2018 Midterm Election Overview
At the November 6, 2018 Midterm Election, Chicago voters will help determine contests for Illinois governor and other statewide offices, members of Congress, members of the Illinois General Assembly, and other county and judicial offices.
The 2,069 precinct polling places in Chicago will be open on Election Day from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m.
The ballots will include several citywide and local referenda that are both binding and advisory questions. Voters will decide binding measures on whether to create a new taxing district for mental-health services in precincts in the Logan Square, Avondale and Hermosa neighborhoods. Various other advisory measures cover topics like rent control, whether to ban plastic straws, gun control, property- tax exemptions and hearings on safe water.
Chicago Election Board Chairwoman Marisel A. Hernandez said there are four basic steps every voter should follow:
- Verify your registration,
- Know where to vote,
- Have your IDs ready, if needed, and
- Know your ballot.
Voters will find their registration status, polling place, and sample ballot all at www.chicagoelections.com/info
The web site also offers ID requirements for those who need to use Election Day Registration.
Voters are encouraged to review their sample ballots, take notes and bring those notes to the polls.
To ensure a trouble-free election, the Chicago Election Board will have more than 400 investigators and technicians assigned to Election Day duty. This will include roving investigators assigned to every ward who will be making unannounced inspections of polling places – and investigators who are assigned to respond to calls for assistance, Hernandez said.
Election Central hotlines: 312-269-7870
Voters who witness anything irregular or encounter a problem on Election Day are urged to call the Board’s “Election Central” hotline at 312-269-7870.
These telephone lines will be staffed by Board personnel, attorneys versed in election law, equipment trouble-shooters, as well as language assistance in Spanish, Chinese, Hindi, Gujarati, Urdu, Polish and Korean. These “Election Central” hotlines will be operational on Election Day only.
TWO paper ballots on Election Day
On Election Day, voters who use the paper ballots should be issued two paper ballots: an “A” ballot with election contests and local referenda and a “B” ballot with judicial retention and citywide referenda.
Mail your Vote By Mail Ballot by Nov. 6
More than 120,000 Chicago voters applied to Vote By Mail, the highest total ever. “Voters should try to get those ballots in the mail Monday if possible, on Election Day at the very latest,” Hernandez said. Mailed ballots postmarked on Election Day or earlier can be counted even if they arrive up to two weeks after Election Day; however, those with postmarks Nov. 7 or later cannot be counted.
Any voter who applied for and has not received or cannot return their Vote By Mail ballot should go to the Precinct Polling Place assigned to their home address to vote on Election Day. Voters may surrender Vote By Mail ballots to the Election Judges and/or sign an affidavit to say that the ballot did not arrive. Voters cannot drop-off their Vote By Mail ballots for counting at the precinct without spoiling that first ballot and voting a new ballot.
Election Day Registration
Those voters who have moved or need to register for the first time should find their correct precinct and polling place at chicagoelections.com/info. Once at the correct precinct and polling place, a voter may use Election Day Registration by presenting two forms of ID, at least one of which shows the voter’s current address.
Highest Midterm Registration since 1982
A total of 1.503 million Chicagoans were registered to vote for this election.
Thanks to online registration and the initial phase of automatic registration in Illinois, this is the highest registration for a Midterm Election since 1982, up 9.9% from the 1.368 million registered in 2014.
More than 200,000 expected to use Early Voting in Chicago
As of late Sunday, nearly 200,000 Chicago voters had used Early Voting, far exceeding the 113,000 who used Early Voting ahead of the 2014 Midterm Election.
On Mon., Nov. 5, all 51 Chicago Early Voting sites are scheduled to be open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
However, six “permanent” Early Voting sites (the Loop Super Site, Roden Library, Welles Park, the West Side Learning Center at Malcolm X College, the King Community Center and Mount Greenwood Park) will remain open through 7 p.m. on Mon., Nov. 5.