(WBBM NEWSRADIO) — The 2024 general election is here, and WBBM’s voters guide is here to help you prepare before you fill out your ballot.
The guide below has answers to essential voting questions, including important dates and what voters will need to bring to their polling location to make their voice heard. The top of this guide will spell out those vital details. The remainder will focus on Chicago races, including the Cook County State’s Attorney’s race as well the first ever Chicago Board of Education races.
One quick note: WBBM Newsradio will continue publishing tons of in-depth coverage on the most important races and issues facing voters beyond this guide. All of that coverage can be found on the Election Central page.
Voting Essentials
When is Election Day 2024?
Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024.
How do I register to vote in Illinois?
Illinoisans can register to vote in-person at their polling places, so long as they meet the following requirements. In order to cast a ballot, you:
-Must be a U.S. citizen
-Must be at least 18 on or before the general election (Nov. 5, 2024)
-Must live in your election precinct at least 30 days prior to Election Day
-Must not be serving a sentence of confinement in any penal institution as a result of a conviction
-May not claim the right to vote anywhere else
You can check your voter registration status with Illinois’ Voter Registration Lookup tool. Voters who need to register at their polling place will also need to provide necessary identification, which can be found directly below.
What do I need in order to vote in the 2024 general election in Illinois?
On Election Day, registered voters do not need to produce any form of identification as long as they are registered under their current address and are voting in the correct precinct.
A voter will need to show one form of ID if an election judge challenges their right to vote or if the voter fails to include their Illinois identification, driver’s license number or Social Security number in their mail-in registration form.
A voter is required to present two forms of ID if they are either registering in-person or filing an address or name change.
Here are accepted forms of ID:
-Passport or military ID
-Driver's license or State ID card
-College/university/school/work ID
-Vehicle registration card
-Lease, mortgage or deed to home
-Credit or debit card
-Social Security, Medicare or Medicaid card
-Insurance card
-Civic, union or professional membership card
-LINK/public aid/Department of Human Services card
-Illinois FOID card
Here are examples of mail that a voter can use as a form of ID:
-Bill, transcript or report card from school
-Bank statement, pay stub or pension statement
-Utility, medical or insurance bill
-Official mail from any government agency
When did early voting begin for the 2024 general election?
Early voting is now open across all of Illinois.
Where can I vote in the 2024 general election?
On Election Day, voters can cast their ballots from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. at any of the city's 51 voting centers or at their assigned precinct polling place. Find which of the 51 voting centers are nearest to you with the map embedded below, and find your assigned precinct polling place with this link.
Those who plan to vote early, though, may find that their assigned precinct polling location is not open. You can find locations for your municipality or county with the links below.
-Chicago early voting locations
-Cook County early voting locations
-DuPage County early voting locations
-Kane County early voting locations
-Kankakee County early voting locations
-Kendall County early voting locations
-Lake County early voting locations
-McHenry County early voting locations
-Will County early voting locations
How do I request a vote-by-mail ballot in Illinois?
The vote-by-mail request deadline was Oct. 31, 2024. State officials encourage voters to request their ballot as soon as possible in order to have the biggest window to cast your ballot on time. Click here for more information on the vote-by-mail process.
If I request a vote-by-mail ballot, can I still vote in person?
Yes, voters who received a mail-in ballot can still vote in person. They must surrender the unfilled ballot in-person at an early voting site or precinct polling place on Election Day and vote on a new ballot. If the voter has yet to receive the vote-by-mail ballot, they will be asked to sign an affidavit form in order to vote in-person.
Where can I return my vote-by-mail ballot?
There are several ways to submit the vote-by-mail ballot. The signed and sealed mail-in ballot envelope can be returned to a U.S. Postal Service mailbox or U.S. Postal Service letter courier. The ballot can also be returned to a secured drop box location within the voter’s jurisdiction. Lastly, a mail-in ballot can be returned on Election Day at your polling location.
How can I avoid misinformation surrounding the 2024 election?
Ahead of the start of early voting, Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul issued several tips to help local voters protect themselves from misinformation created with artificial intelligence.
Raoul said election misinformation can take the form AI-generated audio and videos to create fake messages that sound and look as if they’re coming from political candidates. The goal, he said, is to cause confusion or even keep people from voting. The attorney general’s tips for avoiding such misinformation include:
-Have a plan to vote, and use the Illinois State Board of Elections to answer any voting questions you may have.
-Verify election information with official sources.
