When Is Election Day 2026 in Illinois? Polling Hours, Early Voting and Mail Deadlines

Election Day in Illinois is Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026, and polling places are open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. Early voting began statewide on Sept. 24, applications to vote by mail are due by Thursday, Oct. 29, and in-person early voting runs through Monday, Nov. 2. The dates below come from the Illinois State Board of Elections and your county and city election authorities.

Illinois polling hours on Nov. 3, 2026

Polls open at 6 a.m. and close at 7 p.m. on Election Day, the Illinois State Board of Elections says. That is 13 hours. If you are in line when the polls close, you are allowed to stay and vote, even if your wait runs past 7 p.m. Find your assigned polling place with the board’s Polling Place Lookup; your county or city election authority provides your sample ballot.

Illinois also offers Grace Period Registration and Voting, which lets eligible residents register and cast a ballot on Election Day. Bring two forms of identification, one of which shows your current address.

Illinois voting dates at a glance

Date	Day	What happens	Days from today
Oct. 29	Thursday	Last day to apply for a mail ballot by mail
Nov. 2	Monday	Last day of in-person early voting
Nov. 3	Tuesday	Election Day, polls open 6 a.m. to 7 p.m.

The live count above updates from today’s date in the Central Time zone. Without JavaScript, the fixed dates in the table are the ones to use.

Illinois early voting in 2026

Early voting began across Illinois on Sept. 24, 2026 at election authority offices, according to the state board. Local authorities then opened more sites:

• Chicago. In-person early voting is open at all 50 ward sites from Monday, Oct. 19 through Monday, Nov. 2, the Chicago Board of Election Commissioners says.
• Suburban Cook County. Early voting began at six locations on Wednesday, Oct. 7 and expanded to 56 sites from Oct. 19, running through Nov. 2, the Cook County Clerk says.

Outside Cook County, check your county clerk or election authority for site locations and hours, because start dates and the number of open sites are set locally and differ from place to place. The last day to vote early in person statewide is Monday, Nov. 2.

Illinois vote by mail: the Oct. 29 deadline

The first day to file a vote-by-mail application for the Nov. 3, 2026 general election was Aug. 5. All requests sent by mail must be received by your election authority by Thursday, Oct. 29, the state board says.

A completed mail ballot must be postmarked by Election Day or returned in person by 7 p.m. on Nov. 3. Ask your election authority for its own receipt deadline for mailed ballots, since the office counts eligible ballots that arrive after Election Day within the window state law allows. Illinois also offers accessible vote by mail for voters with print disabilities, using the OmniBallot system in Cook County, the City of Chicago, DuPage, Lake, Marshall and Sangamon counties.

When do polls close in Illinois?

Illinois polls close at 7 p.m. Central Time (CT) on Tuesday, Nov. 3. The clock below counts down to that moment and to the 6 a.m. opening, in your own time zone.

The clock needs JavaScript. Without it, use the hours above: 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. Central Time on Nov. 3. For when results are reported across the country, see what time polls close on Election Day 2026.

What’s on the Illinois ballot in 2026

The Illinois State Board of Elections 2026 Ballot Preparation Guide lists these offices on the general election ballot. This story names offices only, not candidates.

Office	On the 2026 ballot
U.S. Senator	Yes
U.S. Representatives	All 17 districts
Governor and Lieutenant Governor	Yes, elected as a ticket
Attorney General	Yes
State legislative seats	Yes

For the exact races and questions in your precinct, use your county or city election authority’s sample ballot. Our guide to finding a sample ballot by address explains why a ZIP code alone can show the wrong races.

Is Election Day a school or work holiday in Illinois?

Election Day, Nov. 3, is not a federal holiday; see what is open on Election Day 2026. Chicago Public Schools has no classes on Nov. 2 and Nov. 3, as its 2026-27 calendar shows, which frees many school buildings to serve as polling places.

Print the Illinois voter calendar

The free printable below lists the early voting dates, the Oct. 29 mail ballot deadline and Election Day hours on one US Letter page, with a line to write your own polling place. Use the ink-saver version for a home printer. To mark the dates, use an October 2026 printable calendar or a November 2026 printable calendar.