We will continue to update this page with more information. All information was is accurate to the best of our knowledge and sources, however, if you find something to be out of date or incorrect. Please contact us.
On Tuesday, April 4, 2023, Chicagoans will be voting for local city officials currently in the runoff election, including Mayor and Aldermen (aka alders/alderpeople/alderwomen). These people make the city’s laws and help determine the future of biking in your neighborhoods and across the entire city. There will be a LARGE turnover of alders which offers the opportunity to seat more alders who are pro-biking and bike lanes. Having a majority of pro-biking alders can swing mayoral decisions.
How do I vote?
101 On How To Vote In This Election
Important dates:
Date of primary vote: Tuesday, February 28, 2023 Complete
Date of runoff vote: Tuesday, April 4, 2023
The election is split into two parts: the primary on February 28th and the runoff on April 4th.
The runoff only happens if no candidate in a race receives more than 50% of the vote. Some alderman races will probably go to a runoff, but some will be decided on February 28th.
Who can vote? source
To register to vote, you must:
be a U.S. citizen, and
be born on or before April 4, 2005, and
live in your precinct at least 30 days before the election, and
not claim the right to vote elsewhere; and
not be in prison/jail serving time for a conviction. (Note: Ex-convicts who have been released from prison/jail and who meet all other requirements listed above are eligible to register and vote in Illinois. Ex-convicts who have been released and are on parole/probation ARE eligible to register and vote in Illinois.)
Register to vote
or you can even register to vote the day of the election (just be sure to bring two forms of ID with your address on them).
Find your polling place
Which ward/alder are you mapped to in 2023?
Who do I vote for?
101 On Important Roles To Vote For
What’s does an Alderman/Alder/Alderwoman/Alderperson do?
- There are 50 alders who make up the Chicago City Council - They each alder acts as a representative for a small district of Chicago, called a "ward". - Alders are responsible for making and passing laws, called ordinances, that impact you (like the speed camera threshold law) - Alder terms are four years and make decisions on laws, funding, and developments that impact biking.
- A large turnover in Alders are expected this year.
- That turnover offers the opportunity to elect alders who are pro-biking and result in improved biking conditions in Chicago.
- No matter who the mayor is, the city council is still the one who makes the laws about biking, and they have some say over what bike lanes look like in their neighborhoods.
- Electing a pro-biking majority on of alders will help speed up Chicago’s bike lane infrastructure.
- After the election, the new alder will spend the next four years making laws about biking in the city. For example, some of them want to mandate that CDOT include new biking infrastructure whenever a road is repaved. The alder will all vote on whether that will become a new law or not, so electing the right people as alder is super important!
- City council has approved new ward maps. This means you might be living in a new ward and have a new alder this election season.
- New ward maps will be going into effect this year for this election.
- Find out which ward/alder you are mapped to in 2023: enter your address here
What does the Mayor do?
What does a District Council Rep do? This is a NEW role!
Who is running for Mayor?
Here is a current list of candidates for the runoff for mayor on 4/4/2023
Brandon Johnson
Here is a current list of candidates running for mayor on 2/28/2023
Kam Buckner
Chuy Garcia
Ja'Mal Green
Brandon Johnson
Sophia King
Lori Lightfoot
Roderick Sawyer
Paul Vallas
Willie Wilson
Alders
There will be a LARGE turnover of alders this year which offers the opportunity to seat more alders who are pro-biking and pro-bike lanes. Having a majority of pro-biking alders can swing mayoral decisions.
Below, you will find:
A deep dive into Aldermanic spending the last four years. source data
A list of which alders use participatory budgeting to decide how menu money is spent, which do not, and who simply didn't want to answer the question.
New ward boundaries are in effect for this year. You might live in a new ward EVEN IF YOU HAVEN'T MOVED. We mapped out the prior boundaries as well as the new boundaries. You can triple check who you're registered to vote for: here
We identified which alders have been indicted or are under investigation, which alders are running for re-election, which ones are running unopposed, and which ones have decided not to run for re-election.
We included attendance records and a few voting records we think you might care about, and identified which alders are on the Committee for Pedestrian Safety.
Who was my alder previously?
Here is a map of ward boundaries from 2015-2023
- City council has approved new ward maps. This means you might be living in a new ward and have a new alder this election season.
- New ward maps will be going into effect this year for this election.
- Find out which ward/alder you are mapped to in 2023: enter your address here
Who is my **NEW** alder? Effective this election
Here is a map of the **NEW** ward boundaries from 2023 - TBD.
- City council has approved new ward maps.
- This means you might be living in a new ward and have a new alder this election season.
- New ward maps will be going into effect this year for this election.
- Find out which ward/alder you are mapped to in 2023: enter your address here
UPDATED: This section has been updated to include election results from the 2/28/23 vote. It includes:
The current status of the ward office, meaning, if the alder seat is decided and final or if the alder seat is subject to a runoff vote on 4/4/23.
If the alder seat is open to runoff, we have included who is in the runoff.
We have included if the current alder of the ward has endorsed a mayoral candidate.
Map Key:
1. Existing alder not running for re-election & open for runoff on 4/4/23
2. Existing alder running opposed in runoff on 4/4/23
3. Newly elected alder from 2/28/23 vote 4. Re-elected alder from 2/28/23 vote
5. Existing alder running unopposed
Alders Under Investigation &/or Federal Indictment
Perhaps the most Chicago thing about this election: 3 sitting alders are under investigation and/or indictment...and one decided to run for re-election anyway.
Alders Running For Re-Election Unopposed
UPDATED: This section has been updated to include their mayoral endorsements.
Alders Running For Re-Election
UPDATED: This section has been updated to include election results from the 2/28/23 vote. It includes:
The current status of the ward office, meaning, if the alder seat is decided and final or if the alder seat is subject to a runoff vote on 4/4/23.
If the alder seat is open to runoff, we have included who is in the runoff.
We have included if the current alder of the ward has endorsed a mayoral candidate.
Important Definitions
Speed Camera Vote:
Last year, some aldermen wanted to raise the threshold on the speed cameras to allow speeding up to 9mph over the limit. We included this vote because we believe slower streets are safer streets, and we opposed raising the speed camera threshold. We worked to stop that from happening.
eTOD vote:
Attendance:
Menu Money:
Participatory Budgeting:
Information On All Existing Alders
View the table below to see your alders attendance record, see if they've been indicted or if they're under federal investigation, their voting records, and contact information.
UPDATED: This section has been updated to include election results from the 2/28/23 vote. It includes:
The current status of the ward office, meaning, if the alder seat is decided and final or if the alder seat is subject to a runoff vote on 4/4/23.
If the alder seat is open to runoff, we have included who is in the runoff.
We have included if the current alder of the ward has endorsed a mayoral candidate.
Note: On desktop the fields below can be sorted and filtered. On mobile you can click on a card and expand the record to show more details