Plainfield, Illinois Public Records

Online voter registration is available through the Illinois State Board of Elections at ova.elections.il.gov for eligible residents with a valid driver's license or state ID. The state allows online registration changes up to 16 days before an election, while the mail registration deadline falls 27 days out. New registrants must provide their driver's license number or the last four digits of their Social Security number. Those who miss regular deadlines can still register on the spot at early voting sites or on election day at polling places. Municipal elections in the community follow a four-year cycle, with contests for village president (mayor), village trustees, and village clerk held during consolidated election dates in April of odd-numbered years. The most recent election took place in April 2023, with the next scheduled for April 2027. Candidate filing information and details about local referenda are available through both the Will County Clerk's website and the Village of Plainfield website at plainfield-il.org. Residents can locate their assigned polling place using the lookup tool on the Will County Clerk's website or by calling the Elections Division at 815-740-4615. Illinois law requires voters to cast ballots at specific precinct locations based on residential address. Illinois election law (10 ILCS 5/1-1 et seq.) designates various election records as public documents. Voter registration lists are available to candidates and political committees with restrictions on use, while campaign finance disclosures filed with the Illinois State Board of Elections at elections.il.gov are accessible to anyone. Candidate nominating petitions, statements of economic interest, and precinct-level election results are also public. The County Clerk publishes detailed election results online following each contest, broken down by precinct, municipality, and countywide totals. Precincts in the area generally showed turnout consistent with or slightly above the county average. The state will hold gubernatorial and statewide constitutional officer elections, with Governor J.B. Pritzker's term expiring. All 118 seats in the Illinois House of Representatives will appear on the ballot, as House members serve two-year terms. Residents will elect their state representative for whichever district covers their area. Illinois Senate seats in even-numbered districts will also be contested, depending on the community's specific state senate district assignment. The county will hold elections for county board positions, with members serving staggered terms. Judicial retention votes for Circuit Court judges and appellate court judges may also appear on the ballot. Voters should check with the Will County Clerk closer to the 2026 election for confirmed candidate lists and ballot questions. Illinois does not have a U.S. Senate race in 2026, as senators' terms expire in different cycles, the next U.S. Senate election comes in 2028. The state offers multiple options for absentee and vote-by-mail balloting. Any registered voter may request to vote by mail without providing a reason. Vote-by-mail applications can be submitted online through the State Board of Elections website, by mail, or in person at the Will County Clerk's office. Applications must be received by the Thursday before election day for the ballot to be mailed, though in-person requests can be made up through the day before the election. Completed mail ballots must be postmarked by election day and received within 14 days after the election to be counted. The state also offers extensive early voting at the Will County Clerk's office and at multiple satellite locations throughout Will County, typically beginning 40 days before an election and continuing through the day before election day, including weekends. Residents can verify their voter registration status, view their sample ballot, and track their vote-by-mail ballot at thewillcountyclerk.com or through the Illinois State Board of Elections voter information portal.