Share your 'No Kings’ photos? / News quiz

Chicago Public Square returns in force Monday. But follow breaking news and commentary through the weekend—including coverage of Saturday’s “No Kings” demonstrations—via the Square account on Bluesky.

■ Find—or avoid?—an event near you here.

■ If you do go, share your pics via the Square account on Flickr.

■ Theme for this round of protest: Vote early—help for which you’ll find in the Chicago Public Square Voter Guide Guide.

Not on Bluesky? Catch up on what’s come up and gone down over the last few days—including these and much more:

■ Video of the debate among candidates for the Chicago School Board presidency.

■ News critic Mark Jacob joins The New York Times to discuss how The New York Times is failing: “I don’t want the Trump regime to shut down the Times before the Times wakes up to what a threat the regime is.”

■ The Washington Post (gift link) reveals which sycophantic donors are paying for the president’s White House ballroom.

■ Gizmodo: “Meta’s smart glasses may have been recording people without their knowledge.”

News quiz. Don’t enter the weekend dull-witted. Get sharp with past Jeopardy! Tournament of Champions winner Fritz Holznagel’s latest challenge—invoking Houthis, rhinos, head lice and Warner Bros.

■ Despite—or maybe because of?—that week off, your Square columnist nailed all eight questions. Your turn.

■ Not so accomplished on Justin Kaufmann’s Chicago architecture quiz for Axios: A disappointing 5/10 score here.

The Chicago Public Square Voter Guide Guide, Fall 2026

Election Day’s Nov. 3. Don’t cast your ballot in ignorance. Square’s here to help—with a guide to voter guides.

Be ready.

■ You can register to vote on Election Day itself, but—this year especially—don’t wait.

■ Do it online through Oct. 18 here.

■ Generate a customized ballot for suburban Cook County or Chicago.

■ Your ballot, explained: BallotReady and Ballotpedia.

■ Outside Cook County? Learn more at your county’s website: DuPage, Lake, Will, Kane, McHenry, Kendall …
■ … or from the Illinois State Board of Elections.

■ Outside Illinois? Start here.

Get schooled.

■ Consult the League of Women Voters Education Fund’s Vote411 site to see what’s on your ballot, register to vote and check your registration.

■ See Axios’ guide on how to vote in the midterms.

■ Check the Tribune’s guide for Illinois voters (gift link) and the WBEZ/Sun-Times/Chalkbeat guide to the first election of the full Chicago School Board.

■ Meet board presidential candidates in a WTTW-TV town hall.

■ See answers candidates for Congress, the Illinois General Assembly and Cook County state’s attorney have given for the Sun-Times’ survey (link now updated for 2026).

■ Review all those judicial candidates via the Alliance of Bar Associations ratings roundup and Injustice Watch.

■ Consider the Girl, I Guess Guide to the 2026 General Election in Cook County and Beyond.

■ Want to know which candidates are taking whose cash? Transparency USA, Illinois Sunshine and the Illinois Elections Board are tracking that.

■ Popular Information’s PaidForBy app lets you upload a snapshot of a political mailer to learn who really funded it.

■ See editorial endorsements from the co-owned Daily Herald and Tribune—although (go figure) many are behind a paywall and “a corporate edict … prevents us from making formal endorsements in the Illinois races for U.S. Senate and governor.”

Do it.

■ Arrange to vote by mail here for Chicagoans; and here for others in Illinois.

■ Find where to vote in Chicago and the Cook County suburbs …

■ … or, anywhere else: “Where’s My F**king Polling Place?”

■ Want to vote early, in person? Chicago voters can do that here; other Illinoisans, check here.

■ Here’s where to vote Election Day in Chicago and the suburbs.

■ Election judges wanted.

■ Trouble at your polling place? Call 866-OUR-VOTE.

■ The ACLU explains how to exercise your voting rights, resist voter intimidation efforts and access disability-related accommodations and language assistance …

■ … or call 866-OUR-VOTE.

Go beyond.

■ Get updates around the clock on the Square Bluesky page.

■ Be informed for every election. Sign up for Square email, sent to your inbox (free!) weekday mornings at 10.

■ If you’ve found this useful, you can help keep Square coming with a contribution—of as little as $1, just once.

This is a work in progress.

■ Spot a mistake? Know of another source that’ll help people vote smart? Email Voterguide@ChicagoPublicSquare.com.

■ Know someone else ready to vote? Share this guide with a friend.