When is the Chicago Mayoral Election?

While only a few months have passed since voters went to the polls to cast their ballots in the 2022 midterm elections, Chicagoans are preparing to head back to the voting booths for the city's first mayoral and aldermanic elections since 2019.

Election Day is just six days away, where Chicago voters will select who will represent them in City Council and the newly-created Police District Councils in addition to citywide elected offices such as Mayor, City Treasurer and City Clerk.

Although Feb. 28 serves as the city's official Election Day, early voting is currently open in all 50 wards, with polling places also available at a downtown supersite. Early voting remains available through Feb. 27.

However, if no candidates on the ballot receives a majority of this election in any race, voters will likely be heading to the polls once again in April for runoff elections.

Here’s how things will break down:

Feb. 28 – Chicago Municipal General Election

Voters will cast ballots for citywide offices in this election, voting on:

• Mayor of Chicago
• City Clerk
• City Treasurer
• Alderpeople (all 50 wards)
• Candidates for newly created police district councils: 3 per district in 22 districts

The 2023 race for Chicago mayor is a crowded one, with nine candidates currently in the running: Ja'Mal Green, Ald. Sophia King, State Rep. Kam Buckner, Willie Wilson, Cook County Commissioner Brandon Johnson, Paul Vallas, Incumbent Mayor Lori Lightfoot, Ald. Roderick Sawyer and Congressman Jesús ‘Chuy’ García.

As of the end of the day on Feb. 21, early voting and mail-in turnout for this year's municipal elections are markedly higher than they were in the past two election seasons, according to city data.

A total of 132,443 ballots have been cast thus far for the upcoming election, significantly higher than the total of 57,829 ballots cast seven days away from the 2019 municipal elections.

In 2015, just 55,954 ballots were cast with seven days remaining until Election Day.

Apr. 4 – Municipal Runoff and Supplementary Elections

This election will see significantly-smaller fields in a variety of races. If no candidate receives a majority of the votes in the Feb. 28 election in any race, then the top-two vote getters will advance to a runoff election that will take place on this date.

With 9 candidates currently on the ballot for Chicago mayor, it is widely assumed that there will be a runoff for the third consecutive election cycle. In 2015, Rahm Emanuel won reelection in a runoff as he defeated Jesús “Chuy” García, and in 2019, current Mayor Lori Lightfoot won election to office when she defeated Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle.

While the City Clerk and Treasurer’s races will be decided on Feb. 28, as Anna Valencia and Melissa Conyears-Ervin are both running unopposed, numerous aldermanic races could also go to runoffs due to the sheer number of candidates and the number of sitting City Council members that are not seeking reelection.

Both early voting and mail-in voting are currently underway.