Special election · April 6, 2027
Bob's election is April 6, 2027.
He is not on the February primary ballot.
Vote by mail, vote early, or vote at your polling place. Here's how to make sure your vote gets there.
This is a special election — the Board of Election Commissioners calls April 6 the consolidated election, and both names mean the same ballot. It fills the remainder of an unexpired mayoral term. Whoever wins is sworn in May 3, 2027 and serves until May 2029, when the seat comes up again on the normal four-year cycle. Two years, not four — and why that's the whole argument.
At a glance
- Election day
- April 6, 2027Polls 6 a.m. to 7 p.m.
- Registration, early voting and mail ballots
- Not yet set
- The February 23 primary
- Only if one is neededA consolidated primary is scheduled for February 23, 2027 and will be held only if the parties need one. Independents don't run in primaries either way, so nothing you do in February changes your April 6 vote.
Voting information last checked against the Rockford Board of Election Commissioners: August 24, 2026. Procedures can change between now and April 2027 — voterockfordil.gov governs.
Why Rockford is voting in 2027 at
all →
Why Bob isn't on the
February ballot →
The full date list, and how to confirm it →
Want a ballot mailed to you? Start there — it's written out step by step below. If you'd rather have someone walk you through it on the phone, call 815-669-9604.
Bob isn't on the February ballot. He's on the April ballot.
A primary is a party's own election to pick its nominee. Illinois has scheduled a consolidated primary for February 23, 2027, and it will be held only if the parties need one. Independents don't run in primaries at all, so Bob's name will not be on a February ballot.
Illinois has no party registration. If a primary is held, you may take a Democratic ballot, a Republican ballot, or none at all. Whichever you choose — or if there is no February election, or you skip it — you can still vote for Bob Blosser on April 6. Nothing you do in February binds you in April.
Request your mail ballot
That link goes to the Rockford Board of Election Commissioners, the public office that runs this election. The campaign does not handle your ballot or your request.
Any registered voter in Illinois can vote by mail. You don't need a reason and you don't need an excuse. Four steps:
- Request the ballot. Online through the Rockford Board of Election Commissioners, or on paper. About five minutes.
- The ballot comes to your mailbox once ballots are printed.
- Fill it out at your kitchen table. Don't forget to sign the certification on the return envelope. That's the part people forget. Follow the instructions that arrive with your ballot carefully — they come from the Board, and they govern.
- Send it back early — or take it to a drop box or the election office.
Want the paper form? Call the Board at 815-987-5750 and they'll send you one — or call the campaign at 815-669-9604 and a volunteer will bring it to you.
Mail it early. The postmark isn't when you drop it.
A ballot is postmarked when the post office processes it — which can be a day or more after you put it in the box, and later still if you drop it in a collection box after the last pickup.
Put it in the mail a week before the deadline, or use a drop box. If it's the last few days: don't mail it. Take it in person. The Board can tell you exactly what the postmark rules are for this election — 815-987-5750.
Rockford runs its own elections
Not the Winnebago County Clerk. If you're a City of Rockford voter, your election authority is the Rockford Board of Election Commissioners.
301 S. Sixth St., Rockford, Illinois 61104
815-987-5750
https://www.voterockfordil.gov
They'll answer questions about your registration, your ballot, and your polling place. They are the official source. This page is not.
Read the full ballot
Independent candidates appear below the party columns on an Illinois ballot.
Read the whole page before you hand it in. Bob appears as an Independent, further down than people expect.
Illustration only. The certified ballot layout comes from the Rockford Board of Election Commissioners.
Every date, in one list
| What | When |
|---|---|
| Election day | April 6, 2027, polls 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. |
| Registration deadline | Not yet published |
| Grace period registration and voting | Not yet published |
| Mail ballot requests open | Not yet published |
| Last day to request a mail ballot | Not yet published |
| Early voting | Not yet published |
| Mayor sworn in | May 3, 2027, serving the balance of the unexpired term — through May 7, 2029 |
Five of those dates are set by state law and follow from April 6, but the Board hadn't posted them when this page was last updated on August 24, 2026. Somebody on this campaign checks the Board's calendar every week, and each row gets filled the week it's published.
We won't guess about a voting deadline. When the Board publishes it, we publish it here. Call 815-987-5750, check voterockfordil.gov — or leave your number with the campaign and someone will call you when the dates are published.
Registration and polling place
Moved recently? Your registration follows your address. Update it before the deadline or you'll be sent to the wrong polling place.
Already sent your ballot back?
Tell the campaign and the reminders stop. That's the entire reason for this form.
Help a neighbor do this
The single most useful thing a volunteer does in this election is sit with somebody and get their mail ballot requested. It takes fifteen minutes and it works.