-Be skeptical of images, audio, videos and articles that provoke a strong emotional reaction.
-Check to see if information is being reported by legitimate news outlets.
-Do not share or engage with content that you have not verified to be real and accurate.
How can I see what’s on my ballot?
Non-Chicago residents who live in the collar counties can use the following links to see what’s on your ballot this election.
-Cook County
-DuPage County
-Kane County
-Kankakee County
-Kendall County
-Lake County
-McHenry County
-Will County
For Chicago voters, we’ve put together a more in-depth preview of this year’s ballot, which can be found in the section below.
2024 Chicago voters guide: What’s on my ballot?
Beyond races for the U.S. presidency and the U.S. House of Representatives, this year’s election will ask Chicagoans to decide several state, county and city races, as well as a few non-binding policy questions.
No matter what happens, the 2024 general election will be historic in Chicago, as residents become the first to ever elect members of the Chicago Board of Education.
Below, we’ve compiled a rundown of over a dozen races voters will find on their ballot. If you want to see exactly what’s on your ballot, the easiest way to do so is to fill out the online “Voter Information” portal on the city’s website and click the link located underneath “View Sample Ballots.”
Looking for more Illinois election coverage? Be sure to check out WBBM’s Election Central.
Federal races: US President, US Representative
With no U.S. senators up for re-election in Illinois, Chicagoans only need to worry about the presidential race and the House of Representatives races. Voters will choose from (listed in the order they’ll appear on the ballot):
-Kamala D. Harris and Tim Walz, Democratic
-Donald J. Trump and JD Vance, Republican
-Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Nicole Shanahan, Independent
All but one of Chicago’s U.S. Representative races are solely between Democratic and Republican candidates, with the 4th District featuring third-party candidate Ed Hershey of the Working Class Party. Each voter’s ballot will only include the district in which they are voting.
Read the latest political coverage from WBBM Newsradio and the Associated Press on our Election Central page.
Cook County State’s Attorney
The race to replace Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx will come to an end this November, with either Democrat Eileen O’Neill Burke, Republican Robert W. Fioretti or Libertarian Andrew Charles Kopinski stepping into the role.
Chicago Board of Education Member
In March 2024, Illinois leaders passed a measure to give the public the power to elect members to Chicago’s Board of Education. This board has previously been completely filled by mayoral appointments.
This November, Chicagoans will elect 10 members to the board. The other 10 positions will be filled by the mayor. It marks what state leaders envision will be the start of a full transition toward an elected school board.
Check out our guide to the candidates running in each of the 10 districts.
Metropolitan Water Reclamation District Commissioners, 6-year term (choose no more than three)
Cook County’s Metropolitan Water Reclamation District is in charge of the county’s reclamation and treatment of wastewater and flood water abatement. That means these folks are in charge of handling whatever gets flushed down the drain, heavy rains and more.
The district is governed by a board of nine commissioners. Every two years, elections are held to elect three members, each of whom will serve for six years.
-Kari K. Steele, Democratic
-Marcelino Garcia, Democratic
-Sharon Waller, Democratic
-Claire Connelly, Republican
-Richard F. Dale, Republican
-Toneal M. Jackson, Green
Voters will also be asked to elect one candidate to a two-year term:
-Precious Brady-Davis, Democratic
-R. Cary Capparelli, Republican
Cook County Commissioners
The Cook County Board of Commissioners is the legislative body of the county. There are 17 commissioners, who are elected to four-year terms. There are two board seats on this year’s ballot to fill unexpired two-year terms.
In District 1, Tara Stamps, Democrat, is running against James M. Humay, Libertarian. Stamps was appointed to the board to fill Brandon Johnson’s seat he vacated when he became mayor.
In District 2, Michael Scott, Jr., Democratic, is running unopposed. He was appointed to the seat following the death of Commissioner Dennis Deer.
Candidates for the Illinois Supreme Court, appellate courts, circuit courts and subcircuit courts
Depending on where they live, some Illinois primary voters will find that their ballot is mostly filled with judicial nominees. Given that few, if any, of the judicial nominees would qualify as household names for the layperson, WBBM Newsradio is recommending voters consult the Chicago Bar Association’s (CBA) Judicial Voter’s Guide, which will be updated in October.
The CBA dates back to 1874 and bills itself as one of the oldest and most active city-based bar associations in the country. Its 17,000-person membership mostly comprises lawyers and judges from Cook County and the state of Illinois. Its guide designates each candidate as: highly qualified, qualified or not recommended.
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