It's election season in Illinois!
Register. Make a Plan. Vote.
The general election coming up on Nov. 8 is critically important for our environment and our communities.
Each of us has a voice and contributes to the fabric of our communities and our country.
2022 Election
Key Dates
Vote Early
You can vote early now through Election Day on November 8 in Illinois! Find your early voting site by clicking here.
Vote on Election Day
Election Day is Tuesday, November 8. Find your voting site by clicking here.
Request Your Vote-By-Mail Ballot
Absentee Ballot Request Forms are due on Thursday, November 3. Apply for your for a Vote-By-Mail Ballot by clicking here.
Vote-By-Mail/Absentee Ballot Return Deadline
Your ballot must be postmarked and placed in the mail ON OR BEFORE Election Day, which is Tuesday, November 8! Find your vote-by-mail ballot drop off location by clicking here.
Know Your Rights
You have the right to…
- Cast your ballot in a non-disruptive atmosphere free of interference.
- Vote if you are in line by 7:00 PM.
- Vote by provisional ballot if your registration is challenged, or there is no record of your registration.
- Vote at your old polling place if you have moved within 30 days of the election.
- Request Assistance while voting, if needed.
- Bring newspaper endorsements or sample ballots into the voting booth.
- Protect the secrecy of your ballot.
- Review your ballot to ensure it is complete and accurate and correct your vote if there is a mistake or you change your mind.
- Have your ballot counted fairly and impartially.
- Bring your child into the voting booth with you.
- Register to vote on the same day during grace period and early voting.
- Register online to vote.
Thank you to Chicago Votes for assembling this list. Click to view their entire Vote Center and for a more in depth look at some of the most important races on the ballot.
What's on Your Ballot?
2022's Top Races
- The Governor’s Office This year Gov. JB Pritzker will be up for re-election against Republican State Sen. Darren Bailey.
- Secretary of State With Secretary of State Jesse White retiring, this year’s race will be amongst newcomers to the role: Democrat Alexi Giannoulias and Republican State Rep. Dan Brady.
- Attorney General Incumbent AG Kwame Raoul is up for re-election against Republican Thomas DeVore.
- Comptroller Incumbent State Comptroller Susan Mendoza is up for re-election against Republican challenger Shannon Teresi.
- Treasurer Incumbent Treasurer Mike Frerichs is up for re-election against Republican State Rep. Tom Demmer.
- U.S. Senate One of Illinois’ two Senators, Tammy Duckworth, is up for re-election against Republican challenger Kathy Salvi.
- Supreme Court Another important race will include two seats on Illinois’ Supreme Court. Incumbent Republican Justice Michael Burke is up for re-election against Democratic challenger Justice Mary Kay O’Brien. In another race, Republican former Lake County Sheriff Michael Curran and Democratic Lake County Circuit Court Judge Elizabeth Rochford are running for the remaining seat. This election will decide the majority of the court which in turn could have a major impact on issues such as reproductive rights, voting rights, environmental issues and more, as we’ve already seen on the national scale. For a quick rundown on the Supreme Court elections and what’s at stake, check out this summary from Axios.
For a deeper analysis into all of these races and more, please visit Ballotready’s Illinois Election Center.
General Assembly In addition to the highlights above, Illinois’ entire Senate and House of Representatives are also up for re-election. Don’t know who your elected officials are? No worries! You can look up who your legislators are here & see how they scored on environmental issues over the past year here.
Amendments
Aside from candidate races, Illinois ballots will also feature a pretty major referendum regarding the Workers Rights Amendment. It will be up to Illinois voters whether an amendment is added to the state constitution ensuring workers the right to organize, collective bargaining, and negotiating their pay and conditions. In other words, by voting ‘Yes’, you can vote to empower Illinois’ workers and unions. What should you look out for on the ballot? The question will read as follows:
Section 25. Workers’ Rights (a) Employees shall have the fundamental right to organize and to bargain collectively through representatives of their own choosing for the purpose of negotiating wages, hours, and working conditions, and to protect their economic welfare and safety at work. No law shall be passed that interferes with, negates, or diminishes the right of employees to organize and bargain collectively over their wages, hours, and other terms and conditions of employment and work place safety, including any law or ordinance that prohibits the execution or application of agreements between employers and labor organizations that represent employees requiring membership in an organization as a condition of employment. (b) The provisions of this Section are controlling over those of Section 6 of Article VII.
Cook County
Have you heard about ‘Vote Yes’? It’s the campaign to protect & maintain Cook County Forest Preserves for generations to come, and the final decision on whether or not this critical goal is reached is up to Cook County voters! By Voting ‘Yes’, you’ll be voting to protect clean air, clean water & healthy green space. So what exactly should you be looking out for on your ballot this November? The question will read as follows:
“Shall the limiting rate under the Property Tax Extension Limitation Law for the Forest Preserve District of Cook County, Illinois, be increased by an additional amount equal to 0.025% above the limiting rate for levy year 2020 for the purposes of conserving and restoring land to good health, protecting the water quality of rivers, lakes, and streams, providing natural flood water storage, protecting wildlife habitat, protecting forests to improve air quality, improving and maintaining existing forest preserves and trails of said District, and other lawful purposes of the Forest Preserve District of Cook County, with public disclosure of expenditures, and be equal to 0.076% of the equalized assessed value of the taxable property therein for levy year 2022?”
IEC Scorecard & Legislator Lookup
IEC Scorecard
In an election year, this is an especially valuable tool in educating voters about how they are being represented, lifting up legislative environmental champions and holding those accountable who obstruct environmental protections.