I first heard Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s name while taking a political journalism course in Manhattan this past summer. As part of my reporting, I spoke to dozens of New Yorkers about the Democratic primary. I spoke to a college student from Brooklyn who insisted voting was a civic duty. I spoke to a 72-year-old woman from the Upper East Side, who, unimpressed by every candidate on the ballot, still showed up on Election Day. Meanwhile, a man from Westchester County, equally unhappy, chose to sit the entire election out. He preferred to vote in the presidential elections.
Elections don’t really start in November. They start in the primaries. Nearly 80% of eligible voters don’t bother voting in these early contests, but if we want leaders who reflect our values and our future, we have to show up when those initial decisions are made.
Primary elections determine which candidates from each political party will appear on the general election ballot. In March 2026, Illinois will hold its primary election to select candidates on the ballot next November. We’ll choose nominees for the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives as well as Illinois governor, attorney general, secretary of state, treasurer and comptroller, among other local offices. It’s a long list, but each race matters. These are the people who will shape how our state and our country are run for years.
Despite their importance, primary elections usually attract the fewest voters. During the 2020 United States presidential election, only about one in 10 eligible Americans voted in primaries that ultimately decided roughly 83% of congressional races, according to the Unite America Institute. That small fraction effectively decided the majority of congressional races, determined who would come to run our country, while the rest of us were still waiting for the “real election.”
We young people, especially seniors about to turn 18, have the power to change that. For those of us who will be 18 before March 17, visit Illinois’ voter registration website. You can register online up to 16 days before the election, or mail in your form 28 days in advance. After that, there’s still a grace period for registration and voting in person in many counties.
Once you’re registered, learn about the candidates, find your precinct, and show up to vote on or before March 17. The issues we care about won’t move unless we do from the beginning.
