By Townhall Chicago News Staff
The Chicago Board of Elections on Wednesday published its post-election uncounted ballot report for the 2026 midterm general election, showing 59,572 ballots still awaiting processing.
The update provides a snapshot of outstanding ballots that could affect tight local and statewide races as election workers continue to verify and tabulate votes from the Nov. 3 election.
Of the 59,572 uncounted ballots, 50,721 are mail-in ballots that were sent to voters but had not yet been returned, according to the board’s report. Another 4,213 mail-in ballots had been received but not yet counted, and 4,638 provisional ballots remained in the processing queue. All Election Day and early voting ballots had been counted.
The board said vote-by-mail and provisional ballots will continue to be processed and added to unofficial results through Nov. 17. Under Illinois law, mail-in ballots postmarked by Election Day can be accepted for up to 14 days after the election.
The uncounted ballot tally arrives as Cook County saw competitive races up and down the ballot, including contests for the newly elected Chicago Board of Education. The Nov. 3 election marked a historic transition toward a fully elected school board, a change that drew heightened voter interest across the city.
Early voting totals released on Election Day showed 211,657 in-person early voting ballots had been cast by the close of the early voting period, according to the board. Combined with Election Day turnout, the remaining uncounted ballots represent a small but potentially decisive share of the total vote.
Provisional ballots are cast when a voter’s eligibility cannot be immediately confirmed at the polling place. Election officials review each provisional ballot individually to determine whether it should be counted, a process that typically takes several days after the election.
The board has also turned its attention to the next election cycle. A notice posted Thursday announced extended public viewing of record examinations for the 2027 municipal and aldermanic election, scheduled for Nov. 16 through Nov. 20 at 11 E. Adams St., Suite 300. The viewing sessions will run from 9 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. on weekdays.
Candidate petition objection filings for the 2027 municipal races closed Nov. 2 at the board’s office at 69 W. Washington St.
Voters can check the status of their mail-in ballot and view unofficial results through the voter lookup tool on chicagoelections.gov. The board’s office can be reached at 312-269-7900.
