By Ben Cox
Photos provided
Monday, November 3 was the final day major party candidates could file to run in the March 2026 primary election.
The Illinois 2026 election season will feature some hotly contested races for major seats including those in the U.S. Senate, Congress, statewide executive offices and the Illinois General Assembly, along with several local races.
The general primary election in Illinois is slated for March 17, 2026. February 5, 2026, will be the first day mail-in ballots can be sent in by voters. It will also mark the first day county clerk offices may open their first early voting locations.
February 17, 2026, is the deadline for traditional voter registration, with March 1, 2026, marking the final day voters can register online. March 2, 2026, is the first day of early voting at permanent polling places around the state.
Candidates who win the primary will get a few months to campaign before the early voting cycle begins again in October 2026. After the March 17 primary election in 2026, independent and third party candidates will have a few months to collect signatures and submit them to boards of election for the chance to be on the November 2026 ballot.
Morgan CountyMorgan County Sheriff Mike Carmody announced in May he would retire at the end of his term in November 2026. James “Jamie” Jackson, the current Morgan County Chief Deputy, was the lone filer for the sheriff’s spot as a Republican. Jackson’s father, Henry G. Jackson, was previously sheriff of the county.
Republican incumbents Morgan County Treasurer Crystal Myers and Morgan County Clerk Sherry Sills each filed and will run unopposed.
The lone contested race will be for Morgan County Commissioner. Dr. Michael Woods, a Democrat, was appointed to the board of commissioners after the resignation of Bradley Zeller in September 2024.
Woods was appointed to fulfill a 2-year unexpired term. He has filed to run for a full term for the seat. Republicans Vikkie Becker
and Greg Hacker have filed to oppose him in November. Hacker is a former Illinois State Police trooper and Becker is a farmer and works for radio station WJVO.
Cass County
Incumbent Cass County Clerk and Recorder Shelly Wessel, Democrat, will run unopposed in next year’s elections. Sheriff
Devron Ohrn will be unopposed for another term in his position. Ohrn previously ran unopposed as a Democrat in 2022, but announced this year he will run as a Republican due to philosophical and political differences he said he experienced from state and federal leaders.
Cass County Treasurer Travis Cox is not seeking another term in office. Four individuals have stepped forward for a chance to replace him. Democrats Richard Pollina and Kelly Warden will face off, while Republicans Lacy Logsdon and Kristen Petefish are on the opposite ticket.
Petefish currently serves as chief deputy collector for the county.
Paul Rice and Cathy Gibson are running to represent District 1 on the Cass County Board. Rice filed as a Republican while Gibson is running as a Democrat. Neither currently serves on the board.
Gibson previously served on the board from 2020-2024 but was beaten by Republican Bobby Joe Brown in 2024. Gary Noe, Kim Hance and Phillip R. Murray will run for a spot on District 2 of the board. Noe and Hance will run as Democrats while Murray is running as a Republican. Noe and Hance are incumbents. Bri Soer Shaw, Jon Stock and Amanda Ruppel are running to represent District 3 on the board. All three are Republicans. Ruppel is the lone incumbent.
Scott County
There are no Democrats filing to run in Scott County. The county has firmly been Republican for decades.
Incumbents for Scott County Clerk and Recorder Brooke Smith and Scott County Commissioner Chair Robert Schafer have filed and will seek another term in office.
Four men are seeking to replace retiring Scott County Sheriff Tom Eddinger. Eddinger announced last month he was retiring at the end of his term. Bob Smith, Caleb Handy, Steve Doolin and Leighton McClenning will vie for the spot in the primary.
Smith serves as chief deputy for the Scott County Sheriff’s Department, Handy is a sergeant with the Illinois Department of Corrections and previously served as the Winchester Chief of Police, Doolin is the current Winchester Chief of Police and McClenning is an officer with White Hall Police Department.
Katherine Simmons and Michelle “Shelley” Whewell have both filed to run for county treasurer. Current Scott County Treasurer Mark Ford did not file for reelection. Whewell currently serves as the county’s deputy treasurer.
The Source Newspaper will publish a profile of the state and federal candidates in a subsequent edition.
