Illinois has 18 U.S. House seats. This year, there are three independent candidates on the ballot for U.S. House in Illinois. Three is not a big number, but it is the largest number of independent candidates on the ballot for U.S. House from Illinois since 1920, when there were also three.

Independent candidate ballot access in Illinois improved in 2007, as a result of the lawsuit Lee v Keith. That lawsuit struck down the December (of the year before the election) deadline for non-presidential independent candidates. Also, in years following redistricting, the number of signatures for an independent is exactly 5,000, whereas in other election years it is 5% of the last vote cast, which is typically between 10,000 and 18,000 signatures.

The three independents on the ballot are Marcus Lewis in the 2nd district, John Monaghan in the 7th district, and John Hartman in the 13th district. The Marcus Lewis campaign is considered strong, because the Democratic nominee in the 2nd district is Jesse Jackson, Jr., who has been absent from Congress for several months due to illness. Here is a story about Jesse Jackson, Jr. Here is a story about independent candidate John Hartman, who has been polling at 9% even though, according to the story, he has barely campaigned, other than circulating his own petition earlier in the year.

Illinois also has two minor party candidates for U.S. House on the ballot this year. They are both Green nominees: Nancy Wade in the 5th district, and Paula Bradshaw in the 12th district.