Grundy County Sample Ballot & Voter Guide 2026
Who is running for Illinois Senate, Illinois House and Regional Superintendent of Schools and more, and where they stand on taxes, health care and housing.
School board
Regional Superintendent of Schools (Regional Office of Education #24)Meghan Martin (R)
Unopposed: still on your ballot.
Meghan Martin
Meghan Martin is the Regional Superintendent of Schools for the Grundy/Kendall Regional Office of Education (#24), per the ROE #24 website. No campaign website was found as of September 25, 2026.
Meghan Martin is unopposed on the November 3, 2026 ballot for Regional Superintendent of Schools, Regional Office of Education #24 (Grundy and Kendall 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, 13th Judicial Circuit, Vacancy of Hon. RaccugliaMelissa Olivero (D) · Michelle A. Vescogni (R)
Melissa Olivero
Melissa Olivero is a Peru attorney and retired U.S. Administrative Law Judge who served on the National Labor Relations Board and Social Security Administration from 2011 to 2025, per her 2026 Shaw Local questionnaire. Per her campaign site, she is a former LaSalle County Assistant State's Attorney, an Army military police veteran, and served ten years on the Illinois Valley Community College Board of Trustees, including four as chair.
Michelle A. Vescogni
No campaign website was found as of September 25, 2026.
Melissa Olivero and Michelle A. Vescogni are on the November 3, 2026 ballot to fill a vacancy on the 13th Judicial Circuit Court (the seat vacated by the Hon. Raccuglia). The 13th Judicial Circuit covers Bureau, Grundy and LaSalle 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.
Grundy County is split across 5 Illinois Senate and House districts.
Find your districts by addressIllinois Senate: 2 districtsDistricts 38, 53
Illinois Senate District 38Ernie R. Marcelain (D) · Sue Rezin (R)
Ernie R. Marcelain
Top priorities
From other published sources
- Wants to address affordability of energy, taxes, and the general cost of living, per Shaw Local (Kendall County Now) questionnaire
- Supports improving healthcare accessibility and affordability, per Shaw Local (Kendall County Now) questionnaire
- Wants to support small business survival and growth, per Shaw Local (Kendall County Now) questionnaire
About Ernie R. Marcelain
Ernie R. Marcelain works as a manager at a small family-owned printing company and is from Yorkville, per his 2026 Shaw Local candidate questionnaire. He is a former union member and firefighter/EMT who attended Waubonsee Community College for business, per the same source. Marcelain is the Democratic nominee for Illinois Senate District 38 on the November 3, 2026 ballot.
Sue Rezin
Sue Rezin is the incumbent state senator for the 38th District, per the official Illinois Senate website. No campaign website was found as of September 27, 2026.
Ernie R. Marcelain (Democratic), Sue Rezin (Republican) meet on the November 3 ballot; Sue Rezin 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
Top priorities
From the campaign site
- 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
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: 3 districtsDistricts 75, 79, 106
Illinois House District 75Caroline McCree (D) · Jed Davis (R)
Caroline McCree
Top priorities
From other published sources
- Supports regulating data centers to protect residents, per Shaw Local (Kendall County Now) questionnaire
- Wants to expand county health department services to address healthcare gaps and homelessness prevention, per Shaw Local (Kendall County Now) questionnaire
- Wants to reduce the cost of living, including property taxes, per Shaw Local (Kendall County Now) questionnaire
About Caroline McCree
Caroline McCree works as a Health Information Management Chart Correction Specialist at Mass General Brigham, per her 2026 Shaw Local candidate questionnaire. She holds an associate degree in Health Information Technology and an RHIT credential through AHIMA, and is from Yorkville, per the same source. McCree is the Democratic nominee for Illinois House District 75 on the November 3, 2026 ballot.
Jed Davis
Jed Davis is the incumbent Illinois House member for the 75th District, sworn in for the 103rd General Assembly in January 2023, per his official representative website. He worked for two decades in land acquisition, project development and engineering roles, managing public infrastructure improvements including roadways and water systems, per his official representative website. Davis holds a BS in Civil Engineering from Valparaiso University and has served as Chair of the Newark, Illinois Zoning and Planning Commission. No campaign website was found as of September 27, 2026.
Caroline McCree (Democratic), Jed Davis (Republican) meet on the November 3 ballot; Jed Davis 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 79Jackie Haas (R)
Unopposed: still on your ballot.
Jackie Haas
Top priorities
From the campaign site
- Lower taxes
- Protect healthcare
- Keep communities safe
About Jackie Haas
Jackie Haas has served as State Representative for Illinois' 79th House District since December 2020, per the campaign site. The campaign site says Haas is a social worker who joined the Helen Wheeler Center for Community Mental Health in 1994, served as its CEO from 2000 until July 2025, and served on the Kankakee County Board from 2018 to 2020.
Jackie Haas (Republican) is the only candidate on the November 3 ballot; Jackie Haas 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
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 pageVoting 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 Grundy County, Illinois on November 3, 2026?
Grundy County sample ballot 2026: see where the circuit court and regional superintendent of schools candidates stand on taxes, health care and housing. 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 Grundy 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