Voters in Illinois will head to the polls today to cast their ballots in statewide and countywide races. Also up for grabs in Illinois are 17 seats in the U.S. Congress and a rare open U.S. Senate seat. Locally, the Chicago Board of Education will become fully elected for the first time. Nationally, control of the U.S. Senate and U.S. House is at stake. Follow along all day for live news and results.
Washington, 9:20 a.m.
The Department of Justice announced Tuesday morning it would send election monitors to jurisdictions spread out across all 50 states, including Chicago and Cook County.
This announcement expands the list of jurisdictions expecting election monitors, which previously included Lake and Marion counties in Indiana.
Monitors will be observing compliance with federal voting rights statutes, according to the DOJ statement. DOJ officials previously told Lake County, Indiana, officials that plain clothes monitors would conduct voluntary exit interviews outside of polling locations focused on language barriers, disability access and provisional ballots.
“In the past (DOJ election monitors) were used to prevent racial discrimination. It was making sure that states were not having poll taxes, or anything else that made people of color feel any certain way about voting,” Emily Shrock, senior counsel at the Chicago Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights told WTTW News on Monday night before today’s announcement expanding the monitoring to Illinois.
“Unfortunately, we are seeing a bit of a chilling effect just by them being present because of the current administration’s decisions regarding the Department of Justice,” Shrock said on Monday.
Several voting rights organizations have trained nonpartisan poll watchers to observe polls Tuesday as an effort to stymie potential voter intimidation, as well as monitor an election protection hotline. Separately, the Chicago U.S. Attorney Andrew Boutros previously announced a different hotline to report voter fraud and intimidation.
-Andrew Montequin, WTTW News
6 a.m., Chicago
WTTW News’ Voter Guide is your one-stop shop for everything you need to know before voting in the 2026 Illinois general election with information on statewide, Cook County and Chicago races. You’ll find candidate profiles that include detailed, issue-based questionnaires and links to more information.
Our Voter Toolbox is the place to go for information on how to vote early, where to vote and all the things you need to know about Election Day. We also pulled together the latest election and political coverage from our WTTW News team. Visit the full guide for help filling out your ballot.
6 a.m., Chicago
For decades, Chicago has been the only city in Illinois with its board of education handpicked by its mayor much to the chagrin of education advocates who’ve long called for the board to be an elected body.
This fall, those advocates finally get their wish. It’s off to the races.
In the November general election, for the first time ever, all 21 seats on the board will be up for grabs, ending a reign of mayoral control that dates back to 1995 under Richard M. Daley. So how will the next round of elections play out? We explain how it works.
-Matt Masterson, WTTW News
6 a.m., Nov. 3
Can the polls be trusted? It depends on what you’re trusting them to do.
Even the most carefully conducted polls are imprecise snapshots of public opinion, not precision instruments — and when they’re pressed into predictive tools, they don’t always get it right. But while surveys can’t provide an unambiguous answer on who’s ahead in tight races, they often do paint a clear and important picture of the political landscape.
The contours of some findings are sharply drawn enough to be visible even through the shadows of potential polling error. Poll after poll has found President Donald Trump’s approval rating in the mid-to-low-30s nationally. Surveys also show a broad consensus that Americans, shaken by cost-of-living concerns, largely take a dim view of the economy and Trump’s stewardship of it; that there’s little enthusiasm in any corner about the current state of the nation; and that voters are overwhelmingly looking for change — even if they may not all agree on precisely what that change should look like. Read more.
-CNN
7:20 p.m., Nov. 2, Chicago
Election Day is Tuesday, and many voters are still wondering what to expect when they go to the polls. Last month, the U.S. Department of Justice announced plans to send election monitors to polling places around the country. Meanwhile, rumors are swirling about the possibility of immigration or other federal agents showing up.
But local voting rights advocates are still hoping for a “boring” Election Day. “We’re prepared for whatever comes our way. We hope that we are prepared for a very boring Election Day tomorrow,” said Christina Beeler, senior counsel at Chicago Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights (CLCCR).
Beeler said federal law prohibits voter intimidation and federal agents going to polling places. Some organizations have already preemptively challenged the deployment of federal agents at the polls. Read more.
-Andrew Montequin, WTTW News
