Don’t forget: No school on Election Day this year

November 03, 2022 at 3:27 pm CDT

Election signs outside the polling place at Downers Grove North High School on Tuesday, June 28, 2022. — This June file photo shows election signs outside the polling place at Downers Grove North High School.

As voters head to the polls this Election Day, many kids won’t be headed to school.

The Illinois General Assembly passed a bill in May 2021 that, in addition to creating a permanent vote-by-mail option and other changes to election law, made Election Day 2022 a state holiday.

That means public schools and many government offices will be closed Tuesday – except to function as polling places.

The legislature also made Election Day 2020 a holiday amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Both bills, however, were one-off pieces of legislation, which means that a new law would be required to make Election Day 2024 or any other election a holiday.

Emily K. Coleman

Originally from the northwest suburbs, Emily K. Coleman is Shaw Media's editor for newsletters and engagement. She previously served as the Northwest Herald's editor and spent about seven years as a reporter with Shaw Media, first covering Dixon for Sauk Valley Media and then various communities within McHenry County from 2012 to 2016.