Presidential Races and More – NBC Chicago

From the U.S. presidential election to local referendums to the many judges on some ballots, Illinois voters have plenty to consider this 2024 election.

How will the races fare? To track live Illinois election results Tuesday from across the state, bookmark this page on NBCChicago.com and the NBC Chicago app.

As the votes are tallied, the results will be displayed on NBC Chicago’s live election results page on the website and app. Polls close at 7pm on Tuesday and results will start to populate in the first half hour and will be updated live as the counted votes roll in.

CLICK HERE FOR LIVE ELECTION RESULTS

Voters looking for real-time election updates can download the NBC Chicago app for push notifications about called races and big moments. Tune in to the NBC Chicago News streaming channel or watch live in the top player on this page for live election coverage.

When will the election results come?

Experts have warned that official calls may take time, however.

“This is going to be election week, not election day,” said Democratic strategist Peter Giangreco.

That’s because of laws in key swing states like Wisconsin and Pennsylvania where clerks are unable to process submitted ballots until Election Day. In 2020, these states were decided by approximately 20,000 and 80,000 votes, respectively.

“In other states, they can open them, they can verify them. They can flatten them so all they have to do is run them through the scanners. In Pennsylvania, they can’t even touch them,” Giangreco said. “So we’re probably looking at Friday or Saturday before we know Pennsylvania.”

However, delays are not unheard of in a presidential election, according to Dr. Kevin Boyle, Chair of the History Department of Northwestern University.

“There are a lot of stories about presidential candidates just going to bed not knowing if they had won the presidency or not,” Boyle said.

In 2020, it took four days for President Joe Biden to be officially called the winner. In 2000, the results hinged on just 537 votes in Florida, with networks calling the state for Al Gore and then George Bush before calling the race “too close to call.”

There are many elections throughout the 19th and 20th centuries that were not called on election night.

“Even as late as 1960, John Kennedy was not announced as the winner of the presidency until the next day,” Boyle said. “Richard Nixon wasn’t announced as the winner of the 1968 presidency until the next day. And then what happened was a kind of explosion of exit polls that made it easier to pick a winner faster, to name a winner faster. And many elections were not very close until 2000.”

Who’s on the Illinois Ballots for 2024?

With early voting underway and Election Day just days away, many are likely wondering what they will see on their ballots when they go to the polls.

In addition to the presidential race, there are local races, judicial votes and referendum questions to think about.

But what you see will depend on where you live and are registered to vote. (Scroll down for sample poll)

Illinois is one election cycle away from voting in the U.S. Senate race, with Sens. Dick Durbin up for re-election in 2026 and Tammy Duckworth in 2028.

However, the state’s voters will be tasked with voting for the president, with Vice President Kamala Harris, former President Donald Trump and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. everyone on the ballot for that office.

In addition to the presidential election, all 17 of Illinois’ seats in the U.S. House of Representatives will be on the ballot, as will all state House seats and one-third of state Senate seats.

There will also be three advisory questions on the statewide ballot, along with referendums in several communities and counties.

Finally, there will be a limited number of races at municipal and county level at the 2024 general election.

NBC has put together a tool for voters to determine the races they want to see on their ballots in November.

For additional information on which races will appear on your ballot, you can find sample ballots through the NBC Chicago app.

Are there any referendums on the ballot in Illinois?

There are three advisory questions on the Illinois ballot this November, none of which will be binding, according to the State Board of Elections.

One question will ask whether candidates should face civil penalties if they interfere with an election official’s official duties. Another will ask whether to pass a constitutional amendment imposing an additional 3% tax on income over $1 million to help provide estate tax relief. The third question concerns whether reproductive treatments should be covered by health insurance plans in the state.

Voters in some Chicago wards will also face a series of advisory questions. More information on these issues can be found on the NBC Chicago app.

Voters who live outside the city of Chicago can find information about their referendums here.

How to vote in Illinois

Illinois voters can, of course, vote on Nov. 5 in the general election, but there are several other ways to cast ballots in the state.

The first available to voters will be early voting, which is currently underway and will continue until Election Day. Participating polling locations can be found on the NBC Chicago app.

Voters can also vote by post. Applications to do so can be found on the state election board’s website, and must be returned no later than five days before the election.

Overseas and military voting is also available to Illinois residents who will not be in the country on Election Day, with a complete manual available on the board’s website.