Chicago’s next mayoral election is less than a year away and the list of candidates — and those considering a run — is growing ever larger. Here’s who is in so far.

The Department of Homeland Security is planning a surge in its efforts to investigate voter fraud in select states starting Tuesday, according to internal federal guidance reviewed by CNN.

Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul on Wednesday announced the lawsuit, arguing President Donald Trump’s executive order is unconstitutional and risks disenfranchising voters by preventing states from effectively administering their vote-by-mail programs.

Local and state officials are reassuring Illinoisans about the safety of mail-in voting, while also encouraging them to return their ballots early after a new ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court could cause “chaos” ahead of the November election.

For decades, Chicago has been the only city in Illinois with its board of education handpicked by its mayor. 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.

Illinois is continuing its tense relationship with the federal government through an ongoing series of legal battles. Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul joined “Chicago Tonight” to provide an update on pending litigation against the Trump administration.

The latest battle over the Democratic ideological divide this year shifts to the upper Midwest on Tuesday as nominating contests for governor in Wisconsin and U.S. senator in Minnesota pit left-wing candidates against more traditional ones.

A federal judge ruled that Illinois is not required to hand over its complete, unredacted voter registration data, including sensitive personal information. No court has yet ruled in favor of the Trump administration’s demand for voter data.

Chicago’s race for mayor is officially underway as candidates begin collecting signatures this week for a spot on February’s ballot. Former cardiologist Lisa Nee is making the case for her spot through a campaign focused on affordability, safety and fiscal responsibility.

The Trump administration asked the Supreme Court on Monday to clear the way for an executive order from President Donald Trump that could dramatically change mail-in voting ahead of November’s midterm elections.

Candidates will hit the street to gather thousands of autographs from registered voters a month earlier than aspiring candidates did four years ago, the last time all 50 alderpeople, the mayor, city clerk and city treasurer faced voters.

South Carolina was selected Friday to once again lead off the Democratic Party’s 2028 presidential nominating schedule, most likely cementing a dramatic break from decades of tradition by keeping Iowa off the top of the calendar.

If the board’s decision stands, Patty García will have a much smoother path to replacing U.S. Rep. Jesús “Chuy” García, her former boss, in Congress.

In a recent speech, President Donald Trump discussed foreign interference, noncitizen voting and vulnerabilities in the American election system — reiterating some widely disproven charges. The administration released a trove of heavily redacted documents.

One of the strongest security features of U.S. elections is the fact that they aren’t conducted at the federal level. America votes in more than 10,000 different election jurisdictions, each with different rules set by state and sometimes local governments.

President Donald Trump is set to address the nation on Thursday night on topics he said will include elections and voting machines, suggesting he is likely to revisit some of the unproven claims he has previously made about Republican losses, particularly his own in 2020.