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Municipal elections in Cook County, Illinois (2026)
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| 2026 Cook County elections |
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| Election dates |
| Filing deadline: November 3, 2025 |
| Primary election: March 17, 2026 General election: November 3, 2026 |
| Election stats |
| Offices up: Board president, assessor, clerk, sheriff, treasurer, board of commissioners, board of review, water reclamation board, circuit court judges, subcircuit court judges |
| Total seats up: 56 |
| Other municipal elections |
| U.S. municipal elections, 2026 |
Cook County, Illinois, is holding general elections for board president, assessor, clerk, sheriff, treasurer, board of commissioners, board of review, water reclamation board, circuit court judges, and subcircuit court judges on November 3, 2026. A primary is scheduled for March 17, 2026. The filing deadline for the primary was November 3, 2025. The filing deadline for judges seeking retention is May 3, 2026. The filing deadline for the general election is May 26, 2026.
Elections
Click on the tabs below to show more information about those topics.
Candidates and results
Offices up for election in 2026:
- Board President
- Assessor
- Clerk
- Sheriff
- Treasurer
- Board of Commissioners
- Special district offices
- Judicial offices
Board President
General election
The primary will occur on March 17, 2026. The general election will occur on November 3, 2026. General election candidates will be added here following the primary.
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Cook County Board of Commissioners President
Incumbent Toni Preckwinkle and Brendan Reilly are running in the Democratic primary for Cook County Board of Commissioners President on March 17, 2026.
Candidate | ||
 | Toni Preckwinkle | |
 | Brendan Reilly | |
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 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Republican primary election
Republican primary for Cook County Board of Commissioners President
Eric Wallace is running in the Republican primary for Cook County Board of Commissioners President on March 17, 2026.
Candidate | ||
| Eric Wallace | ||
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| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Libertarian primary election
Libertarian primary for Cook County Board of Commissioners President
Michael Murphy is running in the Libertarian primary for Cook County Board of Commissioners President on March 17, 2026.
Candidate | ||
 | Michael Murphy | |
| ||||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Assessor
General election
The primary will occur on March 17, 2026. The general election will occur on November 3, 2026. General election candidates will be added here following the primary.
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Cook County Assessor
Incumbent Frederick Kaegi and Pat Hynes are running in the Democratic primary for Cook County Assessor on March 17, 2026.
Candidate | ||
| Frederick Kaegi | ||
| Pat Hynes | ||
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| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Libertarian primary election
Libertarian primary for Cook County Assessor
Nico Tsatsoulis is running in the Libertarian primary for Cook County Assessor on March 17, 2026.
Candidate | ||
 | Nico Tsatsoulis | |
| ||||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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County Clerk
General election
The primary will occur on March 17, 2026. The general election will occur on November 3, 2026. General election candidates will be added here following the primary.
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Cook County Clerk
Incumbent Monica Gordon is running in the Democratic primary for Cook County Clerk on March 17, 2026.
Candidate | ||
 | Monica Gordon | |
| ||||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Libertarian primary election
Libertarian primary for Cook County Clerk
Geraldine Mulso is running in the Libertarian primary for Cook County Clerk on March 17, 2026.
Candidate | ||
| Geraldine Mulso | ||
| ||||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Sheriff
General election
The primary will occur on March 17, 2026. The general election will occur on November 3, 2026. General election candidates will be added here following the primary.
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Cook County Sheriff
Incumbent Thomas Dart is running in the Democratic primary for Cook County Sheriff on March 17, 2026.
Candidate | ||
| Thomas Dart | ||
| ||||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Libertarian primary election
Libertarian primary for Cook County Sheriff
Brad Sandefur is running in the Libertarian primary for Cook County Sheriff on March 17, 2026.
Candidate | ||
 | Brad Sandefur | |
| ||||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Treasurer
General election
The primary will occur on March 17, 2026. The general election will occur on November 3, 2026. General election candidates will be added here following the primary.
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Cook County Treasurer
Incumbent Maria Pappas is running in the Democratic primary for Cook County Treasurer on March 17, 2026.
Candidate | ||
| Maria Pappas | ||
| ||||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Libertarian primary election
Libertarian primary for Cook County Treasurer
James Humay is running in the Libertarian primary for Cook County Treasurer on March 17, 2026.
