Upcoming Events
September
Jo Daviess County Democrats Fundraiser Gala
Enjoy appetizers, drinks, a buffet dinner, dessert bar, and meet candidates for the November 2026 Midterm Election. Help us raise awareness and funds to support our pro-democracy mission. The Keynote Speaker is Paul Nolley, 16th Congressional District Democratic Candidate. Also come to hear from our local candidates for Jo Daviess County Board.
Location: Owners Club, The Galena Territory
Date: Saturday, September 26th, 2026
Time: 5:30 PM (Doors open 4:30 PM)
Important Election Dates
Sept 24 – Early Voting & mail ballots begin
October
Galena Halloween Parade
Join the JDC Democrats and participate in the parade!
Line up by 5pm, find us between the Old Post Office and
the Blacksmith Shop along Water St. in Galena.
Date: Saturday, October 31st, 2026
Time: 6:00 PM
Important Election Dates
Oct 6 – Vote by Mail online registration deadline
Oct 18 – Online voter registration closes but in-person voter registration continues through Election Day
November
Midterm Election Day
Vote! Vote! Vote!
Democracy is not a spectator sport, please be active and vote for your community leaders. If you received a mail ballot but wish to vote in person on November 3rd, don’t forget to bring your mail-in ballot with you.
Date: Tuesday, November 3rd, 2026
Important Election Dates
Nov 2 – Last day for early in-person voting at the County Courthouse
Nov 3 – Election DayJanuary
Candidate Meet & Greet
This is your chance to meet the candidates who will be on the March 17th Democratic Primary Election ballot!
Location: Elizabeth Community Building
402 West St, Elizabeth, IL 61028
Date: Saturday, January 31st, 2026
Time: 2:00 PM – 4:00 PM
We are hosting a Candidate Meet & Greet for voters to meet statewide and local candidates on Saturday, January 31st at 2pm at the Elizabeth Community Building. We’ve invited the four Senate candidates, four State Comptroller candidates, our 16th Congressional District candidate, 45th District State Senate candidate, and our 16th Congressional District State Central Committee candidates. We will post a list of candidates who are going to participate closer to the date.
February
Primary Early Voting
First day for early voting and to vote by mail!
Location: Jo Daviess County Courthouse
330 N Bench St, Galena, IL 61036
Start Date: Thursday, February 5th, 2026
March
Primary Voting Day
Vote! Vote! Vote!
Democracy is not a spectator sport, please be active and vote for your community leaders.
Date: Tuesday, March 17th, 2026
Galena St. Patrick’s Day Parade
Join us for a little Irish fun! Put on your Irish and Join the Parade! Line up at 1pm to 1:30pm by the Old Post Office in Galena and the parade begins at 2pm.
Date: Saturday, March 14th, 2026
Time: 2:00 PM
April
Earth Day Environmental Sustainability Presentations
To celebrate Earth Day 2026, we will present a two-part series focused on environmental sustainability. Please join us on April 15th and April 22nd for our Wednesday Lunch Social at the JDC Dem HQ, 603 Ridge Road, in Galena. Bring your lunch for the social and stay, or just come for the presentation! The Lunch Social will be from 11:30-12:30 with the presentations starting at 12:30 followed by Q&A sessions.
Our guest speakers are:
April 15 – Ms. Annie NIchols, composting expert,
presenting “Community and Home Composting”
April 22 – Ms. Mary Edwards, native plant expert,
presenting “Native Plant Gardening” which will
highlight the JDC Seed Library and its resources.
We hope you will join us for this interesting, fun, series!
May
Coffee and Conversation with Guest Speaker Dana Timmerman, Jo Daviess County Clerk
Join us for our May Coffee and Conversation with Guest Speaker Dana Timmerman, Jo Daviess County Clerk. Dana will give a presentation on the county election process, mail in voting, how votes are processed, and more. There will be a Q&A session after her presentation.
The coffee and snacks will be ready at 9:30 if you want to come early to meet with your pro-democracy neighbors! Location: Elizabeth Community Building, 402 West St., Elizabeth IL
Date: Saturday, May 2, 2026
Time: 10:00 AM
East Dubuque Memorial Day Parade
Join us to honor our veterans and remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country. We will line up downtown East Dubuque at 9am on Wall St.
and the parade begins at 9:30am.
