Resources for Candidates Who Plan to Run in 2018
The Chicago Election Board offers a variety of reference materials for candidates and campaigns who are preparing to file in late November to run for elected office in the March 2018 Primary and November 2018 General Election.
Resources available at the Chicago Election Board include the following:
- Poll sheets that list the voters in specific precincts (at the Board’s offices at 69 W. Washington St., 6th Floor). Campaigns also may request lists of voters in specific voting districts.
- Computer terminals are available during business hours so that petition circulators may verify names, addresses and voting districts of petition signers (at the Board’s offices at 69 W. Washington St., 6th Floor).
- Maps of precincts, wards and other voting districts (at the Board’s offices at 69 W. Washington St., 6th Floor).
- At “Your Voter Information” at chicagoelections.com, petition circulators may enter a petition signer’s last name and address and then check to see if that person is registered to vote at a certain address and check if that address is in a specific voting district.
- Under “Running For Office” at chicagoelections.com, campaigns also will find:
- Various links to documents on the “Petition Filing/Objection Information” web page.
- Election Calendars that list the state laws and requirements for voter signatures, and key dates for petition filing and objection filings. The calendars also list the schedules for Vote By Mail, Early Voting and Election Day Voting, and the post-election canvass and proclamation of election results.
- Links to the Illinois State Board of Elections’ calendars and guides for candidates and campaign-finance reporting.
- An Index of Electoral Board Decisions that list Electoral Board and court decisions on a variety of topics related to petition filings and other paperwork that must be filed to run for office.
- A Library of Electoral Board Decisions with links to decisions issued by the Chicago Electoral Board since 1980.
- A video series on navigating the petition objection process. These videos outline some of the procedures involved in filing objections and responding to objections.
The Chicago Election Board provides these resources to all campaigns. However, by law, the Board cannot provide direction or advice to campaigns on the preparation of petitions and related campaign documents. The Board strongly encourages any and all persons considering a run for public office to consult with an attorney who is well versed in the laws and rules that govern filing petitions and campaign-finance reports.