This St. Patrick’s Day, La Salle, Bureau and Putnam county voters can head to the polls in addition to sampling a green beer.

March 17 marks the 2026 primary, where voters can pull a Democratic or Republican ballot to pick who appears on the ballot come November. All voters, partisan or not, can weigh in on referendum questions.

The deadline for candidates to file is Nov. 3. Candidates will begin filing Monday.

Editor’s Note: The list of candidates will be updated at that time. Campaigns can also contact Emily Coleman at ecoleman@shawmedia.com if they notice their candidate is missing.

Which incumbents are running again?

Illinois governor and lieutenant governor: Incumbent JB Pritzker, a Democrat, is seeking reelection. He has named Christian Mitchell as his running mate after Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton announced her intention to run for the U.S. Senate. Former gubernatorial candidate and former state Sen. Darren Bailey, DuPage County Sheriff James Mendrick, Max Solomon, Barrington Hills real estate developer and Gold Rush Gaming owner Rick Heidner, and conservative research group Wirepoints president Ted Dabrowski are running as Republicans.

Illinois attorney general: Incumbent Kwame Raoul, a Democrat, said he will seek another term. Former Chicago alderman Bob Fioretti, Joe Cervantez and Andy Williams Jr. are running as Republicans.

Illinois secretary of state: Alexi Giannoulias, an incumbent Democrat, told Capitol Fax that he was running for reelection. Diane Harris, a Joliet Junior College trustee, and Walter Adamczyk are running as Republicans.

Illinois comptroller: Incumbent Susana Mendoza, a Democrat, is not running again. State Rep. Margaret Croke, Lake County Treasurer Holly Kim, Champaign County Auditor George Danos, former state Sen. Rickey Hendon, state Rep. Stephanie Kifowit and state Sen. Karina Villa are running as Democrats. Bryan Drew is running as a Republican.

Illinois treasurer: Incumbent Michael Frerichs, a Democrat, has not said whether he is seeking a fourth term.

U.S. Senate: Incumbent Dick Durbin, a Democrat, is not seeking reelection. Several candidates have announced their intention to run, including Stratton, U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly, U.S. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, Kevin Ryan, Christopher A. Swann, Stanley Leavell, Awisi Bustos, Jump W. Shepherd and Adam Delgado on the Democratic side and former Illinois Republican Party Chair Don Tracy, John Goodman, Casey Chlebek, Pamela Denise Long, Lloyd Jones, Jimmy Lee Tillman and R. Cary Capparelli on the Republican. Independents Tyrone Muhammad and Austin J. Mink also are running

U.S. House of Representatives: All 17 members of Congress representing Illinois are up in 2026. To find what district you live in, go to congress.gov/members/find-your-member.

• District 14: Lauren Underwood, a Democrat representing parts of Bureau, DeKalb, Kane, Kendall, La Salle, Putnam and Will counties, is running for reelection.
• District 16: Darin LaHood, a Republican representing Boone, Bureau, DeKalb, Grundy, La Salle, Lee, Livingston, McHenry, Ogle and Putnam counties in addition to other counties in north-central Illinois, is running for reelection.

Illinois State Senate: Like its federal counterpart, only some of its members are up for reelection this year. In the Illinois Valley, that includes:

• District 38: Sue Rezin, a Republican representing Bureau, DeKalb, Grundy, Kendall, La Salle and Will counties, is running for reelection.
• District 53: Chris Balkema, a Republican representing Bureau, Grundy, La Salle, Livingston, Putnam and Will counties, among others, is running for reelection.

Illinois House of Representatives: All state representative seats are up every two years. Among the races in the Illinois Valley are:

• District 73: Ryan Spain, a Republican representing Bureau, Henry, Lee and Whiteside, among other counties, is running for reelection.
• District 74: Bradley Fritts, a Republican representing DeKalb, La Salle, Lee, Ogle and Whiteside counties, is running for reelection.
• District 75: Jed Davis, a Republican representing DeKalb, Grundy, Kendall, La Salle and Will counties, is running for reelection.
• District 76: Amy Briel, a Democrat representing Bureau, DeKalb and La Salle counties, is running for reelection.
• District 105: Dennis Tipsword, a Republican representing Bureau, La Salle, Livingston and Putnam, among other counties, is not running for reelection.
• District 106: Jason R. Bunting, a Republican representing Grundy, La Salle, Livingston and Will, among other counties, is running for reelection.

County-level races: Also on the ballot will be County Board members, county clerks, treasurers, sheriffs, assessors, and regional superintendents. Some counties also elect their Boards of Review, sanitary districts, and forest preserve district commissioners and president.

• La Salle County Clerk: Jennifer Ebner has announced she will run for reelection.
• La Salle County Sheriff:
• La Salle County Treasurer:
• Regional Superintendent of Schools:
• La Salle County Board Districts: 3, 5, 8, 9, 10, 12,14, 15, 16, 20, 21,22, 23, 26,29
• La Salle County Precinct Committee Persons for all 119
• Bureau County Clerk:
• Bureau County Treasurer:
• Bureau County Sheriff: James Reed will not seek reelection in 2026. Princeton Police Chief Tom Kammerer, LaMoille’s Chief of Police, Joseph Flanagan, Edward Jauch, a former Spring Valley officer and Michael Wittig, a Bureau County patrol officer, are all vying for the position.
• Bureau County Board Districts: 6, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12, 14, 15, 18

What judicial races will I get to vote on?

Three vacancies are up at the Illinois appellate court level, according to an Illinois State Board of Elections list as of Sept. 3. Voters will also get to vote on retentions.

The appellate vacancies includes a seat on the Third Appellate District. The district sits in Ottawa and includes Bureau, La Salle, DuPage, Will, Grundy, Kankakee, and Iroquois counties.

Also up is one at-large member for the 13th Circuit, which includes La Salle, Grundy and Bureau counties.

Important Dates

Oct. 27 to Nov. 3, 2025: Candidates in established parties can file the necessary documents either at the Springfield office for state-level candidates or at the County Clerk’s Office in the county where they’re running.

Among the paperwork required is a statement of candidacy and petitions signed by registered voters. The number of signatures required varies by office.

Nov. 10: Last day for objections challenging whether candidates can appear on the ballot to be filed.

Nov. 17 to 24: Filing period for candidates seeking to fill judicial vacancies.

Dec. 3: Deadline to file objections in judicial vacancy races.

Dec. 15: Deadline to file petitions for referendums to appear on the March ballot. This does not include referendum questions authorized by local governments, just ones submitted through voter-signed petitions.

Dec. 17: First day to apply for a vote-by-mail ballot.

Dec. 22: Deadline to file objections on referendum questions.

Dec. 29: Deadline for local government boards – like school boards and city councils – to adopt a resolution or ordinance for a binding referendum.

Jan. 8, 2026: Last day for a candidate to withdraw from the race.

Jan. 15: Last day for a candidate to file as a write-in.

Feb. 5: Early voting starts and county clerks begin mailing vote-by-mail ballots.

March 1: Last day to register to vote online through the State Board of Elections’ website. Grace period registration and voting continues through Election Day.

March 17: Election Day for the 2026 primary. Polls close at 7 p.m. Voters can request a partisan ballot with either Democratic or Republican candidates listed or a non-partisan ballot, which includes any referendums.