Chicago Board of Election Commissioners

What Chicago Board of Election Commissioners does

The Chicago Board of Election Commissioners is the municipal government agency responsible for administering all federal, state, county, and city elections within the City of Chicago, operating under Illinois state election law. Founded in 1885 and headquartered at 69 West Washington Street, the Board serves 1,555,301 active registered voters across 50 wards and 1,291 precincts (post-May 2022 redistricting). Service lines include voter registration (online via Illinois State Board of Elections integration, in-person, and by mail), Vote By Mail with a permanent roster option, early voting at 51 vote centers, traditional Election Day polling place operations, UOCAVA-compliant military and overseas voting, and ballot curing support. Secondary functions include candidate petition filing, electoral board hearings, and ward/precinct mapping.

The underlying technology stack is purpose-built for election administration and includes a citywide electronic poll book system, touchscreen voting machines with audio ballot capability in 12 languages, ballot scanners producing verifiable paper trails, an online accessible ballot marking system for voters with disabilities, and a Vote By Mail application platform with automated email status notifications. The agency does not operate a public API, has no AI/ML capabilities, and relies on deterministic, paper-trail-based systems. Distribution spans 51 vote centers, 1,291 precinct polling places, secured drop boxes, mail channels, and a multilingual digital presence across Facebook, Twitter/X, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, and Bluesky.

The Board is funded entirely through public government appropriations and provides all election services free of charge to voters; there is no pricing model, revenue transaction, or commercial customer relationship. Revenue is therefore not a meaningful operating metric — the relevant constraints are statutory mandate, budget allocations, voter turnout, and poll worker recruitment. The agency employs 101-250 staff, supplemented by seasonal paid poll workers (Election Judges paid $170-$230, Election Coordinators paid $450, Early Voting Officials at $17/hour) and volunteer Deputy Registrars.

Name

Chicago Board of Election Commissioners

Legal name

Board of Election Commissioners for the City of Chicago

Website

https://chicagoelections.gov

Company type

Private

Founded year

1885

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

The Chicago Board of Election Commissioners is a municipal government agency that administers all voter registration, polling place operations, and election certification across Chicago's 50 wards and 1,291 precincts, serving 1,555,301 active registered voters with Vote By Mail, early voting, and accessible multilingual voting services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Government Election Administration Services

NAICS

Executive Offices (921110), Other General Government Support (921190)

akta.pro primary industry

City Clerk/Records, Elections & Civic Engagement (BPAIACAB)

Keywords

• Election administration
• Voter registration
• Vote by mail
• Early voting
• Election management

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Distribution channels10 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

The Chicago Board of Election Commissioners administers all federal, state, county, and city elections within the City of Chicago, providing voter registration, Vote By Mail, early voting at 51 vote centers, Election Day voting at 1,291 precinct polling places, and accessibility/language support in 12 languages. The agency processes candidate petitions, manages poll worker recruitment and training, and certifies election results. All services are provided free of charge to voters and are funded through public government appropriations.

