Midterm Election: November 3, 2026
Kane County residents will vote on races in the 2026 Midterm Election.
More information will be posted to this page as it becomes available.
Federal Candidates
Lauren Underwood
Representative14
In 2018, Congesswoman Lauren Underwood became the first person of color, the first woman, and the first millennial elected to represent Illinois’ 14th Congressional District. When she was sworn into office, she became the youngest Black woman to ever serve in Congress. Rep. Underwood has had 19 pieces of legislation enacted into law by both Democratic and Republican administrations, making her one of the most effective legislators in the House of Representatives. She is Co-Chair of the Democratic Policy and Communications Committee and also serves on the House Appropriations Committee and various subcommittees.
As a registered nurse and public health expert, Rep. Underwood brings a critical perspective to Congress. She has made access to high-quality, affordable healthcare one of her signature issues. She co-founded the Black Maternal Health Caucus to combat the historical health disparities and unacceptably high death rates among Black mothers. Along with colleagues in the House and Senate, she introduced a package of 13 bills to save moms’ lives: the Black Maternal Health Momnibus Act. And even before Rep. Underwood was elected, she worked to implement the Affordable Care Act as a career civil servant at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Underwood was later appointed by President Obama to serve as a Senior Advisor at HHS, where she helped communities prevent, prepare for, and respond to public health emergencies, bioterror threats, and other disasters. Rep. Underwood is a graduate of the University of Michigan and Johns Hopkins University.
State Candidates
Michele Clark
Illinois State Senator 33
Michele Clark is running to represent District 33 in the Illinois State Senate. As a wife, mom, and former small business owner, Michele knows that the rising cost of living is a serious burden for families across Illinois, especially in the suburbs. From groceries and childcare to healthcare costs, people are being squeezed from every direction. As a state senator, Michele will fight for policies that lower costs and make Illinois more affordable for everyone.
Throughout her career, Michele has worked in family-oriented businesses. While raising her children, Michele built and ran an early childhood learning center. After selling the school, she served as Chief Operating Officer of the Boys and Girls Club of Dundee Township during the Covid-19 pandemic, managing a multimillion-dollar budget and guiding her team through a critical time for families and kids. Today, she is Director of Development for the D300 Food Pantry, working to ensure no child in the district goes hungry. If elected, Michele Clark will work to make access to quality childcare more attainable, support small businesses across the district, and focus on meeting the needs of families, children, and seniors.
Anna Moeller
Illinois Representative 43
Anna Moeller has served as the state representative for Illinois’ 43rd District since 2014 and is up for re-election. Currently, she is Chair of the Health and Human Services Appropriations Committee and leads the Medicaid Working Group. During the last few years, Anna has brought up legislation to help everyday workers and seniors. This includes legislation for pay equity, worker protection, healthcare access, nursing home and Medicaid reform, and support for victims of sexual assault.
Before her career in state politics, Anne held positions in local government, serving as Director of the McHenry County Council of Governments, Assistant Village Administrator for the Village of Lake in the Hills, and Councilwoman for the City of Elgin. Anna wants to keep moving the state forward to defend women’s reproductive freedom, protect senior services, expand access to affordable healthcare, create good paying jobs, and stand with working families. She will fight any attempts to dismantle Medicaid and Social Security, take away services, and weaken our democracy.
Ricky Rivard
Illinois Representative 65
Ricky Rivard is a lifelong resident of Illinois who is raising his children in Kane County and fighting for all working families to have the basic necessities and the opportunity to thrive. That is why Ricky is running for state representative in the 65th District. While working as a college professor, Realtor, and service industry veteran, Ricky has seen the barriers that many families face and has worked to break down those barriers and open doors to help students and adults.
Ricky believes in leading with transparency and holding regular town halls, guided by a simple principle: people over the powerful. That means working to deliver affordable healthcare and childcare, accessible housing, good jobs, and strong schools for every community in this state. Ricky’s goal is to make sure every parent can put food on the table, every child has a shot at success, and every resident has a voice that matters. He wants to build a future where working families come before special interest groups.
Suzanne Ness
Illinois Representative 66
Suzanne Ness is a third term IL State Representative serving Illinois’ 66th District. Suzanne chairs the Adoption and Child Welfare Committee and is the co-chair of the Conference of Women Legislators, which is bi-partisan and also bi-cameral, which means it operates in two chambers, ensuring more equal representation. In her terms in office, Suzanne has championed women’s rights, sponsored legislation to reduce the cost of healthcare to families throughout Illinois, supported ABLE accounts to help individuals with disabilities save money, supported bills to provide tax relief for caregivers, and secured millions of dollars for her district.
