An Election Day like no other. Chicagoans vote on key local races and pivotal presidential contest

As a contentious presidential election season comes to a head, Chicago voters have their final chance to hit the polls Tuesday to decide a series of key local races, including the city’s first ever elected school board.

The marquee political matchup has President Donald Trump’s attempting to retake the White House against Vice President Kamala Harris — an unprecedented late entry into the race with President Joe Biden’s decision to step down.

But other electoral contests closer to home from Chicago to Springfield are up for grabs as well, from Cook County’s top prosecutor to Chicago school board elections.

As of Monday, more than 454,000 mail ballots and early votes had been cast in the city — running well behind the 741,000 cast at this stage of the COVID-19-hampered 2020 election cycle, but ahead of 363,000 submitted at the same point in 2016.

The polls are open until 7 p.m., and all mail ballots postmarked by Nov. 5 will be counted.

Here’s a look at the top races:

President

All eyes are on neighboring swing states Michigan and Wisconsin, but in Illinois, voters will undoubtedly be split into traditional blue state factions: Harris supporters in large cities and college towns, and strong Trump support in southern Illinois and other traditionally conservative areas of the state.

But Republicans still cast 86,278 for former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, who was already out of the race. It’s unclear what Illinois’ Haley voters plan to do on Tuesday, but results will show whether the Trump protest vote is still resonating in Illinois.

Lines have been out the door at Chicago’s polling places for weeks — signifying that voters know the importance of the historic race.

In Illinois, Biden won the Democratic primary race in March with 739,646 — and Trump won the Republican primary with 479,556 votes. Tuesday’s race should be a clear indicator of Harris’ momentum for Democrats who see the race as a historic moment for women — and for reproductive rights.

Cook County state’s attorney

A familiar face in Chicago politics has switched parties to take on a longtime former judge in the race to replace progressive and polarizing Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx, who is stepping down after two terms.

Former Ald. Bob Fioretti (2nd) is running as a Republican against Eileen O’Neill Burke, the former state appellate court justice who eked out a primary win over the county Democratic Party’s slated candidate.

Fioretti, a private defense attorney and perennial candidate, is vying to become the first Republican to hold this office in more than 30 years. He has the endorsement of the Rev. Jesse Jackson, which could provide a key boost in mostly Black wards that largely rejected O’Neill Burke in the primary.

O’Neill Burke has maintained a strong campaign fundraising advantage over Fioretti in the deep blue county. She touts decades of experience in the criminal justice system as a prosecutor and law division judge.

Libertarian candidate Andrew Charles Kopinski looks to play spoiler.

CPS board

What was intended to be a grassroots, neighborhood-based effort to elect candidates in 10 school board districts has become a high-dollar, aggressive political campaign pitting Mayor Brandon Johnson’s allies at the Chicago Teachers Union against those who oppose them.

In many districts, voters are simply asking: who is the CTU candidate? An astounding $7 million has been raised so far in the key races, including individual contributions and those made by super PACs.

In the city’s wealthiest district on the North Side, six candidates are vying to represent the 4th District: Karen Zaccor, Ellen Rosenfeld, Kimberly Brown, Andrew A. Davis, Carmen Gioiosa and Thomas Day. In the South and Southwest Side’s 8th District, Angel Gutierrez, a nonprofit consultant and music teacher Felix Ponce are running in a race that has CTU pitted against support from charter schools.

The race in the 10th District, which starts at 26th Street and stretches along Lake Michigan to the city’s southern border, pits Grammy Award–winning artist Che "Rhymefest" Smith, Harvard education consultant Adam Parrott-Sheffer, a workforce development expert Karin Norington-Reaves and activist pastor Robert Jones against each other.

The pivotal races come amid chaos at CPS, with Johnson’s hand-picked Board of Education president Rev. Mitchell Ikenna Johnson resigning just seven days after being sworn in amid a wave of backlash over troubling social media posts that were criticized as antisemitic and misogynistic.

Congress

All 17 Illinois congressional seats are up for election, but the crescent-shaped 17th District that winds from Rockford south to Bloomington is the only one expected to provide any election night suspense on the state’s gerrymandered legislative map.

Incumbent Democratic Rep. Eric Sorensen faces retired Republican Illinois circuit court judge Joe McGraw in a contest that could help decide the balance of power in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Sorensen, a former television meteorologist and the state’s first openly gay congressperson, says he’s proven himself as a bipartisan leader in this purple district. McGraw, who spent 20 years on the bench, says conservative voters are ready for a change to tackle inflation.

Illinois General Assembly

Illinois Democrats are looking to add to their super-majority status in Springfield, while Republicans aim to gain much-needed ground in suburbs that have defected from the GOP since Trump’s political ascent.

Northwest suburban state Rep. Martin McLaughlin, R-Barrington Hills, seeks a third term in the 52nd House District against Democratic challenger Maria Peterson, who has a massive campaign fundraising advantage with the backing of Illinois House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch.

Major Democratic Party dollars have also flowed in the nearby 51st District to state Rep. Nabeela Syed, R-Inverness, who is up for reelection against Republican Ela Township trustee Tosi Ufodike.

And in the southwest suburban 82nd District, appointed state Rep. Nicole La Ha, R-Homer Glen, aims for a full term against Democratic challenger Suzanne Akhras.

The GOP’s main target for picking up a Senate seat is also in the far southwest suburbs, where state Sen. Patrick Joyce, D-Essex, squares off against Braidwood Republican Phil Nagel — a 40th Senate District rematch following Joyce’s 10-point win in 2022.