2022 Midterm Elections: Where to vote in Illinois? When do your designated polls open and close?

So far Illinois has reported 535,832 early votes cast in person, with an additional 520,119 mail-in ballots have been returned. With six million eligible voters, only a fraction of eligible voters have completed their civic duty.

The latest figures published by the United States Election Project show that more than 30 million early votes have already been cast in the 2022 midterm elections. The national numbers are on track to beat the record midterm turnout seen in 2018, highlighting how voters believe these could be the most important midterm elections in years.

How can I vote in Illinois’ midterm elections?

Early voting depends on where you are in the state so check on your county voting website.

What do I need to bring to vote in Illinois?

If you have voted in the state before you will not need to bring a form of identification.

However, those who registered by mail and did not provide a driver’s licenses or ID number and other personal information, will be required to bring proof at the polling location.

You can bring any of the following document:

If you are unable to provide ID, you will be able to vote on a provisional ballot. After voting provisionally, you will be told how to submit additional proof of registration to the election authority. The additional information must be received by the election authority no later than the close of business on the Tuesday following the election, 15 November.

Key midterm races in Illinois

Incumbent Democrat Senator Tammy Duckworth will face down Kathy Salvi. She will be up against history; no Illinois senator has won re-election since Alan J. Dixon in 1986.

The governorship is also up for a vote. Incumbent Democrat J. B. Pritzker has been governor since 2019 after beating the Republican candidate. He will be against Darren Bailey, a 2020 election denier and anti-abortion supporter.

In a video posted on Facebook in 2017, Bailey said “the attempted extermination of the Jews of World War II doesn’t even compare on a shadow of the life that has been lost with abortion since its legalization.”

Bailey also happens to be one of the far-right candidates that Democrats contributed to the campaigns of during the primary, with the thought that he would be easier to avoid in the general. While, it does seem that Gov. Pritzker will be able to keep his seat, many worry about the long-term damage of legitimizing and prompting far-right messaging could be.

At present there are 13 Democrat and five Republican representatives in the House.