Product overview

The Chicago Board of Election Commissioners operates a unified voter services platform serving Chicago's 1,291 precincts across 50 wards. The core offering consists of voter registration (online via Illinois State Board of Elections integration, in-person, and by mail), Vote By Mail with permanent roster enrollment, and Early Voting at 51 vote centers. Supporting services include Election Day voting (paper ballots and touchscreen machines), Military/Overseas voting under UOCAVA, accessible voting options, and multi-language support in 12 languages. Additional services encompass poll worker recruitment (Election Judges, Coordinators, and Early Voting Officials), candidate filing resources, ward/district mapping, referenda placement, and election calendars. The platform does not include AI/ML capabilities or a public API.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Voter Information Lookup Tool
• Online Voter Registration Online voter registration service for Chicago residents integrated with the Illinois State Board of Elections, allowing first-time registration and address or name changes for those holding an Illinois driver's license or state ID.
• Vote By Mail Service allowing Chicago voters to request mail-in ballots, with options for permanent roster enrollment for automatic future ballot delivery, hospitalized voter services, and accessible ballot marking options.
• Early Voting and Vote Centers In-person early voting service operating from 51 vote center locations across all 50 Chicago wards, offering touchscreen and audio ballot voting in 12 languages, same-day registration, and extended hours through Election Day.
• Election Day Voting Traditional Election Day voting at 1,291 precinct polling places and 51 vote centers, operating from 6:00am to 7:00pm, offering paper ballots and touchscreen voting with ADA-compliant accessibility features.
• Accessible Voting Services Accessibility program for voters with disabilities, offering curbside voting, disabled voter identification cards, wheelchair-accessible booths, audio ballot controllers, sip-and-puff devices, large ballot viewers, and an online accessible ballot marking system.
• Language Access Services Multilingual voting support service providing bilingual poll workers, touchscreen and audio ballots in 12 languages (English, Spanish, Chinese, Hindi, Polish, Korean, Tagalog, Gujarati, Urdu, Arabic, Ukrainian, Russian), and interpreter assistance for voters with limited English proficiency.
• Military and Overseas Voting (UOCAVA) Federal absentee voting service for uniformed service members, their families, and overseas civilians under the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA) and MOVE Acts, offering electronic ballot access and mail delivery through the Federal Post Card Application.
• Drop Box Locations Network of secured drop boxes for Chicago voters to return completed Vote By Mail ballots, available at 51 Early Voting locations before Election Day and at vote centers on Election Day.
• Candidate Filing Services Resource and filing service for political candidates and campaigns, including petition filing, ballot placement lottery, campaign resource guides, computer terminals for records examination, and access to poll sheets listing voters in specific precincts.
• Ward and District Maps Digital mapping service providing ward maps, precinct maps, alderperson directories, legislative district maps, voter turnout maps, and district precinct schedules for Chicago's 1,291 precincts across 50 wards.
• Referenda and Local Options Ballot Services Ballot question service providing guidelines and procedures for placing advisory referenda and local option questions (such as alcohol sales) on Chicago ballots, including petition requirements and filing procedures.
• Election Calendars, Schedules, and Handbooks Reference resource providing election calendars, board meeting schedules, poll worker handbooks, and pre-election canvass schedules in downloadable PDF format for voters, candidates, and election workers.

Quantifiable outcome

• 27.30% voter turnout with 424,564 ballots cast in March 2026 Primary Election
• +2 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• New York City Board of Elections: Administers elections for the largest U.S. city with a comparably diverse multilingual voter base and similar vote center / poll worker operational model; directly comparable in scale and complexity to Chicago's board.
• Philadelphia City Commissioners: Three-member elected board that administers Philadelphia elections; structurally similar governance model and comparable large-city election administration scope.
• Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk: Administers elections for the most populous U.S. county with comparable multilingual and accessibility service mandates; operates a Voting Solutions for All People program covering multiple languages, directly comparable to Chicago's voter services.
• Boston Elections Department: City-level election administration for Boston with comparable urban voter population, multilingual support needs, and vote-by-mail infrastructure.
• Miami-Dade County Elections Department: Administers elections for a large diverse Florida county with significant multilingual voter service requirements; comparable in operational complexity and voting technology adoption.
• Cook County Clerk's Office - Elections Division: Administers suburban Cook County elections adjacent to Chicago, sharing voter registration infrastructure and overlapping jurisdiction; provides direct comparison on suburban election administration within the same metropolitan area.
• Harris County Elections Administrator: Administers elections for the largest Texas county with similar large urban voter population and multilingual service needs; comparable in operating scale and recent modernization initiatives.
• Maricopa County Elections Department: Administers elections for the Phoenix metropolitan area with comparable voter scale and diverse population; operates a similar vote center model and faces similar political scrutiny of election administration.
• Detroit Department of Elections: City-level election administration for Detroit; comparable mid-size urban election administration with similar voting accessibility and poll worker programs.

Broad incumbents

• Illinois State Board of Elections: State-level regulatory and oversight authority for Illinois elections; sets the legal framework that the Chicago Board operates within and provides a broader governmental peer at the state level.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ChicagoElection
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/ChicagoElections
• Facebookfacebook.com/ChicagoElection
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/chicago-board-of-election-commissioners
• Instagraminstagram.com/chicagoelection

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Chicago Board of Election Commissioners