Chicago Runoff Election 2023: Everything You Need To Know About Voting On (Or Before) April 4

CHICAGO — Chicagoans will head to the polls April 4 to vote in the 2023 municipal runoff election.

The initial election was held Feb. 28, with some races — including the mayoral — going to a runoff. Click here to see the results of the Feb. 28 election.

Now, voters will decide the winners in those runoff races.

Here’s what you need to know:

Checking which ward you’re in
How to register to vote and check your registration
Voting by mail
Early voting
Election Day voting
The rules around IDs at polling places
Where to vote
What’s on the ballot
Check our election guide, The Ballot, for information about all races and candidates

Finding Your Ward

The city’s ward map changed in 2022, and voters in the April 4 runoff 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:

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.

Unless you are on the permanent vote by mail roster, you must reapply to vote by mail in the April 4 runoff. You must apply by March 30, though officials encourage people to apply even earlier.

The city expects to start mailing out ballots March 17. 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 postmarked on or before April 4.

• Early Voting: Early voting begins March 20 at all 50 neighborhood sites and two Downtown sites, and it will run through April 4.

Early voting sites 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 through April 4.

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 March 20-April 4. 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 or any early voting site. You can search for your Election Day polling place online.

What You’re Voting On

The April 4 runoff will decide the winners of races that weren’t already decided in the Feb. 28 election. Some aldermanic seats have already been won, while others are going to the runoff. At the least, all Chicagoans will vote on the city’s next mayor.

Click here to see your sample ballot.

Paul Vallas and Brandon Johnson faced off for the final time before Tuesday’s election. Credit: Colin Boyle/Block Club Chicago

Former CPS CEO Paul Vallas and Cook County Commissioner Brandon Johnson will face off to become the next mayor.

Block Club Chicago Board President Laura Washington interviewed both candidates as part of our special The Ballot: Live series. Check them out below.

Brandon Johnson: Read • Watch • Listen
Paul Vallas: Read • Watch • Listen

The City Council meeting on Oct. 26, 2022. Credit: Colin Boyle/Block Club Chicago

Fourteen City Council races are going to runoffs. Read more about them below: