Over the past two weeks, NBC 5 Investigates reached out to more than 100 election officials across Illinois, southern Wisconsin and parts of northwest Indiana to ask local election officials about the upcoming election, their preparedness and their concerns. NBC Chicago’s Bennett Haeberle reports.
From the U.S. presidential race to local referendums to the many judges on some ballots, voters in Illinois have plenty to consider this 2024 election.
How will the races fare? To track live Illinois election results Tuesday from around the state, bookmark this page on NBCChicago.com and the NBC Chicago app.
As votes are tallied, results will appear on NBC Chicago's live election results page on the website and the app. Polls close at 7 p.m. Tuesday, and results will begin populating in the first half-hour and be updated live as counted votes roll in.
CLICK HERE FOR LIVE ELECTION RESULTS
Voters looking for real-time election updates can download the NBC Chicago app for push notifications on called races and big moments. Tune in to the NBC Chicago News streaming channel or watch live in the top player on this page for live election coverage.
When will election results be in?
Experts have warned that official calls may take time, however.
"This is going to be Election Week, not Election Day," said Democratic strategist Peter Giangreco.
That's because of laws in key swing states like Wisconsin and Pennsylvania, where clerks are unable to process mail-in ballots prior to Election Day. In 2020, those states were decided by approximately 20,000 and 80,000 votes, respectively.
“In other states, they can open them up, they can verify them. They can flatten them out, so all they have to do is run them through the scanners. In Pennsylvania, they can't even touch them," Giangreco said. "So, we're probably looking at Friday or Saturday before we know Pennsylvania.”
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Delays aren't unheard of in a presidential race, however, according to Dr. Kevin Boyle, chair of the history department for Northwestern University.
“There are a lot of stories of presidential candidates just going to bed not knowing whether they had won the presidency or not," Boyle said.
In 2020, it took four days before President Joe Biden was officially called the winner. In 2000, results hinged on just 537 votes in Florida, with networks calling the state for Al Gore, then George Bush before ruling the race "too close to call."
There are many elections throughout the 19th and 20th centuries that weren't called on election night.
“Even as late as 1960, John Kennedy wasn't announced as the winner of the presidency until the next day," Boyle said. "Richard Nixon wasn't announced as the winner of the presidency in 1968 until the next day. And then what happened was kind of the explosion of exit polls, which made it easier to pick a winner faster, to name a winner faster. And a lot of elections weren't very close until 2000.”
Who's on Illinois ballots for 2024?
With early voting underway and just days until Election Day, many are likely wondering what they'll see on their ballots as they head to the polls.
Beyond the presidential race, there are local races, judge votes and referendum questions to think about.
But what you see will depend on where you live and are registered to vote. (Scroll down for sample ballot)
Illinois is taking an election cycle off from voting in U.S. Senate races, with Sens. Dick Durbin up for reelection in 2026 and Tammy Duckworth in 2028.
However, state voters will be tasked with voting for president, with Vice President Kamala Harris, former President Donald Trump and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. all on the ballot for that office.
In addition to the presidential race, all 17 of Illinois’ seats in the U.S. House of Representatives will be on the ballot, as will all of the state’s House seats and a third of the state’s Senate seats.
There will also be three advisory questions on the ballot at the statewide level, along with referendums in numerous communities and counties.
Finally, there will be a limited number of races at the municipal and county levels in the 2024 general election.
NBC has put together a tool for voters to determine the races they will see on their ballots this November.
For additional information on which races will appear on your ballot, sample ballots can be found via the NBC Chicago app.
Are there any referendums on the ballot in Illinois?
There are three advisory questions on the ballot in Illinois in November, none of which will be binding, according to the State Board of Elections.
One question will ask whether candidates should be subject to civil penalties if they interfere with an election worker’s official duties. A second will ask if a Constitutional Amendment should be passed imposing an additional 3% tax on income over $1 million to help offer property tax relief. The third question will concern whether reproductive treatments should be covered by health insurance plans in the state.
Voters in some Chicago wards will also face a series of advisory questions. More information on those questions can be found on the NBC Chicago app.
Voters who live outside of the city of Chicago can find information on their referendums here.
How to vote in Illinois
Illinois voters can of course vote on Nov. 5 in the general election, but there are multiple other ways to cast ballots in the state.
The first one available to voters will be early voting, which is currently underway and continuing through election day. Participating polling places can be found on the NBC Chicago app.
Voters can also cast ballots via the mail. Applications to do so can be found on the state Board of Elections’ website, and must be returned no later than five days prior to the election.
Overseas and military voting are also available for Illinois residents who won’t be in the country on Election Day, with a full manual available on the Board of Elections’ website.
