DeKalb mayoral primary election is Tuesday. Here’s what you need to know.

DeKALB – Tuesday is the final day to vote in the single-race primary election, which could determine whether one of the four people seeking the city of DeKalb’s mayor seat gets on the April 1 consolidated election ticket.

Where can I vote?

Polls are open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday. Voters can cast ballots at Red Roof Inn, 1212 W. Lincoln Highway, DeKalb, or the DeKalb County Administration Building, 110 E. Sycamore St., Sycamore.

Only registered voters in city of DeKalb limits are eligible to vote.

What’s on the ballot?

There’s only one race, and no names will appear, according to the DeKalb County Clerk and Recorder’s Office.

Instead, DeKalb city voters will see an oval and a line meant for a mayoral write-in candidate. Voters will need to fill in the oval and write in a name for their preferred candidate.

That’s because Linh Nguyen, a DeKalb resident and educator at Northern Illinois University, is running as a Democratic write-in candidate for DeKalb’s mayor race. She’s the only one eligible to run as a write-in.

If successful, Nguyen’s name will appear on the April 1 ballot challenging DeKalb incumbent Cohen Barnes, 7th Ward Alderman John Walker and NIU colleague Kouame Sanan for the mayor’s seat.

Nguyen has said it was necessary for her campaign to file to run as a write-in candidate, triggering a DeKalb city primary election, because her name was tossed from the city’s consolidated election ballot in November.

In the months since, she’s fought in court and out to keep her name among the list for voters to choose. Nguyen’s mayoral ballot was tossed by the city’s election board in November, which ruled that she filed her candidacy papers outside of the legal filing window. In response, her campaign has argued that it filed her initial candidacy papers on Nguyen’s campaign lawyer’s legal advice and information provided to her by both the DeKalb city and county clerk’s offices.

Nguyen’s name will not appear on Tuesday’s primary election ballot for DeKalb city voters. Instead, voters will see a blank line underneath the race to write their preferred candidate.

How do I know if I’m registered to vote?

Unsure? Visit the Illinois State Board of Elections website at www.ova.elections.il.gov.

What if I’m not registered? Can I still register to vote?

Yes. Illinois residents who are 18 or older can register to vote up to and on election day. You can register in person at a multitude of locations, including the DeKalb County Clerk and Recorder’s Office, many banks, public libraries, Secretary of State’s offices, and your local municipal offices. Call the DeKalb County clerk’s office at 815-895-7147 to learn more.