Election 2026 - Bloomington and Normal have light ballots this year
The 2026 primary election is March 17. The general election is Nov. 3.
The primary ballot, at least for local races, is light.
There are no contested primaries for McLean County races, including 10 county board seats. (Seven of the races will be contested in the general election in November.) Three Republican candidates for sheriff [Lt. Jon Albee], county clerk [Kathy Michael] and treasurer [Rebecca McNeil] are running unopposed.
Four Republicans are running for governor trying to unseat Democrat JB Pritzker, who is running for a third term.
Democrats and Republicans both have crowded primaries for the U.S. Senate as Dick Durbin is retiring after this term.
There are two Republican candidates, Julie Bickelhaupt and Dillan Vancil, running for the seat held by two-term Democrat Eric Sorensen in Congress, a seat that includes parts of Bloomington-Normal.
Early voting began Feb. 5.
As a reminder, McLean County has two election authorities. Bloomington voters are handled by the Bloomington Election Commission. Voters in Normal and rural McLean County are served by the McLean County clerk.
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The U.S. Department of Justice sent letters to top election officials in all 50 states and Washington, D.C., warning they could be held criminally liable for allowing noncitizens to vote. -
Tracy is running against Democratic Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton in the race to replace retiring U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin. -
New Illinois Republican Party Chair Bob Grogan hopes voters are getting tired of Gov. JB Pritzker and it will help Republican candidates in the midterm elections. -
U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin says a national housing bill is likely to become law even though President Trump is holding it hostage. The president last week canceled a signing ceremony for what's called the 21st Century Road to Housing Act until Congress acts on his voting security bill. -
Republican U.S. Rep. Darin LaHood voted against the recent war powers act resolution in the House requiring an end to the war in Iran, even though LaHood has repeatedly said he wants the war to wind down. -
U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin spoke to McLean County Democrats at a private event in support of upcoming races in the 2026 election. He spoke to WGLT about his thoughts on Iran, redistricting and more. -
Kevin Lower has announced he'll compete for an open seat, hoping to represent south Bloomington on the county board. Lower previously served on Bloomington City Council, and unsuccessfully ran for mayor in 2017. -
In a press conference Friday morning, McLean County Clerk Kathy Michael said scrutiny about her office's spending in 2025 was a politically-motivated attempt to slander her in an election year. -
The chair of the McLean County Board said the recent awarding of $1.7 million in mental health and human service funding shows the potential of an intergovernmental agreement using shared tax money to improve the community. -
Crockett said it's time for a fresh face in the office and he wants to do innovative things other county clerks do, such as employ universal polling places.
