While the fall ballot isn’t yet decided, here’s a preview of a few of the races and candidates. This election season includes one of the closest U.S. senatorial races in the country and a possible unchallenged race for Illinois House of Representatives. This season also marks a few important changes. For the first time, voters don’t need an excuse to participate in early voting. Early voting will take place October 12-28.

GovernorGREENRich WhitneyRunning mate: Don W. CrawfordJob creation: Whitney’s plan to solve the budget crisis and build employment includes supporting small businesses, raising the minimum wage, imposing a greenhouse gas fees on producers of GHG emissions with dividends returning to consumers and modernizing Illinois’ transportation system.Education: Whitney wants to support education by supporting child development and families in the home environment. He supports paid emergency leave for workers with sick children or parents, full benefits to domestic partners, greater support for social workers and work/study opportunities for youth.Workers’ rights: Whitney’s campaign website says he supports the goal of empowering workers and improving people’s quality of life by ensuring access to health care, better working conditions, and more leisure time.REPUBLICANBill Brady, state senatorRunning mate: Jason PlummerJob creation: Brady credits himself as a business owner, not a politician. To foster growth in businesses and job creation, he says as governor he would stand for an end to “job-killing” taxes, lawsuit abuse reform and job creation tax credits.Education: Brady wants to downsize the Department of Education to decrease educational administration expenses. He also wants to increase options for parents by creating more competitive charter schools. Taxes: Brady’s campaign website says he’s never voted for a tax increase and supports state budgets only when borrowing and spending is under control. He plans to veto “every tax increase that comes across his desk,” halting state borrowing and scaling back the state budget.DEMOCRATPat Quinn, incumbent governor seeking his first full termRunning mate: Sheila SimonJob creation: Quinn hopes to create jobs by investing in public works. He passed and signed Illinois Jobs Now!, a plan to join Illinois forces with the federal government and local municipalities to invest in Illinois’ roads, bridges, transportation systems and other such projects. Quinn is also in favor of high-speed rail.Education: Quinn’s campaign website recognizes funding as an essential first step to improving education, and the governor has worked to secure federal stimulus funding to support Illinois schools and state universities.Environment & green energy: Quinn says he’s sought to create green jobs with the Illinois Jobs Now! bill which includes $2 billion for energy and technology projects. Quinn also signed legislation to allow the Illinois Finance Authority to offer $3 billion in financing for renewable energy and clean coal projects.U.S. SenatorDEMOCRATAlexi Giannoulias, Illinois State TreasurerHealthcare: Giannoulias supports President Obama’s version of the health insurance reform legislation.Education: Giannoulias says important things to look at regarding education include: comprehensive early childhood education programs, reducing class sizes, providing better teacher support, and reforming No Child Left Behind.Environment: Giannoulias says America needs to transition itself away from dirty fuels and toward a clean energy economy focused on sources of renewable energy.REPUBLICANMark Kirk, U.S. RepresentativeHealth care: Kirk says expanding access and accelerating research are key points to improving health care. He has eight criteria for a reform bill he would support-including “allowing Americans to keep insurance they like” and “reducing dependence on federal borrowing.”Environment: Kirk says one of the most important aspects of the environment are America’s lakes. He says it is necessary to secure lakes from hazardous materials and pollution.Education: Kirk says while it’s important to keep providing for children not performing to their full potential, it is also important to fund programs for talented and gifted students.U.S. Representative, 9th DistrictREPUBLICANJoel PollakJob creation: Pollak says job creation should be Congress’ top priority. He say he’ll propose a temporary investment tax credit to help small businesses invest in new capital and create jobs, lower business taxes and capital gains taxes.Budget: Pollak says he’ll introduce legislation to freeze discretionary federal spending. Education: Pollak supports charter schools and vouchers to allow parents to choose between private and public schools. He supports measures to hold administrators accountable for bad performance, improved policing around schools to increase safety and investing in the physical infrastructure.DEMOCRATJan Schakowsky, IncumbentJob creation: Schakowsky supports the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, which creates new energy technologies, repairs antiquated infrastructure, provides tax relief to Americans earning less than $250,000 annually. Her campaign website says the Council of Economic Advisers estimates the Act will create 3.5 million jobs over the next two years.Budget: Schakowsky maintains budgets are moral documents reflective of the nation’s priorities and supports funding for issues including health care, education and national security.Senior Citizens: Schakowsky is co-chair of the Democratic Seniors Task Force and introduced the Senior Bill of Rights in Congress. Her support includes ensuring seniors have affordable health care and financial security. State Representative, 18th DistrictDEMOCRATRobyn GabelJob creation: Gabel supports investment in new, green and sustainable industries to create jobs.Education: Gabel supports early childhood education. Part of her plan includes ensuring implementation of Preschool for All, pushing to expand Full-Day Kindergarten and working to provide capacity building grants for child care and Early Head Start centers.Transportation: Gabel plans to ensure the state plays a larger role in funding mass transportation and support efforts to build high speed rail in Illinois.As of now, Robyn Gabel is running unchallenged, as Libertarian candidate Steve Funk isn’t currently set to be on the ballot after the signature validity of his petitions was objected to and later sustained.

– Jessica AllenTrevor Seela contributed reporting.