Even though Illinois did not hold an election on Tuesday, this week still marked an important date for the 2026 general election for Illinois politicians.

The filing period for the spring primary, which decides the candidates for the 2026 general election, ended at 5 p.m. on Monday. That means DeKalb County voters now know who they could potentially find on the ballot next year.

An uncontested primary race with only one party candidate on the ballot doesn’t necessarily mean that candidate will run unopposed in the November 2026 general election, however.

If a party didn’t have a candidate file for the primary election in a race, the party still has the option to slate a candidate for that race on the general election ballot, according to the DeKalb County Clerk and Recorder’s Office.

For statewide offices, Illinois requires candidates seeking a general election spot to be on the primary ballot, however.

Here’s who’s running for elected local office in DeKalb County in the March 17, 2026, primary election, according to DeKalb County Clerk and Recorder documents.

DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office

Republican DeKalb County Sheriff Andy Sullivan is seeking reelection in 2026 and is the only Republican campaigning for the office, according to county documents. No Democrats filed for the sheriff’s office on the primary ballot.

DeKalb County Treasurer

Democrat Derek Shaw, filed to unseat DeKalb County Treasurer Becky Springer, a Republican, in the 2026 election.

Neither will face a primary challenger in the spring, however, according to county documents.

DeKalb County Clerk and Recorder’s Office

There will also be no primary contest for the DeKalb County Clerk and Recorder’s Office, but there will be a race in the midterm election.

Democrat Douglas Janicke has filed to run against incumbent County Clerk and Recorder Tasha Sims, who is seeking reelection as a Republican.

Regional Superintendent of Schools

There will likely soon be a new superintendent for the DeKalb County Regional Office of Education.

Regional Superintendent Amanda Christensen will not seek reelection, according to county documents.

Instead, Carmen Siragusa, the current assistant regional superintendent, has filed to run as a Republican. No one filed to run for the office as a Democrat in the primary.

DeKalb County Board

By the end of the filing period on Monday, 23 people had submitted petitions to run for a seat on the DeKalb County Board in spring 2026.

Only two of them, Daniel Vantilburg and Devon Wilcox, will be challenged in the primary, however.

The two are vying to be the District 5 Democratic Party candidate for a two-year unexpired term on the DeKalb County Board. Suzanne Fahnestock, who was appointed to that County Board seat in August, is the lone Republican candidate on the primary ballot seeking to be elected to the unexpired term.

No one else is expected to have a contested primary election for a DeKalb County Board seat in 2026, according to county documents.

That means voters can begin turning their attention toward the 2026 midterm election in November. Here’s who’s expected to be on that ballot as a candidate for the DeKalb County Board, according to spring primary filings:

District 1: Democrat Fredrick Hall, Republican incumbent Rhonda L. Henke

District 2: Democrat Carmen Polvere, Republican incumbent Republican Patrick Deutsch

District 3: Newcomers Democrat Joanne Pickering and Republican Marc R. Doty. Republican County Board member Tim Bagby, who represents District 3, did not file to run for reelection, according to county documents.

District 4: Newcomers Democrat Joyce A. Klein-Munch and Republican Rhonda E Cowan.

District 5: Newcomer Democrat Selma Saenz.

District 6: Incumbent Democrat Rukisha Crawford

District 7: Incumbent Democrat C. Scott Campbell.

District 8: Incumbent Democrat Michelle Pickett

District 9: Incumbent Democrat Jim Luebke.

District 10: Incumbent Democrat Mary Lee Cozad

District 11: Democrat Anna Wilhemi and Republican Gennie Siwicki.

District 12: Democrat Michelane Bell will face off against incumbent Republican Rebecca Johnson, who was appointed to the seat in April.

District 12, two-year unexpired term: Newcomers Democrat Traci L. Griffin-Lappe and Republican Colton Ott.