Candidate | ||
 | James Humay | |
| ||||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Board of Commissioners
Primary
Cook County Board of Commissioners primary, 2026 |
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| Office |  Democratic |
 Republican |
Other |
| District 1 |
Tara Stamps (i) |
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| District 2 |
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| District 3 |
Bill Lowry (i) |
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| District 4 |
Stanley Moore (i) |
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| District 5 |
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| District 6 |
Antoine Bass Did not make the ballot: |
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| District 7 |
Alma Anaya (i) |
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| District 8 |
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Libertarian Party Christopher Laurent |
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| District 9 |
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| District 10 |
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| District 11 |
John Daley (i) |
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| District 12 |
Elizabeth Granato Did not make the ballot: |
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| District 13 |
Josina Morita (i) |
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| District 14 |
Scott Britton (i) |
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| District 15 |
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| District 16 |
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| District 17 |
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Special district offices
Board of Review Commissioners
Primary
Cook County Board of Review primary, 2026 |
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| Office | Democratic |
Republican |
Other |
| District 1 |
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| District 2 |
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Metropolitan Water Reclamation District Commissioners
Primary
Metropolitan Water Reclamation District Commissioners primary, 2026 |
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| Office | Democratic |
Republican |
Other |
| 2-year term |
Cameron Davis (i) |
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| 6-year term (3 seats) |
Precious Brady-Davis (i) |
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Judicial offices
Cook County Circuit Court
Primary
Cook County Circuit Court primary, 2026 |
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| Office | Democratic |
Republican |
Other |
| Cynthia Cobbs vacancy |
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| Kathleen Burke vacancy |
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| Mary Ellen Coghlan vacancy |
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| Paul Karkula vacancy |
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| William Hooks vacancy |
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Cook County Circuit Court Subcircuit 1
Primary
Cook County Circuit Court Subcircuit 1 primary, 2026 |
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| Office | Democratic |
Republican |
Other |
| Carl Walker vacancy |
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| Robert Balanoff vacancy |
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Cook County Circuit Court Subcircuit 3
Primary
Cook County Circuit Court Subcircuit 3 primary, 2026 |
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| Office | Democratic |
Republican |
Other |
| Patrick Sherlock vacancy |
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| Thomas Murphy vacancy |
John Carroll (i) |
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Cook County Circuit Court Subcircuit 5
Primary
Cook County Circuit Court Subcircuit 5 primary, 2026 |
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| Office | Democratic |
Republican |
Other |
| Dominique Ross vacancy |
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Cook County Circuit Court Subcircuit 8
Primary
Cook County Circuit Court Subcircuit 8 primary, 2026 |
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| Office | Democratic |
Republican |
Other |
| Celia Gamrath vacancy |
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| Mary Mikva vacancy |
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Cook County Circuit Court Subcircuit 11
Primary
Cook County Circuit Court Subcircuit 11 primary, 2026 |
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| Office | Democratic |
Republican |
Other |
| Mary Roberts vacancy |
Kim Przekota (i) |
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| Pamela McLean Meyerson vacancy |
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Cook County Circuit Court Subcircuit 13
Primary
Cook County Circuit Court Subcircuit 13 primary, 2026 |
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| Office | Democratic |
Republican |
Other |
| John Curry, Jr. vacancy |
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| Martin Kelley vacancy |
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| Shannon O'Malley vacancy |
Dan Naranjo (i) |
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| Thomas Kelley vacancy |
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Cook County Circuit Court Subcircuit 16
Primary
Cook County Circuit Court Subcircuit 16 primary, 2026 |
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| Office | Democratic |
Republican |
Other |
| Callie Baird vacancy |
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| Patricia Mendoza vacancy |
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Cook County Circuit Court Subcircuit 17
Primary
Cook County Circuit Court Subcircuit 17 primary, 2026 |
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| Office | Democratic |
Republican |
Other |
| James Carroll vacancy |
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| Lloyd Brooks vacancy |
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Cook County Circuit Court Subcircuit 18
Primary
Cook County Circuit Court Subcircuit 18 primary, 2026 |
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| Office | Democratic |
Republican |
Other |
| Frank Andreou vacancy |
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| Jeffrey Chrones vacancy |
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Cook County Circuit Court Subcircuit 19
Primary
Cook County Circuit Court Subcircuit 19 primary, 2026 |
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| Office | Democratic |
Republican |
Other |
| John Fairman vacancy |
Sara McGann (i) |
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| Michael Kane vacancy |
Dave Condron |
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Cook County Circuit Court Subcircuit 20
Primary
Cook County Circuit Court Subcircuit 20 primary, 2026 |
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| Office | Democratic |
Republican |
Other |
| David Haracz vacancy |
Michael Zink (i) |
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| Stephanie Miller vacancy |
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About the county
- See also: Cook County, Illinois
The county government of Cook County is located in Chicago, Illinois. The county was first established in 1831. It covers a total of 946 square miles of land in northeast Illinois. As of 2020, its population was 5,275,541.
County government
- See also: Government of Cook County, Illinois
Cook County is overseen by a 17-member board of commissioners. Each commissioner is elected by district to a four-year term. Residents also elect a three-member board of review, county assessor, state's attorney, county sheriff, clerk of the circuit court, county clerk, county treasurer, and county recorder.
Demographics
The following table displays demographic data provided by the United States Census Bureau.
| Demographic Data for Cook County, Illinois | ||
|---|---|---|
| Cook County | Illinois | |
| Population | 5,275,541 | 12,812,508 |
| Land area (sq mi) | 944 | 55,512 |
| Race and ethnicity** | ||
| White | 54.4% | 69.8% |
| Black/African American | 23.3% | 14.1% |
| Asian | 7.5% | 5.6% |
| Native American | 0.3% | 0.3% |
| Pacific Islander | 0% | 0% |
| Other (single race) | 9.6% | 6% |
| Multiple | 4.9% | 4.2% |
| Hispanic/Latino | 25.3% | 17.2% |
| Education | ||
| High school graduation rate | 87.7% | 89.7% |
| College graduation rate | 40% | 35.5% |
| Income | ||
| Median household income | $67,886 | $68,428 |
| Persons below poverty level | 13.7% | 12% |
| Source: population provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "Decennial Census" (2020). Other figures provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2015-2020). | ||
| **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here. | ||
See also
| Cook County, Illinois | Illinois | Municipal government | Other local coverage |
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External links
Footnotes
