Primary Rules
How Illinois's Primary Works
Illinois uses a Open Primary system
Open Primary
Any registered voter can vote in any party's primary, regardless of their own party affiliation or registration status.
Registration counts: L2 Data · Updated October 22, 2026
Illinois Voter Registration
& Party Affiliation Statistics
Total Registered
8,414,160
Most Active Primary Party
Democratic (40.25%)
Independent / NPP
39.39%
Primary Type
Open Primary
At a Glance
Illinois at a Glance
Key voter registration statistics · Updated 2026
Registered Voters
8,414,160
across 102 counties
Independent / NPP
3.3M
39.39% of registered
2024 Turnout
63.5%
of eligible voters
Primary Participation
Primary Ballot Participation by Party
Illinois does not register voters by party. The breakdown below is modeled from recent primary ballot history.
Democratic40.3%
Republican20.3%
Independent39.4%
Other0.1%
| Party | Registered Voters | % of Total |
|---|---|---|
Democratic | 3,386,710 | 40.3% |
Republican | 1,707,977 | 20.3% |
Independent | 3,314,023 | 39.4% |
Other | 5,450 | 0.1% |
Note: Illinois does not collect party affiliation at voter registration. These figures are modeled from L2 voter-file analysis of which primary ballot each voter pulled in recent cycles — they reflect primary participation, not party registration.
Turnout
Voter Turnout in Illinois
How many eligible Illinois residents actually vote?
Recent Elections
| Election | Turnout | Voted |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 General | 63.5% | 5,705,246 |
| 2022 General | 45.9% | 4,144,125 |
| 2020 General | 66.5% | 6,050,000 |
| 2024 Presidential Primary | 16.7% | 1,404,551 |
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