Evanston voters will choose their next mayor in a special election on Tuesday, April 6, 2027, after Mayor Daniel Biss confirmed he will step down Sunday, October 18, to ensure residents pick his successor rather than City Council.

Biss made the announcement at his fifth and final State of the City address on Monday, June 23, at Evanston SPACE. He told the crowd his goal was straightforward: "My purpose in picking that date is to minimize the amount of time that the people of Evanston have a mayor who they didn't choose in an election, and I think that principle of democracy serves us well."

The October 18 date is not arbitrary. A 2025 amendment to the Illinois election code moved up the deadline by which a mayoral seat must be vacated to trigger an April special election. Under the new law, the seat must be vacant by Monday, October 19, 2026. Had Biss resigned after that deadline, no special election would occur, and an unelected acting mayor could have served the remaining three years of his term through 2029.

What happens next

Once the resignation takes effect, a one-week petition window opens. Candidates must file between Monday, October 19 and Monday, October 26. The winner of the April 6, 2027 election will serve out the remainder of Biss's term through 2029.

Biss waited to set his departure date until the Illinois State Board of Elections published its 2027 municipal calendar, which confirmed the filing window. Under state law, that calendar must be published at least 30 days before the petition period begins, according to City Clerk Stephanie Mendoza, who explained the requirement at a June Council session.

No candidate has formally declared for the race.

Who runs the city in between

Between October 18 and the April election, an acting mayor chosen by City Council will lead Evanston. Council voted 5-4 on Monday, June 8 to keep the selection threshold at a simple majority of five votes out of nine aldermen.

The vote split along familiar lines. Alds. Krissie Harris (2nd), Shawn Iles (3rd), Jonathan Nieuwsma (4th), Bobby Burns (5th), and Juan Geracaris (9th) voted in favor. Alds. Clare Kelly (1st), Tom Suffredin (6th), Parielle Davis (7th), and Matt Rodgers (8th) opposed.

The acting mayor will be a sitting council member who retains their aldermanic vote rather than gaining a mayoral vote. Ald. Davis said her sole criterion for supporting a candidate is that the person not plan to run in the special election, citing concern about incumbency bias.

Because Biss is resigning before the October 19 deadline, the acting mayor will serve roughly five months rather than three years.

Ald. Nieuwsma told the Pioneer Press after the June 23 announcement that he is focused on recruiting someone to run for the permanent seat. He has not declared but said he is "not ruling myself out completely."

Biss's congressional bid

Biss won the Democratic primary for Illinois' 9th Congressional District on Tuesday, March 17, 2026, and faces Republican John Elleson in the Tuesday, November 3, 2026 general election. The district is heavily Democratic.

During his farewell address, Biss cited the creation of Evanston's C.A.R.E. team in 2024 and the passage of Envision Evanston 2045 in January 2026 as key accomplishments. He said his priority for his remaining months is facilitating a quick transition and advancing Envision Evanston 2045.

The candidate petition window opens Monday, October 19.