Election Day Live Updates: Chicago Area Votes as Control of Congress in Play
Voters in Illinois will head to the polls today to cast their ballots in statewide and countywide races. Also up for grabs in Illinois are 17 seats in the U.S. Congress and a rare open U.S. Senate seat. Locally, the Chicago Board of Education will become fully elected for the first time. Nationally, control of the U.S. Senate and U.S. House is at stake. Follow along all day for live news and results.
WTTW News Voter Guide
6 a.m., Chicago
WTTW News’ Voter Guide is your one-stop shop for everything you need to know before voting in the 2026 Illinois general election with information on statewide, Cook County and Chicago races. You’ll find candidate profiles that include detailed, issue-based questionnaires and links to more information.
Our Voter Toolbox is the place to go for information on how to vote early, where to vote and all the things you need to know about Election Day. We also pulled together the latest election and political coverage from our WTTW News team. Visit the full guide for help filling out your ballot.
How This Year’s Chicago Board of Education Elections Will Work
6 a.m., Chicago
For decades, Chicago has been the only city in Illinois with its board of education handpicked by its mayor much to the chagrin of education advocates who’ve long called for the board to be an elected body.
This fall, those advocates finally get their wish. It’s off to the races.
In the November general election, for the first time ever, all 21 seats on the board will be up for grabs, ending a reign of mayoral control that dates back to 1995 under Richard M. Daley. So how will the next round of elections play out? We explain how it works.
-Matt Masterson, WTTW News
What Polls Do and Don’t Tell Us About the 2026 Midterms
Voters enter booths to cast their ballots at an early voting location in Anchorage, Alaska, on Oct. 30, 2026. (Lindsey Wasson / AP via CNN Newsource)
6 a.m., Nov. 3
Can the polls be trusted? It depends on what you’re trusting them to do.
Even the most carefully conducted polls are imprecise snapshots of public opinion, not precision instruments — and when they’re pressed into predictive tools, they don’t always get it right. But while surveys can’t provide an unambiguous answer on who’s ahead in tight races, they often do paint a clear and important picture of the political landscape.
The contours of some findings are sharply drawn enough to be visible even through the shadows of potential polling error. Poll after poll has found President Donald Trump’s approval rating in the mid-to-low-30s nationally. Surveys also show a broad consensus that Americans, shaken by cost-of-living concerns, largely take a dim view of the economy and Trump’s stewardship of it; that there’s little enthusiasm in any corner about the current state of the nation; and that voters are overwhelmingly looking for change — even if they may not all agree on precisely what that change should look like. Read more.
-CNN
Hoping for a ‘Boring’ Election Day, Voting Rights Advocates Step Up Efforts Against Possible Interference
7:20 p.m., Nov. 2, Chicago
Election Day is Tuesday, and many voters are still wondering what to expect when they go to the polls. Last month, the U.S. Department of Justice announced plans to send election monitors to polling places around the country. Meanwhile, rumors are swirling about the possibility of immigration or other federal agents showing up.
But local voting rights advocates are still hoping for a “boring” Election Day. “We’re prepared for whatever comes our way. We hope that we are prepared for a very boring Election Day tomorrow,” said Christina Beeler, senior counsel at Chicago Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights (CLCCR).
Beeler said federal law prohibits voter intimidation and federal agents going to polling places. Some organizations have already preemptively challenged the deployment of federal agents at the polls. Read more.
-Andrew Montequin, WTTW News