Date: Monday, May 25th, 2026
Time: 9:30 AM
June
Democratic Party Social
Join us for a picnic in Recreation Park, Galena, to celebrate the summer! We will have fried chicken, water and lemonade. You bring a main dish, side dish, and/or dessert and beverage (no glass please). Enjoy music, conversation, a playground for kids, Rec Park swimming and more. Come join your neighbors for a fun Sunday afternoon!
Date: Sunday, June 14th, 2026
Time: 12:00 PM
Location: Recreation Park, Galena, IL
July
Hanover Independence Parade
Join us to celebrate Independence Day in Hanover! Please line up at 5:30pm at the Old School. Hope to see you there!
Date: Friday, July 3rd, 2026
Time: 6:00 PM
Stockton 4th of July Celebration
Visit us at the Jo Daviess Democrats booth during the Stockton 4th of July Celebration! We will have candidate information, t-shirt sales and pro-democracy swag.
We look forward to meeting our Stockton neighbors!
Come enjoy the celebration and stay for the fireworks
Date: Friday, July 4th, 2026
Time: All Day
July (cont.)
Galena 4th of July Parade
Join us to celebrate the 4th of July in Galena! Please line up at 4:30pm at the Old Post Office, look for our trailer.
Date: Saturday, July 4th, 2026
Time: 5:30 PM
Elizabeth Fair & Parade
Come visit us at the JDC Democrats Booth at the Elizabeth Fair! Participate in the Elizabeth Fair Parade on the JDC Dems trailer. Line up for the parade at 10am to 10:30am at the United Methodist Church on Rte. 20.
Date: Saturday, July 18th, 2026
Time: 11:00 AM
August
Jo Daviess County Fair
We will have a booth at the Jo Daviess County Fair July 31-August 2, 2026. Come visit us and enjoy the Fair!
Location: County Fairgrounds, Warren, IL
Date: Friday, July 31, 2026 – Sunday, August 2, 2026
Time: All Day
September
Jo Daviess County Democrats Fundraiser Gala
Join us for our premier fundraiser and gala event with a special guest speaker. Appetizers and a cash bar will be provided. More information to follow, stay tuned!
Location: Owners Club, The Galena Territory
Date: Saturday, September 26th, 2026
Time: 5:00 PM
Warren Pumpkin Festival Parade
Join us for the Warren Pumpkin Festival Parade on September 27th. Line up at the Jo Daviess County Fairgrounds between Noon-12:30 pm to join our group in the parade which starts at 1:00 pm.
Date: Saturday, September 27th, 2025
Time: 1:00 PM
October
Galena Halloween Parade
Join the JDC Democrats and participate in the parade!
Line up by 5pm, find us between the Old Post Office and
the Blacksmith Shop along Water St. in Galena.
Date: Saturday, October 31st, 2026
Time: 6:00 PM
November
Midterm Election Day
Vote! Vote! Vote!
Democracy is not a spectator sport, please be active and vote for your community leaders.
Date: Tuesday, November 3rd, 2026
December
Holiday Open House
More information to follow, stay tuned!
Location: 603 Ridge St, Galena
Date: TBD
Democracy Book Club
This Book Club is your chance to connect with other like-minded individuals from around Jo Daviess County as we dive into pro-Democracy books with great conversations. Location/Date: Contact us for details
Coffee and Conversation
Come enjoy coffee and conversation with your pro-democracy neighbors! Doors open early for coffee and snacks with presentation to follow.
Location/Date: TBD
Quarterly Meetups for the East, Central, and West Regions of Jo Daviess County
Please check back for quarterly meetup dates for your region or signup for our email list to get notices. Not sure what region you are in? Click here for region map.
Holiday Hours
Closed for the Holidays from Monday 12/22/25 through Monday 1/5/26. Happy holidays to all and we wish you a wonderful 2026!
Western Region Community Chat
Join us at the East Dubuque Library Community Room. Share with us your concerns about the county, local municipality, state-level concerns, and any national issues!
Location: East Dubuque Library
Date: Saturday, October 11th, 2025
Time: 10:00 AM
Eastern Region Community Chat
Join us at the Stockton Park House. Share with us your concerns about the county, local municipality, state-level concerns, and any national issues!
Location: Stockton Park House
Date: Saturday, October 18th, 2025
Time: 10:00 AM