This NEW ERA VICTORY FUND CAMPAIGN button was saved among other commemoratives in my grandmother’s button box many years ago, and has always been a reminder that educated women are good at striving to get out the well-informed vote! (PN File Photo)
Updated Post, Oct. 3, 2026 / Registered Voters have begun reporting that “Mail-In” ballots were received via USPS on Oct. 3, 2026. (Note that if you decide to vote in person, kindly bring and submit your blank vote-by-mail ballot. If you don’t have the vote-by-mail ballot when you go to vote in person, you’ll be asked to fill out an affidavit saying you lost it or never received it.)
Updated Post, Sept. 29, 2026 / By 3:20PM this day, Sept. 29, and by the numbers, 378 DuPage County Voters had cast ballots during the first five days of Early In-Person Voting for the Midterm General Election at the Naperville Municipal Center, 400 S. Eagle Street.
Updated Post, Sept. 28, 2026 / Since some voters seem curious, reports from the DuPage County Clerk’s Office say little has changed regarding Mail-in Ballots since last Thursday, ballots to cast votes in the Midterm General Election on Nov. 3, 2026.
PN regrets any confusion regarding candidates on the 2026 Midterm ballot while petition-signing is in progress for the 2027 Consolidated Election.
We aim to urge registered voters to sign petitions that will give hopefuls who want to be on the Consolidated Election ballot a chance to run.
Right now, some of the candidate forums, fundraisers, coffees, meet-and-greets and other opportunities to get to know hopefuls compete for dates.
Upcoming Election Days
Midterm General Election Voting – 6AM to 7PM Tues., Nov. 3, 2026
Consolidated Election Voting – 6AM to 7PM Tues., April 6, 2027
Original Post, Sept. 27, 2026 / Not surprisingly, some residents are feeling the pressure along with confusion regarding the two upcoming elections.
To our surprise on Thurs., Sept. 24, the first day Early Voting was set to begin, our staff inquiry to the DuPage County Clerk’s office regarding the absence of Mail-in Voting Ballots, the answer was, “Mail-in ballots are being mailed in batches.”
And the Clerk’s office added, “Not all voters will receive Mail-In Ballots at the same time.”
In addition, shifts to fill slots for DuPage County Election Judges at polling places throughout October have not yet been released.
That news regarding not-yet-received Mail-in Ballots for the Midterm General Election (Nov. 3, 2026) was posted with a PN story regarding Early Voting locations in DuPage and Will County. All seems OK in Will County.
(Thoughts also flashed to a recent post that listed the estimated annual salary of the DuPage County Clerk at $151,363. Note a four-year salary ordinance recently approved by the DuPage County Board will increase the County Clerk’s salary to $154,390 for the 2027 fiscal year. Voters wondered why.)
What has followed since that post on Sept. 24 might be more confusion. If you know your precinct captain (P.C.) in your neighborhood, perhaps attempt to contact that individual.
“When do I vote and for whom?” also already has been a frequent request to PN. Voters said they had requested an early Mail-in Ballot to study the whole list in advance of casting their early votes at their polling place.
Perhaps confusion is exacerbated by overlapping of election seasons
Even before Early Voting in the Midterm General Election, candidates for the nonpartisan elections of Naperville Mayor; Naperville City Council; School Board Members in District 200, 202, 203 and 204 (Yes! Though Naperville is served mostly by District 203 and District 204, the community is served by four school districts.); Naperville Park District Commissioners and College of DuPage Trustees) began circulating petitions for the Consolidated Election to be held on Tues., April 6, 2027.
The first set of elections now in progress until Midterm General Election Day on Nov. 3, 2026, will elect hopefuls to serve Naperville in DuPage County, Will County, Springfield and Washington, D.C. along party lines.
The other upcoming election will be held in the spring. The “Consolidated” elections set for April 6, 2027, are nonpartisan. Or at least, they’re supposed to be.
Calling all registered voters to sign petitions for Consolidated Elections
At any rate, for a hopeful candidate to serve on a government body, petitioners must seek registered voters to sign petitions so candidates can be placed on the ballot.
Nominating petitions for the General Midterm Election were signed placing candidates on the Primary Ballot for votes last March 2026. Now those candidates seek election along party lines on Tues., Nov. 3.
Beginning in late summer, hopefuls desiring to serve municipal governments, school boards and park district boards picked up petition packets and began circulating for signatures. The number of signatures needed varies from one elected office to the next. And the dates to turn in petitions varies, too.
So…If you’re a registered voter in Naperville in either DuPage County or Will County, hopefuls welcome and appreciate your signature on their petitions.
Requirements for Signing Petitions in Nonpartisan Elections on Tues., April 6.
- First of all, signing a petition does NOT mean you are required to vote for the candidate.
- Signing a petition is the American way for a hopeful to be placed on the ballot for the electorate to choose.
- Signing simply means you think that person has right to be placed on the ballot.
- To sign, you must be a registered voter in the City of Naperville. You need no voting history in either a Democratic or Republican “Primary” or “Election.”
- You may sign only one petition for a candidate for Mayor of the City of Naperville.
- You must sign your name the same way you signed it when you registered to vote.
- Never use ditto marks in any part of your designated line on the petition.
- Use your home address. P.O. Boxes are not permitted.
- Signing a petition for a friend is not permitted. Signing a petition for a family member is not permitted.
- Signing a petition helps a hopeful receive the number of signatures needed to receive ballot access.
Confused yet? Every election season we aim to send well-educated and clear-thinking voters to the polls. Stay tuned.
Get to know candidates… Click below
