Ford County Sample Ballot & Voter Guide 2026
9 candidates are on the November 3, 2026 ballot across 8 Ford County races, led by the Illinois Senate District 51 contest.
School board
Regional Superintendent of Schools (Regional Office of Education #9)Jon Kelly (R)
Unopposed: still on your ballot.
Jon Kelly Republican Incumbent
Jon Kelly is the Regional Superintendent of Regional Office of Education #9 (Champaign County), per the ROE #9 website. No campaign website was found as of September 25, 2026.
Jon Kelly is unopposed on the November 3, 2026 ballot for Regional Superintendent of Schools, Regional Office of Education #9 (Champaign and Ford counties), per the Illinois State Board of Elections' certified 2026 general election candidate list. Illinois elects a regional superintendent countywide across the whole region every four years. The name still appears on the ballot; the race is uncontested.
Full race pageJudges
Circuit Court, 11th Judicial Circuit, Vacancy of Hon. BauknechtRandy A. Yedinak (R)
Unopposed: still on your ballot.
Randy A. Yedinak Republican
No campaign website was found as of September 25, 2026.
Randy A. Yedinak is on the November 3, 2026 ballot to fill a vacancy on the 11th Judicial Circuit Court (the seat vacated by the Hon. Bauknecht). The 11th Judicial Circuit covers Ford, Livingston, Logan, McLean and Woodford counties; every voter there votes on this seat. Illinois circuit judgeships are decided in contested partisan elections, unlike judicial retention questions. Listed from the Illinois State Board of Elections' certified 2026 general election candidate list.
Full race pageCircuit Court, 11th Judicial Circuit, Vacancy of Hon. CostiganSarah R. Duffy (R)
Unopposed: still on your ballot.
Sarah R. Duffy Republican
No campaign website was found as of September 25, 2026.
Sarah R. Duffy is on the November 3, 2026 ballot to fill a vacancy on the 11th Judicial Circuit Court (the seat vacated by the Hon. Costigan). The 11th Judicial Circuit covers Ford, Livingston, Logan, McLean and Woodford counties; every voter there votes on this seat. Illinois circuit judgeships are decided in contested partisan elections, unlike judicial retention questions. Listed from the Illinois State Board of Elections' certified 2026 general election candidate list.
Full race pageCircuit Court, 11th Judicial Circuit, Vacancy of Hon. Feeney, IIIGregory Michael Minger (R)
Unopposed: still on your ballot.
Gregory Michael Minger Republican
No campaign website was found as of September 25, 2026.
Gregory Michael Minger is on the November 3, 2026 ballot to fill a vacancy on the 11th Judicial Circuit Court (the seat vacated by the Hon. Feeney, III). The 11th Judicial Circuit covers Ford, Livingston, Logan, McLean and Woodford counties; every voter there votes on this seat. Illinois circuit judgeships are decided in contested partisan elections, unlike judicial retention questions. Listed from the Illinois State Board of Elections' certified 2026 general election candidate list.
Full race pageBy address
These seats are elected by district; only the district covering your address is on your ballot.
Ford County is split across 4 Illinois Senate and House districts.
Find your districts by addressIllinois Senate: 2 districtsDistricts 51, 53
Illinois Senate District 51Chapin Rose (R)
Unopposed: still on your ballot.
Chapin Rose Republican Incumbent
Chapin Rose is the incumbent state senator for the 51st District, per the official Illinois Senate website. No campaign website was found as of September 27, 2026.
Chapin Rose (Republican) is the only candidate on the November 3 ballot; Chapin Rose is the sitting member, per the General Assembly's roster. Party nominees were chosen at the March 17 primary (plurality, no runoffs); independent and new-party candidates qualified by petition. The field is the State Board of Elections' 2026 General Election candidate list (status Active, read September 7, 2026). This seat is elected by district; only the district covering your address appears on your ballot.
Full race pageIllinois Senate District 53Chris Balkema (R)
Unopposed: still on your ballot.
Chris Balkema Republican Incumbent
- Address illegal immigration and declared Grundy County a non-sanctuary county
- Protect the unborn at all stages
- Pursue new funding mechanisms to relieve property tax burdens, citing four consecutive years of reduced Grundy County property taxes
Per the campaign site.
