Iowa and New Hampshire are seen as the official kick-off to presidential election season, and can make or break presidential campaigns. But how these two states came to be first on the election trail may surprise you.
As the political world moves on from Iowa, we’re inching closer to the Illinois primary election, and early voting is set to begin in the next few weeks.
The primary election will be held March 19 in Illinois, but voters will have the ability to cast their votes in early February in nearly every county in the Chicago area.
Curious about when, and where, you can cast your ballot early this election season? Here is a county-by-county breakdown of early voting dates and locations.
City of Chicago
Early voting begins at the Chicago Board of Elections Supersite, located at 191 North Clark, on Thursday, Feb. 15.
Early voting in all 50 wards of Chicago will open on March 4, according to officials.
Any voter in the city of Chicago can vote at the supersite, or at any of the ward-based early voting sites prior to Election Day, according to city officials.
Local
A list of those sites, and more information on early voting procedures, can be found on the Board of Elections’ website.
Cook County:
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For residents in suburban Cook County, early voting will begin on Feb. 21 at the board’s downtown Chicago location at 69 West Washington Pedway.
Early voting at all other sites in the county will begin on March 4 and run through March 18.
A full list of sites can be found on the Cook County Clerk’s Office website.
DeKalb County:
Early voting will begin on Feb. 8 according to officials, but a list of sites has not yet been finalized.
You can find more information on the DeKalb County Clerk & Recorder’s website.
DuPage County:
Early voting will begin at five locations across DuPage County on Feb. 8, including the DuPage County Fairgrounds in Wheaton. The Addison Township Office, the Naperville Municipal Center, the Stratford Square Mall in Bloomingdale and the Westmont Public Library will all host early voting sites.
Additional locations will open on March 4. A full list of early voting sites has not yet been released, but information on early voting can be found on the DuPage County website.
Officials also urge residents to check a new precinct map that was passed by the County Board in June 2023, with many residents having new precinct numbers for the coming election.
Grundy County:
Early voting is set to begin at the Grundy County Courthouse’s lobby in Morris on Feb. 8, and will be available Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
More information on voting can be found on the Grundy County Election Department’s website.
Kane County:
Early voting will begin at the Kane County Elections Main Office in Geneva and the Aurora Satellite Location will begin on Feb. 8.
More sites will open around the county on March 4, with the final list currently in the works and scheduled to be released by early February, according to officials.
More information can be found on the Kane County Clerk’s Office website.
Kankakee County:
Early voting information is not yet available.
Kendall County:
Early voting begins at the Kendall County Clerk’s Office, located in Yorkville, on Feb. 8. Hours of operation will be Monday through Friday.
Early voting will be available at the Oswego Village Hall beginning on March 4, according to officials.
More information can be found on the Kendall County Clerk and Recorder’s office website.
Lake County:
Early voting will begin at the Lake County Clerk’s Office in Waukegan on Feb. 8, and will be available on weekdays.
Early voting will expand on March 4, and a full list of sites can be found here.
For more information on early voting in Lake County, visit the county clerk’s office website.
LaSalle County:
Early voting begins at the LaSalle County Clerk’s Office, located in Ottawa, on Feb. 8, according to the Illinois State Board of Elections.
McHenry County:
Early voting begins Feb. 8 at the county clerk’s office in Woodstock, and will expand on March 4 to other locations.
More information on early voting can be found on the County Clerk’s website.
Will County:
Early voting begins Feb. 8 at the Will County Clerk’s Office in Joliet, and will expand to a slew of different sites on March 4.
A full list of early voting sites, and information for voting hours at each location, can be found on the Will County Clerk’s office website.
