The big Illinois prizes in next month's election are a handful of congressional seats that could help change the balance of power in Washington.

No statewide offices are up for grabs, and President Barack Obama is almost certain to carry his home state again. So that puts Congress in the spotlight.

Democrats dream of picking up four or five seats now held by Republicans. That would help Democrats in their quest to regain control of the U.S. House.

All 177 seats in the Illinois General Assembly are on the ballot, too.

And voters get to decide whether to amend the state constitution so that it's harder to improve pension benefits for public employees.