About Chris Balkema
Balkema spent 30 years in the private sector at Caterpillar and served 13 years on the Grundy County Board, including six years as chairman, per the campaign site.
Chris Balkema (Republican) is the only candidate on the November 3 ballot; Chris Balkema is the sitting member, per the General Assembly's roster. Party nominees were chosen at the March 17 primary (plurality, no runoffs); independent and new-party candidates qualified by petition. The field is the State Board of Elections' 2026 General Election candidate list (status Active, read September 7, 2026). This seat is elected by district; only the district covering your address appears on your ballot.
Full race pageIllinois House: 2 districtsDistricts 101, 106
Illinois House District 101Douglas Fagan (D) · Chris G. Miller (R)
Douglas Fagan Democratic
- Supports expanded healthcare and housing support for military veterans
- Wants increased school funding and higher teacher pay
- Focuses on wages keeping pace with the cost of rent, gas, and groceries
Per the campaign site.
About Douglas Fagan
Douglas Fagan is a U.S. Marine Corps veteran who served from 1991 to 1997, including a deployment to Somalia, per his campaign site. He works at ABC Supply and teaches night Commercial Driver's License classes at Lake Land College, and was born in Decatur before settling in Mattoon, per his campaign site. Fagan is the Democratic nominee for Illinois House District 101 on the November 3, 2026 ballot.
Chris G. Miller Republican Incumbent
Chris G. Miller is a third-generation cattle farmer and grain operator, per his Illinois House of Representatives biography. He is a graduate of Oakland High School with a bachelor's degree in education from Eureka College and an associate degree in agriculture from Lakeland College, per the same source. Miller represents the 101st District in the Illinois House. No campaign website was found as of September 20, 2026.
Douglas Fagan (Democratic), Chris G. Miller (Republican) meet on the November 3 ballot; Chris G. Miller is the sitting member, per the General Assembly's roster. Party nominees were chosen at the March 17 primary (plurality, no runoffs); independent and new-party candidates qualified by petition. The field is the State Board of Elections' 2026 General Election candidate list (status Active, read September 7, 2026). This seat is elected by district; only the district covering your address appears on your ballot.
Full race pageIllinois House District 106Jason R. Bunting (R)
Unopposed: still on your ballot.
Jason R. Bunting Republican Incumbent
Jason R. Bunting previously served as Highway Commissioner of Broughton Township and as a Livingston County Board member, per his Illinois House of Representatives biography. Until 2023 he was president of the Livingston County Farm Bureau and a director for the Illinois Corn Growers' Association, per the same source. Bunting holds an associate degree from Joliet Junior College and lives in Emington with his wife, Tasha, and their three children. No campaign website was found as of September 20, 2026.
Jason R. Bunting (Republican) is the only candidate on the November 3 ballot; Jason R. Bunting is the sitting member, per the General Assembly's roster. Party nominees were chosen at the March 17 primary (plurality, no runoffs); independent and new-party candidates qualified by petition. The field is the State Board of Elections' 2026 General Election candidate list (status Active, read September 7, 2026). This seat is elected by district; only the district covering your address appears on your ballot.
Full race pageSee your full ballot
Voting info and more
Voting info and more
Verify your ballot with the official election office.
Cross-check every race and candidate with the official election office. Official sources are the final word.
Illinois nominated by plurality at the March 17 primary (no runoffs); unopposed nominees still print, and independent and new-party candidates who filed petitions by June 22 join the November 3 ballot once the State Board of Elections rules on objections, per the Board's certified candidate list.
Who is on the ballot in Ford County, Illinois on November 3, 2026?
Ford County sample ballot 2026: who is running for regional superintendent of schools and circuit court, with bios, priorities and campaign sites. Every candidate profile on this page names the official filing or campaign source it came from.
When is the 2026 general election in Illinois?
Election Day is Tuesday, November 3, 2026. Registration deadlines, early voting dates and mail ballot rules for Illinois are listed on the Illinois election hub. Illinois election hub →
How do I see my exact Ford County ballot?
Enter your ZIP code in the lookup for the statewide and congressional races on every ballot in the county, or a full street address to add the county, city and district contests for that location. Look up your ballot →
Illinois statewide racesEvery Illinois race on this county's ballot.Ballot measures and judges131 tracked judges on the retention ballotIllinois judges131 tracked judges on the retention ballot