Early voting in Illinois opens on Thursday, January 14, 2027 for the February 23 races, and on Thursday, February 25, 2027 for most April 6 races (or Friday, March 12 where a February primary ran). From that day on, your campaign has one job above all others: turn the supporters you have found into votes cast, and stop spending effort on people who have already voted. The plan below breaks the early voting stretch into weeks, with the same structure for both tracks.
The reason to plan for this period separately is simple. In a local race, a supporter who votes on day three of early voting is a supporter you no longer have to chase on Election Day. Every vote banked early frees your volunteers for the people still undecided or still unsure when and where to vote.
These dates come from the Illinois State Board of Elections 2027 calendar. Your county clerk or election authority sets early voting locations and hours, so always send voters there for the details. For the whole campaign, start with our guide to running for local office in Illinois.
The two calendars
February 23, 2027 track (partisan municipal races in towns over 5,000, nonpartisan municipal primaries, council-manager cities, all City of Chicago offices):
- Ballot certified Thursday, December 17, 2026.
- Early voting opens Thursday, January 14, 2027.
- Election Day is Tuesday, February 23, 2027, about six weeks later.
April 6, 2027 track (school, park, library, community college, fire protection and forest preserve boards; independents and new-party municipal candidates; most nonpartisan villages):
- Ballot certified Thursday, January 28, 2027.
- Early voting opens Thursday, February 25, 2027, or Friday, March 12 where a February primary ran.
- Election Day is Tuesday, April 6, 2027, about six weeks after February 25.
Vote by mail runs on its own timeline. Ask your election authority when ballots go out and how voters request one, so every message you send says it correctly.
Two weeks before early voting opens
February track: December 31 to January 13. April track: February 11 to 24.
- Sort your list. Supporters (said yes at the door), leaners, undecided, and not supporting. Early voting reminders go to supporters and leaners.
- Separate your text list. Only supporters with a dated, written opt-in get texts. Everyone else gets a door knock or literature.
- Write your messages. Opening-day text, mid-point text, final-weekend text and Election Day text. Our 25 campaign text templates for local races include all four.
- Find the sites. Look up early voting locations and hours on your county clerk's website, so volunteers can answer when voters ask.
- Line up volunteers for every weekend of early voting.
Week 1: early voting opens
February track: January 14 to 20. April track: February 25 to March 3.
- Opening-day text to opted-in supporters, pointing them to the county clerk's website for sites and hours.
- Ask for a plan at the door: "Early voting is open. Do you have a plan to vote, either early or on Election Day?"
- Start a voted list. When a supporter tells you they voted, by text reply or at the door, mark it.
- Vote early yourself, if you are planning to, and tell supporters you did. It makes the ask concrete.
Week 2: the first push
February track: January 21 to 27. April track: March 4 to 10.
- Knock supporter doors first. Persuasion still matters, but supporters who have not voted are now the highest-value doors.
- Answer every reply. Supporters ask where to vote, whether you are on their ballot and how to get a yard sign. Reply within a day.
- Watch the 30-day line. In the 30 days before the election (from January 24 for February 23, from March 7 for April 6), a committee that crosses $5,000 must file its D-1 within 2 business days, and contributions of $1,000 or more must be reported within 2 business days.
- April track where a February primary ran: early voting opens March 12. Your Week 1 starts then, and the weeks that follow compress.
Weeks 3 and 4: the middle stretch
February track: January 28 to February 10. April track: March 11 to 24.
- Mid-point text to opted-in supporters who have not told you they voted.
- Second contact for leaners and undecided voters. Use the notes from your first visit.
- Trim the list every few days. Remove anyone who told you they voted from reminder doors and texts.
- Plan Election Day: volunteer shifts, supporter doors still open, and a ride list if you are offering rides.
Weeks 5 and 6: the finish
February track: February 11 to 23. April track: March 25 to April 6.
- Final-weekend push: every supporter who has not voted gets one more contact, at the door or by text.
- Confirm the last day of early voting with your election authority, and stop early voting messages after it.
- Election Day: check your election authority's polling hours, send your morning text, and put volunteers on supporter doors. Our Election Day checklist for local candidates covers the day itself.
Step in the plan: run the early voting texts in CampaignCNX+
Set this up in the two weeks before early voting opens:
- Have registration done. CampaignCNX+ files your carrier registration for you (10DLC and toll-free) and guides you through Campaign Verify. Request Campaign Verify on or after November 15, 2026 so it lasts until January 31, 2029; earlier requests expire January 31, 2027, which falls in the middle of February-track early voting.
- Load only opted-in supporters. A petition signature is not consent to receive texts. A sheet counts only when it says so plainly and the date is recorded.
- Schedule the four sends (opening day, mid-point, final weekend, Election Day). Quiet-hours scheduling keeps them inside reasonable hours.
- Use replies to build your voted list. Ask supporters to reply VOTED. Replies land in the two-way inbox, where team members with roles can work the shared inbox while you knock doors. Tag each VOTED reply and move that supporter out of your reminder group, so the next send skips them.
- STOP replies are handled automatically, so supporters who opt out never get another text.
Example (illustrative): four texts to 300 opted-in supporters is 1,200 SMS. At pay as you go ($0.06 per SMS) that is $72; on Basic ($55 a month with 1,000 SMS) most of it is covered by the plan. 100 free SMS included. Your number is $5 a month. For Illinois campaigns there is also an offer through January 31, 2027: 1,000 free texts with a month of Pro plus $149 white-glove setup (normally $299). See our Illinois political texting page.
For door work in the same weeks, Beacon routes supporter walk lists and records each door result, so volunteers know which doors are still open.
What not to do during early voting
- Do not text people who never opted in, including petition signers.
- Do not quote early voting hours or locations from memory. Send voters to the county clerk.
- Do not keep reminding supporters who told you they voted.
- Do not start a new project in the last two weeks. Put every hour into contact with supporters.
Be ready on opening day
The first day of early voting is the best day to remind supporters. Have your account registered and your opening text scheduled before it arrives.