To get on the November ballot, independent and third-party candidates submitted nominating petitions at the end of May. The Illinois State Board of Elections is finishing its work finalizing the ballots.

The Green Party of Illinois is frustrated with a process that requires five times as many petition signatures as Republican and Democratic candidates.

WISU Public Broadcasting
By Brian Sapp
July 21, 2026

“I just enjoyed the conversations. I learned a lot. I mean, talking to your community, you really learn a lot,” Edye Arndell said of her experience gathering petitions to get on the ballot as the Illinois Green Party candidate for lieutenant governor. She's running with gubernatorial candidate Griselda Romero.

Arndell said their goal is to offer more choices during this year's election.

“We've been doing the same thing since the '60s, really. And, you know, investing in the Democratic Party because most of the people I talked to here kind of leaned that way. And I'm like, but they haven't delivered.”

In Illinois, the Green Party is considered a new party because it did not receive more than 5% of the vote in the previous election. For new parties, state law requires 25,000 signatures on a nominating petition. For established parties, that threshold is only 5,000 signatures.

Arndell and the local chapter of the Green Party collected 3,000 signatures on their own. She said many people were open to giving her party a chance to appear on this year's ballot.

“Most people listened to me. Almost everyone that I talked to signed my petition.”

In the end, the Illinois Green Party gathered only about half of the required signatures. Party members said the process is frustrating because they believe ballot access is essential for democracy.

“It's not about the Green Party. It's not about an independent. It's not about any other third party. It's about the voter. The voter doesn't get to see who they can vote for.”

Arndell said the Green Party will not pursue an appeal to get on the ballot because members do not believe they could overcome the legal hurdles. However, they are planning a write-in campaign for November's election.

The issue is not limited to the Green Party. Independent candidates face similar hurdles. Earlier this month, William Lo announced he was dropping his independent bid for the 59th Senate District because he was unable to reach the higher signature threshold.