Prior to serving in the IL General Assembly, Suzanne served two years on the McHenry County Board where she helped to change rules that resulted in a more fair and balanced process for board appointments and helped to strengthen the county’s ethics ordinance. She continues to be a champion for working families, individuals with developmental and intellectual disabilities, and stronger ethics in government. In addition to her full-time job as a legislator, Suzanne co-owns a coaching and leadership development firm called Forward Effect. Suzanne has lived in Crystal Lake for more than 20 years and is running for her 4th term this fall.
Saba Haider
Illinois Representative 84
Saba Haider is running to represent Illinois’ 84th House District after winning the Democratic nomination with more than 63% of the vote. Her story begins in India, the country of her birth where she worked as a wildlife ecologist. She and her husband Ali immigrated to the US twenty years ago, and chose Illinois as the place to start their family and a successful small business. Grateful for everything that her community gave her to make her “American Dream” a reality, Saba has dedicated her life to public service.
In 2024, Saba was elected to the DuPage County Board — flipping a Republican seat by a margin of 9000 votes. She currently serves as Chairwoman of the County Board’s Environmental and Strategic Planning Committees. She also sits on the boards of DuPage County’s Health Department as well as the Indian Prairie Education Foundation (IPEF), the nonprofit arm of IPSD 204 serving 26,000 students. Recognizing the growing Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community in Chicago’s collar counties, Saba co-founded and currently chairs the Will & DuPage Counties Democratic AAPI Caucus. During her time on the County Board, she has voted to expand access to mental healthcare and protect immigrants from federal overreach. If elected to the Illinois General Assembly, she will take with her to Springfield the same passion for healthcare, education, and uplifting working families that has defined her career thus far.
Local Candidates
Kane County Candidates
Brenda Rodgers
Kane County Clerk
Brenda Rodgers is a former Elgin City Council member who is running for Kane County Clerk. She has been a Realtor in the area for many years and supported civic organizations such as the Boys and Girls Club and Bethesda Community Development Center. In 2002, she began volunteering to help Democratic candidates get elected in Kane County and was asked by the Elgin Democrats to run for the Elgin City Council. She agreed and became the first Democrat elected to the council in 45 years. During her four-year term, two new fire stations were built in her territory.
Brenda walked with Michelle Obama to get Barack Obama elected to the U.S. Senate, and she continued to volunteer for local, state and national candidates. Brenda was a Bernie Sanders delegate in 2016 and has walked to get signatures for Barack Obama, Bernie Sanders, Bill Clinton, Joe Biden, and Kamala Harris. She wants to bring transparency and integrity to the clerk’s office.
Amy Johnson
Kane County Sheriff
Amy Johnson has spent more than two decades serving Kane County, rising through the Sheriff’s Office from intern and Evidence Custodian to her current role as Undersheriff. With experience spanning patrol, investigations, major crimes supervision, forensic science, recruitment, and leadership, her career reflects a deep commitment to service, accountability, and protection of the community. As a nationally recognized forensic expert and public safety leader, Amy has focused on building trust, strengthening support for deputies and correctional professionals, and ensuring the highest level of service for residents, which has prepared her to run for Kane County Sheriff and lead the office with proven experience.
Amy is committed to leading a modern, innovative, fiscally responsible, and accountable Sheriff’s Office that is prepared for the challenges of today and tomorrow. By investing in the recruitment of people, advancing smart and responsible innovations, strengthening community partnerships, and delivering transparent and accountable leadership, the Sheriff’s Office will be prepared for the future, responsive to the growing needs of the community, and committed to keeping residents safe for generations to come.
Penny Wegman
Kane County Treasurer
Penny Wegman is a lifelong Elgin resident and currently serves as Kane County Auditor, where she has focused on improving transparency, accountability, and public access to county financial information. She has also served as a Kane County Board Commissioner, Forest Preserve Commissioner and Treasurer, Gail Borden Library Trustee, and President of the Kane County Regional School Board. Penny holds a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Missouri State University and an MBA from Keller Graduate School, and was honored with the Innovator of the Year Award from the International Association of Government Officials and the 2025 Auditor of the Year Award from the Illinois Association of County Auditors.
Known for her collaborative and community-focused leadership style, Penny is committed to strengthening public trust and ensuring local government works for everyone. She believes strong communities are built through openness, professionalism, and service to residents throughout Kane County.
Kane County Board Candidates
Ellen Nottke
Kane County Board 2
Ellen Nottke has lived in Batavia township for 36 years and always taken an active role within the community. This includes attending community meetings, talking to elected officials, building relationships with decision makers, and working as a consultant. After many years of working as a citizen activist and consultant, Ellen has decided to seek office to represent District 2 on the Kane County Board.
