Voter Registration, Voting, Elections

Who are the candidates, and what else is on the ballot?

Sample ballots are available from local election authorities

1. BallotReady. (n.d.). Illinois General Election. BallotReady. Retrieved from https://www.ballotready.org/il

General Election Day is November 5, 2024

Dates of all elections can be found in the Illinois Election Code

1. 270 to Win. (n.d.). Consensus 2022 House Forecast - 270toWin. 270toWin.com. Retrieved from https://www.270towin.com/2022-house-election/consensus-2022-house-forecast

1. 270 to Win. (n.d.). Consensus 2022 Senate Forecast - 270toWin. 270toWin.com. Retrieved from https://www.270towin.com/2022-senate-election/consensus-2022-senate-forecast

Who conducts elections?

• The Illinois State Board of Elections oversees statewide and local elections
• Local Election Authorities maintain voter rolls for each municipality
• Local Election Authorities prepare ballots and administer balloting for each municipality

Local Election Authorities

Constitution of the State of Illinois

ARTICLE III

SUFFRAGE AND ELECTIONS

SECTION 1. VOTING QUALIFICATIONS
    Every United States citizen who has attained the age of
18 or any other voting age required by the United States for
voting in State elections and who has been a permanent
resident of this State for at least 30 days next preceding
any election shall have the right to vote at such election.
The General Assembly by law may establish registration
requirements and require permanent residence in an election
district not to exceed thirty days prior to an election. The
General Assembly by law may establish shorter residence
requirements for voting for President and Vice-President of
the United States.
(Source: Amendment adopted at general election November 8,
1988.)


SECTION 2. VOTING DISQUALIFICATIONS
    A person convicted of a felony, or otherwise under
sentence in a correctional institution or jail, shall lose
the right to vote, which right shall be restored not later
than upon completion of his sentence.
(Source: Illinois Constitution.)


SECTION 3. ELECTIONS
    All elections shall be free and equal.
(Source: Illinois Constitution.)


SECTION 4.  ELECTION LAWS
    The General Assembly by law shall define permanent
residence for voting purposes, insure secrecy of voting and
the integrity of the election process, and facilitate
registration and voting by all qualified persons. Laws
governing voter registration and conduct of elections shall
be general and uniform.
(Source: Illinois Constitution.)


SECTION  5. BOARD OF ELECTIONS
    A State Board of Elections shall have general supervision
over the administration of the registration and election laws
throughout the State. The General Assembly by law shall
determine the size, manner of selection and compensation of
the Board. No political party shall have a majority of
members of the Board.
(Source: Illinois Constitution.)


SECTION 6. GENERAL ELECTION
    As used in all articles of this Constitution except
Article VII, "general election" means the biennial election
at which members of the General Assembly are elected. Such
election shall be held on the Tuesday following the first
Monday of November in even-numbered years or on such other
day as provided by law.
(Source: Illinois Constitution.)


SECTION 7. INITIATIVE TO RECALL GOVERNOR
    (a) The recall of the Governor may be proposed by a 
petition signed by a number of electors equal in number to 
at least 15% of the total votes cast for Governor in the 
preceding gubernatorial election, with at least 100 
signatures from each of at least 25 separate counties. A 
petition shall have been signed by the petitioning 
electors not more than 150 days after an affidavit has 
been filed with the State Board of Elections providing 
notice of intent to circulate a petition to recall the 
Governor. The affidavit may be filed no sooner than 6 
months after the beginning of the Governor's term of 
office. The affidavit shall have been signed by the 
proponent of the recall petition, at least 20 members 
of the House of Representatives, and at least 10 members 
of the Senate, with no more than half of the signatures 
of members of each chamber from the same established 
political party.
    (b) The form of the petition, circulation, and 
procedure for determining the validity and sufficiency 
of a petition shall be as provided by law. If the 
petition is valid and sufficient, the State Board of 
Elections shall certify the petition not more than 100 
days after the date the petition was filed, and the 
question "Shall (name) be recalled from the office of 
Governor?" must be submitted to the electors at a 
special election called by the State Board of Elections, 
to occur not more than 100 days after certification of 
the petition. A recall petition certified by the State 
Board of Elections may not be withdrawn and another 
recall petition may not be initiated against the 
Governor during the remainder of the current term of 
office. Any recall petition or recall election pending 
on the date of the next general election at which a 
candidate for Governor is elected is moot.
    (c) If a petition to recall the Governor has been 
filed with the State Board of Elections, a person 
eligible to serve as Governor may propose his or her 
candidacy by a petition signed by a number of electors 
equal in number to the requirement for petitions for an 
established party candidate for the office of Governor, 
signed by petitioning electors not more than 50 days 
after a recall petition has been filed with the State 
Board of Elections. The form of a successor election 
petition, circulation, and procedure for determining 
the validity and sufficiency of a petition shall be as 
provided by law. If the successor election petition is 
valid and sufficient, the State Board of Elections 
shall certify the petition not more than 100 days 
after the date the petition to recall the Governor was 
filed. Names of candidates for nomination to serve as 
the candidate of an established political party must 
be submitted to the electors at a special primary 
election, if necessary, called by the State Board of 
Elections to be held at the same time as the special 
election on the question of recall established under 
subsection (b). Names of candidates for the successor 
election must be submitted to the electors at a 
special successor election called by the State Board 
of Elections, to occur not more than 60 days after 
the date of the special primary election or on a date 
established by law.
    (d) The Governor is immediately removed upon 
certification of the recall election results if a 
majority of the electors voting on the question vote 
to recall the Governor. If the Governor is removed, 
then (i) an Acting Governor determined under 
subsection (a) of Section 6 of Article V shall serve 
until the Governor elected at the special successor 
election is qualified and (ii) the candidate who 
receives the highest number of votes in the special 
successor election is elected Governor for the balance 
of the term.
(Source: Amendment adopted at general election November 
2, 2010.)


SECTION 8. VOTER DISCRIMINATION 
    No person shall be denied the right to register 
to vote or to cast a ballot in an election based on 
race, color, ethnicity, status as a member of a 
language minority, national origin, religion, sex, 
sexual orientation, or income. 
(Source: Amendment adopted at general election November 
4, 2014.)

1. Ill. Const. art. III, sec. 1-7

Where to go with complaints about candidates or how elections are conducted:

The Illinois State Board of Elections oversees complaints about elections.  For those not related to campaign finance, the details are listed here.  

For complaints about Campaign finance disclosure.

Campaign finance

The Illinois State Board of Elections provides access to all candidates’ election committee and Political Action Committee campaign finance filings, see the campaign disclosure tab on their website for more information.

Federal Election Campaign Laws- Federal Election Commission

1. U.S. Federal Election Commission FEC. (2019). Federal Election Campaign Laws. Retrieved from https://www.fec.gov/resources/cms-content/documents/feca.pdf

Illinois Campaign Finance Laws

1. Illinois State Board of Elections, Election Code, 10 ILCS 5/9-8.5 (2022)

How to contact your elected officials:

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