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Election judge Victor Ombalino demonstrates how to fill out a ballot at Hibbard Elementary School in Albany Park during the Primary Election on June 28, 2022. Credit: Colin Boyle/Block Club Chicago

CHICAGO — Chicagoans will head to the polls Feb. 28 to vote in the 2023 municipal election.

Residents will vote for mayor and who will represent their ward as alderperson, among other local races.

Here’s what you need to know:

Finding Your Ward

The city’s ward map changed in 2022, and voters in the Feb. 28 election are deciding who will represent a ward come May based on those new boundaries.

If you’re not sure which ward your home now falls into, you can enter your address in our map:

RELATED: What Ward Are You In? Find Your 2023 Chicago Ward Using Your Address Here

Voter Registration

1. Check Your Registration: You need to be registered to vote. You can check if you’re registered online.

2. Same-Day Registration: You can still register and then immediately vote on Election Day. You must do so at your local polling place (you can check where that is here) and you must bring two forms of ID, including one showing your current address.

How To Vote

Once you’ve reviewed your voter registration information and made sure it checks out, you’re good to go. There are multiple ways to actually cast your ballot in Chicago:

• Voting by Mail: Chicagoans can vote by mail — and you don’t need a reason to take advantage of this process. You must apply to vote by mail by Feb. 23 for this election, though officials encourage people to apply earlier so they can receive and submit their ballot on time.

The city mails out ballots starting Jan. 19. They include a postage-paid envelope so voters can return the ballots for free.

Once you get and receive your ballot, you can fill it out and mail it back to the city, deliver it personally to the Election Board, leave it in a dropbox or have it delivered through a licensed service such as FedEX, UPS or DHL.

The ballot must be sent on or before Feb. 28.

• Early Voting: Early voting begins Jan. 26 at two Downtown sites and runs through Feb. 27.

The Supersite at 191 N. Clark St. and the Board Offices site at 69 W. Washington St. are open 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturdays and 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Sundays. The Supersite is open 6 a.m.-7 p.m. Feb. 28, but the Board Offices site is closed for Election Day.

Early voting at neighborhood sites runs Feb. 13-27. During early voting, you can vote at any early voting site 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturdays and 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Sundays. All neighborhood early voting sites will also be open 6 a.m.-7 p.m. Feb. 28.

Click here for a list of neighborhood early voting sites.

• Election Day: Of course, you can also vote on Election Day at your local polling place. Go here to check where you should vote.

Chicago voters can also vote at any early voting site on Election Day. Click here for a list of early voting sites.

Polling places are open 6 a.m.-7 p.m. on Election Day.

Do You Need An ID?

• An ID is not required to vote in most cases, but you will need to show one form of ID if an election judge challenges your right to vote. Here’s a list of acceptable forms of ID.

• You’ll also need two forms of ID if you’re registering to vote on Election Day or during early voting.

Where To Vote

• Early Voting: Early voting runs Feb. 13-27. During early voting, you can vote at any early voting site. Click here for a list of early voting sites and their hours.

• Election Day Voting: If you’re voting on Election Day, you need to go to your local polling place. You can search for your Election Day polling place online.

What You’re Voting On

A variety of local races will appear on the ballot for the Feb. 28 election.

Click here to see your sample ballot.

Here’s a full list of offices that will appear on the ballot.

Offices on the ballot:

  • Mayor
  • City clerk
  • City treasurer
  • Alderpeople (one per ward in 50 wards)
  • Police District Council members (three per district in 22 districts)

Click here for our guide to every candidate (there are more than 140) running for alderperson.