Ellen knows that Kane County is a great place to live and raise a family, and she wants to work to safeguard the values we all hold dear. She believes that the time is right to get involved at a different level where her voice will be heard. Ellen promises to always be available to constituents and listen to their input and advice before making a decision. When residents work together, great things happen.
Anita Lewis
Kane County Board 3
Anita lives on the east side of Aurora and is a lifelong resident of Kane County. Currently, she represents District 3 on the Kane County Board and is running for re-election to represent Aurora and Montgomery and continue serving all residents of the county. She chairs the Jobs Committee and has also served on the Committee of the Whole, Executive, Finance and Budget, Human Services, Public Service, and Labor Management Committees.
In addition to representing District 3, Anita is a Forest Preserve Commissioner and chairs the Land Acquisition Committee. She is a founding member of the Kane County Economic Development Corporation, acting as the board treasurer, and a former East Aurora School District 131 board member.
In 2020, Anita retired from Henry Pratt Company where she worked with the union in procurement and shop floor management.
Julie Forbes
Kane County Board 11
Julie Forbes is a Midwestern native from Iowa with deep farm and union labor roots that shaped her commitment to hard work, community, and public service. A graduate of Iowa State University, she began her career as a park ranger with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, building a lifelong passion for conservation and environmental stewardship. Julie later spent 41 years in the retail food industry, including 17 years in executive leadership overseeing national sales organizations, strategic planning, diverse teams, and multimillion-dollar budgets.
Julie is running to represent the residents of District 11 on the Kane County Board. She is committed to serving all residents of her district and the county through honest budgeting, thoughtful leadership, and long-term planning. Julie supports public safety, healthcare access, mental health support, and domestic violence prevention, while also protecting Kane County’s forest preserves, farmland, open spaces, and the Fox River for future generations. Julie is a voice for all. To learn more visit Julieforkane.com.
Kate Monteleone
Kane County Board 15
Kate Monteleone is running for Kane County Board District 15 to represent the residents in her district and to safeguard accessibility and affordability for all residents of Kane County. She brings over 30 years of experience where she continues to lead nonprofit organizations that meet the needs of people from different backgrounds. This includes serving as the Executive Director for Neighborhood Food Pantries, a network of six pantries that serve over 65,000 residents of DuPage, Kane, and Cook Counties annually.
Kate was also the Chief Development Officer and President of the Delnor Foundation and led the initial planning and launch of the LivingWell Cancer Center, which has been a source of comfort for families for 20 years. Currently, she attends county board meetings to understand the issues impacting Kane County residents. Kate’s experiences have taught her to respond to the concerns of residents, collaborate with community members, and balance the interests of all to deliver quality services in a caring, compassionate, and professional way. Website: www.KateForKane.com
Deborah Chabi
Kane County Board 21
Dr. Deborah Chabi is a retired high school science teacher who is passionate about local issues such as everyone’s rights to clean water, clean air, and affordable housing. After hearing concerns from former students and community members about the rising cost of living, Deborah decided to run for office and hopes to represent District 21 on the Kane County Board. As a mother and former teacher, she is committed to improving the lives of all citizens and supporting government, union, and everyday workers.
Currently, Deborah is a member of the East Dundee Arts Council, which highlights local businesses through art. She also volunteers with Friends of the Fox River and the McNamee Family Foundation, which provides funds for food pantries, gives STEM scholarships to high school students, and promotes events that support environmental preservation of the Fox River. Deborah’s doctorate is in Educational Sustainability, and she believes it is important to learn the history of fellow Americans and adhere to science to solve ecological issues.
These important dates have been copied from the Kane County election website: https://clerk.kanecountyil.gov/Elections
Find Your Polling Place
Request Vote By Mail Ballot
Wed Aug 05 2026*
*Ballots will not be sent until Thu Sep 24 2026
Issue Vote By Mail Ballot
For Military/Overseas
Fri Sep 18 2026 – Mon Oct 26 2026
For All Other Vote By Mail
Thu Sep 24 2026 – Thu Oct 29 2026
Last Day to Register to Vote
Tue Oct 06 2026
Grace Period Registration & Voting
(At Kane County Elections Main Office & Aurora Satellite)
Wed Oct 07 2026 – Mon Nov 02 2026
Early Voting Period
(At Kane County Elections Main Office & Aurora Satellite)
Thu Sep 24 2026 – Mon Nov 02 2026
Permanent Sites – Early Voting Period
(All Early Voting Polling Places)
Mon Oct 19 2026 – Mon Nov 02 2026
Last Day to Count Vote By Mail & Provisional Ballots
Tue Nov 17 2026
