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2026 Illinois Mental Health Voter Guide
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Election Day
NOV 3
Tuesday, November 3, 2026
Polls are open 6 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Early voting and mail ballots are already underway. See your options
Every Illinois House seat and most State Senate seats are on the ballot this November. Here is what to ask the candidates who want to represent Chicago's northwest suburbs, and how to make sure your vote is counted.
WE ENDORSE
Community Mental Health Project endorses these candidates for the Illinois General Assembly in the November 3 election.
ILLINOIS SENATE
ILLINOIS HOUSE
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Ben McAdams
Senate District 24
Rep. Nabeela Syed
Senate District 26
Carina Santa Maria
Senate District 27
Sen. Julie Morrison
Senate District 29
Sen. Adriane Johnson
Senate District 30
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Rep. Anna Moeller
House District 43
Rep. Maura Hirschauer
House District 49
Jenny Levin
House District 51
Maria Peterson
House District 52
Rep. Nicolle Grasse
House District 53
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Rep. Mary Beth Canty
House District 54
Rep. Justin Cochran
House District 55
Rep. Michelle Mussman
House District 56
Rep. Tracy Katz Muhl
House District 57
Rep. Dan Didech
House District 59
Not sure which districts you live in? Find my districts
MENTAL HEALTH
SCORECARD
Does your legislator stand up for mental health?
Before you ask
KNOW WHO YOU
ARE ASKING
Everyone in Illinois is represented by one State Representative and one State Senator. All 118 House seats are on the ballot this year. Senate terms are staggered, so 39 of the 59 Senate seats are up, and yours may not be.
What state lawmakers decide about mental health
The state budget
Each spring they vote on how much Illinois spends on community mental health, crisis services, substance use recovery, and developmental disability services.
Insurance and
Medicaid rules
They set what insurers must cover and what Medicaid pays providers. Both shape how many appointments exist near you.
For suburban Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake, and McHenry counties, use the county voter tools below to check your districts, polling place, and sample ballot.
The rules local
bodies work under
They write the laws that schools, 911 centers, and local mental health boards have to follow, and decide whether the money comes with them.
ASK THE
CANDIDATES
Use these at a candidate forum, when a campaign knocks on your door, or in an email. Pick the one or two that matter most to you, and ask every candidate the same question so you can compare their answers.
1
Access to care close to home
Lawmakers decide: what Medicaid pays providers, what insurers must cover, and how Illinois trains and licenses the mental health workforce.
“What would you do to shorten the wait for a first mental health appointment in our district, and how would you pay for it?”
“Will you vote to raise what Medicaid pays community mental health and substance use treatment providers? By how much, and by when?”
“Illinois law requires insurers to cover mental health and substance use care on equal terms with physical health care. How would you hold insurers to it?”
“What would you do to bring more counselors, psychiatrists, and peer support workers to the northwest suburbs, and to keep them here?”
“How would you shorten the state's waiting list for services for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, and raise pay for the workers who support them?”
Developmental disability services are funded separately from mental health care, so ask about them by name.
2
Early support and effective crisis response
Lawmakers decide: what schools are required and funded to do, and how Illinois pays for 988, mobile crisis teams, and places to go in a crisis.
“Starting in the 2027–28 school year, Illinois schools must offer a yearly mental health screening to students in grades 3 through 12. What will you do so that a student who needs help after a screening can get it?”
Signed into law July 31, 2025. Parents can opt their children out.
“A 2021 state law says people who call 911 for mental health help should be referred to mental health professionals instead of police. The deadline to have that working is June 30, 2027. What will you do to make sure our area is ready?”
The law is the Community Emergency Services and Support Act, or CESSA. Its original deadline was January 1, 2023.
“How will you make sure the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline and mobile crisis teams have stable state funding from one year to the next?”
“Where should someone in a mental health crisis be able to go besides an emergency room or a jail, and what would you fund in our area?”
3
Public investment and accountability
Lawmakers decide: the state budget, where settlement and grant dollars go, and what state agencies have to report back.
“Will you vote for a state budget that increases funding for community mental health, substance use recovery, and developmental disability services? What would you cut or raise to pay for it?”
“How should Illinois spend its opioid settlement money, and how will you make sure it reaches treatment and recovery support in our communities?”
“State law lets voters create local mental health boards funded by a local property tax. Will you protect that option and support communities that want one?”
These boards are independent public bodies created under the Community Mental Health Act. They are separate from Community Mental Health Project.
“If you hold office now: which mental health bills have you sponsored or voted for, and what changed because of them? If you are new: what is the first mental health bill you would file?”
What a strong answer sounds like:
It names an action.
A bill, a budget line, or a vote. Not a general statement of support.
It says who pays.
A funding source, or what they would change to make room for it.
It gives a date.
A session, a deadline, or a milestone you can check on later.
If all you hear is “mental health is important to me,” ask again: “What specifically will you do, and by when?”
MAKE YOUR
PLAN TO VOTE
In Illinois you can register and vote right up to Election Day. What changes as each date passes is how you can do it.
Thursday
SEPT 24
Early voting began at some election offices. Mail ballots started going out.
Tuesday
OCT 6
Last day to register by mail or with a registrar.
Sunday
OCT 18
Last day to register online.
Monday
OCT 19
Expanded early voting. Check your county’s sites and hours.
Thursday
OCT 29
Last day to request a mail ballot.
Tuesday
NOV 3
Election Day. Polls open 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. Mail ballots must be postmarked by today.
1
Check your registration
Look yourself up before the deadlines pass. If you have moved or changed your name since you last voted, you need to update your registration.
Suburban Cook · DuPage · Kane · Lake · McHenry
2
Register, or update your address
To register you must be a U.S. citizen, be at least 18 by Election Day, and have lived in your precinct for at least 30 days before Election Day.
Online
By Sunday, Oct. 18
You need an Illinois driver's license or state ID.
By mail or with a registrar
By Tuesday, Oct. 6
Print and sign the Illinois form. Mail it to your local election authority, listed on the form, postmarked by Oct. 6.
In person, after Oct. 6
Oct. 7 through Election Day
Register and vote in the same visit. Bring two forms of ID, one showing your current address.
3
Choose how you will vote
By mail
Request by Thursday, Oct. 29
Any registered Illinois voter can vote by mail. Your ballot must be postmarked by Nov. 3 and arrive by Nov. 17, so do not wait until the last day to send it.
Early, in person
Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry
Early voting is under way. More sites open Oct. 19. Check your county’s dates, sites, and hours.
Suburban Cook · DuPage · Kane · Lake · McHenry
On Election Day
Tuesday, Nov. 3, 6 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Your election authority tells you where you can vote. Check your county’s polling-place lookup before you go.
Common situations
Do I need to show ID?
Usually not if you are already registered at your current address. You do need two forms of ID, one showing your current address, if you register in person after the regular deadlines. Bringing an ID anyway can help if a question comes up about your registration.
I missed the registration deadlines. Can I still vote?
Yes. From Oct. 7 through Election Day you can register and vote in the same visit. Bring two forms of ID, one showing your current address.
Why is there no State Senate race on my ballot?
Illinois Senate terms are staggered, so 39 of the 59 districts elect a senator this year. Every district elects a State Representative. You can still put these questions to your current senator.
Does this guide cover Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake, and McHenry counties?
Yes. Statewide dates and rules apply across all five counties. Use the county voter tools and early-voting links above for local ballots, sites, and hours. Confirm details with your election authority.
Last checked October 1, 2026. Rules can change, so confirm details with your election office.