Primary elections will be held across Illinois on Tuesday, March 17. These elections influence the Midterm general elections happening later this year, on November 3rd.
Primary elections are the elections held to decide the party candidates running in the general election. Every state does primary elections differently, but in Illinois, the state holds partially closed primaries, where the voter must be affiliated with a political party before voting in the primary.
The process of affiliating with a party is easier than it sounds. It happens at the polls, as a voter will request a ballot from the party they wish to vote for. This request affiliates that voter with the party of the ballot they choose. On a ballot, voters will see the list of candidates running in each race to obtain that party’s nomination. To see an example Democrat, Republican, or Independent ballot based on your address, click here to the DuPage County website.
Within the DuPage area, voters at the primaries will vote on the candidates running for Governor, Federal Senator, Federal Representative, State Senator, State Representative, State Executive offices, County Board, Sheriff, and more.
Any US Citizen who has been a permanent resident of Illinois for more than 30 days, and who will be 18 by the November 3rd general election, may register to vote and is eligible to vote in the primaries and general elections.
Each state’s residency laws are different, but generally, college students are able to choose between voting in their home state or the state where they currently attend school, but not both. Each state’s laws can be different, though, and it is important to research this information before voting.
Check here for more specific information about voter registration. Click here to see who’s on the ballot for this upcoming election.
