✝️ Happy Monday! On this day in 1979, Pope John Paul II presided over an outdoor Mass in Grant Park.

☀️ Today's weather: Sunny with a high of 65.

Today’s newsletter is 1,116 words — a 4-minute read.

Chicagoans can officially start casting ballots in the 2026 midterm election.

Why it matters: You don't have to wait until Election Day on Nov. 3, but deadlines for registering, voting by mail and finding an early voting site are approaching.

🗳️ Vote now: Two downtown early voting locations are open — the Supersite at 137 S. State St. and the Board of Elections office at 69 W. Washington St. Early voting expands to all 50 wards Oct. 19.

📬 Vote by mail: You have until Oct. 29 to request a ballot, but election officials are urging voters to request and return ballots early amid concerns about postal delays and changes to USPS postmark procedures.

• In Illinois, ballots must be postmarked by Election Day and received by Nov. 17.

✍️ Register: Online registration ends Oct. 18, but Illinois allows same-day registration and voting through Election Day.

🏫 Vote on Election Day: Polls are open from 6am to 7pm Nov. 3.

What we're watching: Election officials are preparing for the possibility of federal immigration enforcement activity around polling places.

What they're saying: In a recent press conference, Chicago Board of Election Commissioners chair Marisel Hernandez addressed those concerns, saying there are laws protecting voters from "intimidation, threats and coercion."

State of play: Hernandez said the board has been meeting with federal and local law enforcement for roughly a year and has contingency plans.

By the numbers: Hernandez said at least one field investigator will be stationed at each early voting site during early voting.

The bottom line: "We're determined to reassure the voters that everything proceeds as normal," Hernandez said.

Go deeper

Editor's note: All week, we'll preview the upcoming races as part of our Axios Chicago voting guide.

White Sox fans have waited 21 years for a home playoff game after a series victory — and they're going to pay for it.

The big picture: The Sox shut out the Guardians 3-0 in Cleveland on Saturday, giving the South Siders the lead going into today's 4pm game.

Why it matters: According to TickPick, Wednesday's Game 3 at Rate Field is currently the most expensive divisional-round game in baseball and the most expensive White Sox game on record based on get-in price.

The latest: Tickets for Wednesday's game at The Rate are sold out through the team, while resale tickets are now going for around $300 or more.

• TickPick lists the get-in price around $297, while SeatGeek is showing similar prices above $300.
• It's much cheaper to see the Sox in Cleveland: Tickets for Monday's Game 2 are going for around $111 on TickPick — less than half the price of Wednesday's game in Chicago.
• TickPick says the average purchase price for Game 3 is $214 — 365% higher than the $46 average for Sox home games this season.

Dress code: The team is bringing back its famous "blackout" stadium atmosphere, asking fans to wear all black for the home playoff games.

Context: The Sox's turnaround has become one of baseball's biggest surprises, and their loose clubhouse personality is getting national attention.

• A pregame dugout dance led by injured pitcher Mike Vasil went viral during the Wild Card series.

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🪧 Tensions flared outside the Palestine Fest in Bridgeview yesterday when conservative activist Jake Lang protested the festival. Lang was previously charged with assaulting an officer with a baseball bat during the Jan. 6 insurrection, before President Trump pardoned him. (WGN)

🚨 The Civilian Office of Police Accountability is investigating an off-duty officer who shot and wounded two men in Pilsen early Sunday. (Block Club)

💰 A private equity firm's sale of Walgreens' U.K.-based pharmacy chain, Boots, could saddle Walgreens with additional debt, one critic claims. (Crain's)

Bears fans were treated to a sensational fall day — and a 23-12 thumping of the New York Jets. Tyson Bagent led the offense to nearly 500 total yards, including running back Kyle Monangai's 146 rushing yards and two touchdowns.

• The Bears are now 3-1.

State of play: Justin had the chance to see the game in person and tailgate beforehand near Burnham Harbor.

• Can you caption the above GIF? Reply to this email with your best line.

Last week's photo was a blur, but that didn't stop you from coming up with some great captions.

• Congrats to Jennifer B. for this week's winning line:

• "THIS is how you fly like an eagle."

New York's legendary Katz's Delicatessen has landed in Chicago, but don't expect pastrami and corned beef.

The latest: Clothing store and soft-serve ice cream cafe Kith has teamed up with Katz's for three limited-time treats.

• The Latke, The Egg Cream Deluxe and The Reuben are on the menu until Oct. 10.

The bite: The Reuben consists of vanilla ice cream mixed with Cheez-Its, rye croutons, beetroot powder and topped with black sanding sugar, a dehydrated Swiss cheese chip, Maldon salt and a Katz's pickle.

The verdict: Not sure how this works, but wow, it does! Dipping the pickle into the cool vanilla was refreshing, while the Swiss and Cheez-Its resembled a cheese danish. As I dug deeper, the beets' earthiness punched through.

Between the lines: I've never had a Reuben as I don't eat meat, and my husband informed me it doesn't exactly taste like a Reuben, but I think that's ok.

• Iterations don't always have to be a 1-to-1 match, but can be inspirations.

Context: Kith opened its only Chicago location on Walton Street last year, and lines for its clothes, sneakers, jewelry and soft serve quickly formed.

If you go: Kith Treats x Katz Deli is available at the Gold Coast store until Oct. 10.

More on The Egg Cream

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What a start for the Wildcats at the new Ryan Field on Friday.

• Northwestern not only showed off its state-of-the-art new stadium, but also blew out Penn State 34-13 to improve to 3-1.

Edited by Larry Graham.

🥩 Justin thanks Brian and the LaGrange crew for a wonderful tailgate experience yesterday.

📖 Carrie is enjoying her Axios D.C. colleague Mimi Montgomery's book "Murder Bites."

🙌 Monica is back from sabbatical today.

Want more Axios Chicago content? Check out our Instagram for extra stuff to do, behind-the-scenes photos, videos and more!