be found on the NBC Chicago app.
How to get live Illinois election results
Election Day coverage will be airing live on NBC Chicago throughout the evening and at 10 p.m. Coverage of up-to-the-minute race results can also be found on NBCChicago.com and on the NBC Chicago app, where you can turn on notifications for all the latest race results.
