Major races include Illinois governor, US Senate, several US reps.
CHICAGO (WLS) -- The Illinois primary election for the 2026 midterms is Tuesday.
The polls closed at 7 p.m.
ABC7 Chicago will be following along live with voting, Election Day activities and the results.
Polls are expected to close at 7 p.m. across Illinois, and results should come in after that.
The polls are officially open for the Illinois Primary Election.
"Today is the last day to use your voice and cast your ballot. Don't miss your chance.
Hernandez said voters can vote at their assigned polling place or one of the 51 early voting sires.
ABC7 Political Analyst Laura Washington joined ABC7 to talk about how the races are shaping up.
Illinois voters are heading to the polls for Tuesday's primary election.
Election officials say so far, early voting and vote-by-mail returns have been encouraging if not record-breaking.
Various issues are driving voters to the polls. Election officials said so far they have seen numbers closer to 2018 turnout.
It's still unclear how Tuesday's cold weather will impact voter turnout.
Same-day voter registration is available with two forms of identification.
While some people will opt to cast their vote in person, others will choose to vote by mail.
Voters with mail-in ballots are encouraged to drop off their ballots at a secure drop box or get them postmarked at a USPS location.
More than 188,000 ballots have already been received including some 85,000 returned by mail.
Nearly 88,000 vote by mail ballots are still outstanding.
Polls are open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. People in line when polls close can still cast their vote.
Due to an ongoing gas leak that has resulted in no heat to Lake Barrington Village Hall, the location will not serve as an Election Day polling place, the Lake County Clerk's Office announced on Monday evening.
Voters are encouraged to use the closest election day polling sites, which are:
"Health and safety are our utmost priorities for our election judges and voters. I thank our partners at Lake Barrington Village Hall for their efforts to find a viable solution in a very short period of time. I also want to thank Lake County Emergency Management Agency for their assistance," said Lake County Clerk Anthony Vega.
Voters can confirm their polling location, view sample ballots, and find additional election information by visiting the Lake County Clerk's Office website or calling the office at 847-377-2410.
A new poll in the hotly contested U.S. Senate race shows that this contest for retiring Sen. Dick Durbin's seat could be a very close one, with Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi and Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton neck-and-neck on the eve of the Democratic primary election.
"Well, I'm just very grateful to have the endorsement and support, personal endorsement of Reverend Jesse Jackson, and, of course, Yusuf Jackson. I was at operation Rainbow PUSH on Saturday, and some of the officials came up to me and said, 'You know what? The reverend, before he passed, gave you his endorsement.' And I was just thrilled to hear that," Stratton said over the weekend.
But it turns out that the endorsement Rev. Jesse Jackson reportedly gave to Stratton before he passed away, that she released over the weekend, was not actually an endorsement. Instead, it was part of a draft ballot, never intended for release.
Stratton said someone gave her an endorsement pamphlet, something that Jackson family members are now walking back.
The situation prompted Jackson family members to issue an apology. On Monday, the reverend's son, Yusef Jackson, sent out a statement, saying that it was a draft sample ballot, released without authorization, adding, "It is important to note that the Jackson Family does not issue political endorsements, nor do Rainbow PUSH or the Rainbow PUSH Coalition."
A new poll of likely Democratic primary voters shows this Senate race may be too close to call. Krishnamoorthi, with 31.6%, holds a two-point lead over Stratton, with 29.4%. That's less than the margin of error. Rep. Robin Kelly remains a distant third, with 13.6%.
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