Illinois has a busy election calendar in 2025–2026, with local races in 2025 and big statewide and federal contests in March and November 2026.

Quick Scoop

Here’s the short version of what elections are coming up in Illinois over the next couple of cycles, based on what’s scheduled so far.

2025: Local & Municipal Votes

2025 is mainly about local government rather than big statewide races.

You can expect:

  • Municipal and local offices in many cities and villages (mayors, city councils, village trustees, etc.), depending on your district.
  • School boards and special district boards (park, library, fire protection, etc.), again depending on where you live.
  • A “consolidated” local primary and/or election period in early 2025 for places that need primaries (for example, the Illinois Voter Guide lists a consolidated primary on February 25, 2025).
  • Possible local referenda (tax questions, bond issues, advisory questions) added by counties or municipalities.

Because 2025 is heavily local, your exact ballot will vary by county and city; official county election sites and tools like Illinois Voter Guide or Ballotpedia will show what’s on your specific ballot.

2026: Big Statewide & Federal Year

2026 is a major election year in Illinois, with both a primary in March and a general election in November.

March 17, 2026 – Primary Election

Illinois holds its statewide primary on March 17, 2026.

On that primary ballot, you can expect party primaries for:

  • Governor and lieutenant governor.
  • U.S. Senate seat from Illinois.
  • All 17 U.S. House (Congress) districts in Illinois.
  • State constitutional officers (such as attorney general, secretary of state, comptroller, treasurer, if up that cycle).
  • State legislative seats: Illinois Senate and Illinois House seats that are up in 2026.
  • Judicial races (state courts) and some county-level judicial contests.
  • Various county and local partisan offices, depending on the county.

Key date example from a statewide elections calendar:

  • March 17, 2026 – “Illinois Congressional, State, Gubernatorial and Judicial Primary Election.”

November 3, 2026 – General Election

The general election is scheduled for November 3, 2026.

On that ballot, voters choose among the nominees picked in March, including:

  • U.S. Senate seat from Illinois.
  • All 17 members of the U.S. House of Representatives from Illinois.
  • Governor and lieutenant governor (incumbent JB Pritzker is running for reelection, with Juliana Stratton leaving the ticket to run for U.S. Senate and Christian Mitchell joining Pritzker as running mate).
  • Other statewide executive offices that are scheduled in 2026.
  • Seats in the Illinois General Assembly (Illinois Senate and Illinois House).
  • State and local judicial positions, as set on the 2026 judicial ballot.
  • Additional county or local questions and offices, depending on your location.

At-a-Glance Election Timeline (HTML Table)

Below is a simple HTML table version, since you asked for structured, quick- scan info:

html

<table>
  <thead>
    <tr>
      <th>Timeframe</th>
      <th>Election</th>
      <th>What’s on the Ballot (Examples)</th>
    </tr>
  </thead>
  <tbody>
    <tr>
      <td>Early 2025</td>
      <td>Local / Consolidated elections (incl. Feb 25, 2025 consolidated primary)</td>
      <td>City and village offices, school boards, special districts, local referenda (varies by community)[web:4][web:10]</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>March 17, 2026</td>
      <td>Statewide primary election</td>
      <td>Party primaries for Governor/Lt. Governor, U.S. Senate, U.S. House (17 districts), statewide officers, state legislature, judicial and county offices as scheduled.[web:1][web:3][web:7]</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>November 3, 2026</td>
      <td>General election</td>
      <td>Governor and Lt. Governor, U.S. Senate, all 17 U.S. House seats, statewide offices, state legislature seats, judicial races, local offices and referenda.[web:1][web:5][web:7]</td>
    </tr>
  </tbody>
</table>

“Forum-style” notes & perspectives

“What elections are coming up in Illinois?” is becoming a common thread in local forums as people realize 2026 is another major midterm-style year with governor, Senate, and every House district on the line.

Different viewpoints you’ll see in online discussions:

  • Some users focus on the governor and U.S. Senate races, treating 2026 as a referendum on statewide leadership.
  • Others follow U.S. House primaries , especially where incumbents are retiring or facing strong challengers.
  • Local activists emphasize judicial and county offices , arguing these races affect courts, prosecutors, and local services as much as the high-profile contests.

How to See YOUR Exact Upcoming Ballot

Because Illinois has many layers of local government, the precise list of “what’s coming up” depends on your address. To see what’s specifically coming up for you:

  1. Check your county clerk or county election authority’s website (for example, Lake County has a dedicated page for the March 17, 2026 General Primary).
  1. Use nonpartisan tools such as:
    • Illinois Voter Guide (League of Women Voters of Illinois).
 * Ballotpedia’s Illinois election pages.
  1. Look again closer to each election date, since new referenda and candidate filings can change the ballot line-up.

TL;DR:

  • 2025: Mostly local and “consolidated” municipal/school board-type elections.
  • March 17, 2026: Major statewide primary (governor, U.S. Senate, U.S. House, legislature, judicial, local).
  • November 3, 2026: Big general election for governor, U.S. Senate, all 17 U.S. House seats, state legislature, and more.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.