In response to a reader's question: No, the primary is not moving in 2026 -- but filing deadlines will come sooner in 2025

A reader asked me to look into a rumor that legislation had passed in Springfield to move the 2026 primary "up" -- that it would be held sooner than has been customary -- and that, as a consequence, candidate filing might begin as early as August of this year.

Readers may remember that Illinois has fiddled with the primary dates before. It was moved back to Mel Brooks' birthday (June 28) in 2022 (a Covid consequence). In 2008, the primary was held on February 5. This was done to improve the presidential chances of a certain Illinois senator; a big win in his home state helped Barack Obama on the road to the White House. The early date was retained for 2010, when the primary was held on Groundhog's Day, but the primary was returned to mid-March in 2012.

So it was not out of the question that something had been rammed through Sprinfield in the dead of night. That's when they generally do things there, or at least, that's generally when they do anything they think to be important.

And we just started a new General Assembly this month... meaning there was an opportunity for last-minute shenanigans in the dying moments of the expiring one. Which, no doubt, there were -- but not with the election calendar.

The 2026 primary will be held on the Feast of St. Patrick itself. (Insert your own questions here about how, if the primary is held on March 17, snakes can still get on the ballot.)

However there was some tinkering done with the election calendar in Springfield last year and this does impact Cook County judicial hopefuls.

Pursuant to P.A. 103-0586, which amends, inter alia Section 7-12(1) of the Election Code, 10 ILCS 5/7-12(1), petition filing will open Monday, October 27, 2005 and close on Monday, November 3. The special judicial filing period (for vacancies occurring in the three weeks prior to November 3) will begin on Monday, November 17 and end on Monday, November 24. And petition circulation, which under Section 7-10 of the Election Code, 10 ILCS 5/7-10, can not begin until August 5, that being the 90th day "preceding the last day provided in Section 7-12 for the filing of such petition."

Basically, the primary election stays put... but the election calendar gets moved up by 28 days.

That means challenges will come sooner, and be resolved sooner, and won't necessarily collide with Christmas, and judicial review of electoral board decisions may actually be concluded before the start of early voting.

FWIW readers will remember the mischief that followed in the last election cycle, when people were already voting, or trying to, and the courts were still grappling with a couple of cases.

Now, none of the dates here should be accepted by you as set in stone -- other than the March 17 primary date. I have counted backwards from that date as the language of the Election Code commands, and have done the best I can, but the dates set out here are unofficial.

As for the statute itself, it did pass in an eyeblink, roughtly 48 hours after a second "amendment" was made to a bill originally purporting to amend the Children and Family Services Act. SB2412 did not become a shell bill until it arrived in the Illinois House. And then it aged in the House for a while, 11 months or so, like stinky cheese. I wrote about the bill at the time of its passage, even noting the potentially beneficial impact of this legislation on our congested election calendar. But, when the reader's inquiry came in, I did not immediately remember the new statute, or the prior article. I apologize for this lapse.