Waukegan, Illinois Public Records

The registration deadline falls 16 days before any election for online and mail registration, though the state also offers same-day registration during early voting and on Election Day at polling places. Registration requires an Illinois driver's license or state ID number, or the last four digits of a Social Security number. As an incorporated city, Waukegan holds municipal elections for Mayor and City Council, with aldermen representing nine wards. Illinois schedules municipal elections on the first Tuesday in April during odd-numbered years, putting the city's next elections in April 2025 and April 2027. Information about local candidates, ballot questions, and city offices appears at the Waukegan City Clerk's office and at https://www.waukeganil.gov/. Residents can locate their assigned polling place using the Lake County Clerk's lookup tool at https://www.lakecountyil.gov/221/Elections or the state site at https://ova.elections.il.gov/PollingPlaceLookup.aspx by entering their home address. Public election records in Illinois include voter registration lists (available for purchase for election-related purposes), campaign finance disclosure reports filed with the State Board of Elections at https://www.elections.il.gov/CampaignDisclosure/, candidate filings and nominating petitions, precinct-level results, and lists of public officials. The County Clerk publishes detailed precinct-by-precinct results on their website after each election. During the November 2024 presidential election, Lake County recorded approximately 60-63% voter turnout with over 280,000 ballots cast from roughly 450,000 registered voters. Precincts throughout the city contributed significantly to this total, though turnout varied by ward. For the November 3, 2026 general election, Illinois voters including those in the area will decide several statewide and local races: all 118 Illinois House of Representatives seats (two-year terms), approximately half of the 59 Illinois Senate seats (four-year staggered terms), Lake County Board seats, judicial retention votes for circuit and appellate court judges, and potentially county offices depending on term schedules. The 2026 cycle will be a midterm year without a gubernatorial race, since the Governor and Lieutenant Governor were last elected in 2022 to four-year terms. The U.S. Senate seat held by Dick Durbin will be on the ballot in 2026, as senators were last elected in 2020 and 2022. Local voters will also decide state representative and state senator races for their legislative districts. Illinois permits vote-by-mail for any reason—voters can request a mail ballot online at https://www.lakecountyil.gov/221/Elections or by completing an application and returning it to the Lake County Clerk's office. Applications must arrive by 5 days before Election Day for mail delivery, though voters can request ballots in person at the Clerk's office through the day before the election. Early voting opens at multiple Lake County locations beginning 40 days before Election Day. Residents can track their mail ballot status through the Illinois State Board of Elections at https://www.elections.il.gov/.