Afternoon Edition: 'Shockingly low turnout' so far in Chicago for primary

Good afternoon, Chicago. ✶

It’s Election Day! And Lollapalooza lineup reveal day. And March Madness takes over on Thursday. So it’s a busy week.

In today’s newsletter, we’re following along with our live updates on the Illinois primary election here in Chicago. Early voting and mail ballot numbers suggest significantly lower turnout than the past two presidential primaries. Polls close at 7 p.m.

Plus we’ve got reporting on the anticipated Lollapalooza lineup, Arlington Heights’ new tax deal proposal for the Bears’ suburban property, and more. 👇

⏱️: A 7-minute read

— Katelyn Haas, audience engagement specialist (@khaas96)

TODAY’S TOP STORY

Illinois Primary Election 2024: Live updates and results

Reporting by WBEZ and Chicago Sun-Times staff

‘Shockingly low turnout’ so far: While polls in Chicago will remain open until 7 p.m., turnout for the 2024 primary elections appears to be “shockingly low,” a city election official said in a midday update.

“I sure wish I had some better news looking at the numbers, but we are looking at a shockingly low turnout,” Max Bever, director of public information for the Chicago Board of Elections, told reporters.

As of noon, turnout at the polls was around 12% and about 9,000 to 10,000 votes were coming in each hour. By comparison, during the last two presidential primaries in 2016 and 2020, 16,000 to 28,000 ballots were cast per hour.

Bring Chicago Home brings out voters: West Town resident Helda Diaz has been telling everyone she knows to vote yes on Bring Chicago Home. It was one of the main reasons why she came out to vote Tuesday morning at Talcott Fine Arts and Museum Academy. “If you can afford a million dollar home, you can manage a one-time tax,” Diaz said. “You should also be doing your part to help the less fortunate.”

Alleged foul play with doughnuts and cash: U.S. Rep. Jesús “Chuy” Garcia‘s campaign claimed Tuesday that Ald. Raymond Lopez’s team members were spotted giving away doughnuts and “envelopes of cash” to election judges in the alderman’s own ward.

Lopez, who is also the Democratic committee person for the 15th Ward, said his team did provide the election judges with doughnuts, coffee and $50 for lunch. But he added that providing for the poll workers and judges is nothing out of the ordinary, and Rep. Garcia’s team has a “lack of respect for election judges.”

Bever, the elections board spokesperson, said that bringing food and lunch to election judges is “a longstanding tradition.”

“The board unfortunately is not budgeted to provide lunch or even coffee to election judges,” Bever said.

Get more election updates here.

WHAT ELSE IS GOING ON?

Kevin Winter/Getty Images

• Lollapalooza lined up with old and new faces: SZA, Blink 182, Tyler, The Creator, The Killers, Hozier, Future X Metro Boomin, Melanie Martinez, Stray Kids and Skrillex are among this year’s Lolla headliners.
• Lead in water a threat to kids in Chicago: Researchers found two out of three very young children in Chicago were exposed to at least trace amounts of lead in their home tap water.
• Hubbard Inn sues woman over viral TikTok: A River North restaurant is suing a woman who posted a viral video claiming she was manhandled by the establishment’s security and thrown down stairs.
• Tax deal proposed for Bears site: Arlington Heights village officials Monday unveiled their proposed settlement to a long-running property tax dispute between the Chicago Bears and three area school districts over the vacant Arlington Park racetrack.
• Asian American family advocacy center in Chicago: The state recently opened its first center designed to connect Asian American families with government resources. The center will offer case management services, parenting support groups, health insurance enrollment and more.
• String trio brings Holocaust victims’ music to life: In a show presented by Rendezvous Arts, the Black Oak Ensemble will play works from Jewish composers who died during the Holocaust.
  

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BRIGHT ONE ✨

Luke Atkinson

Mitch Rowland — Harry Styles’ go-to guitarist finds his own music direction

Reporting by Selena Fragassi - For the Sun-Times

Mitch Rowland is becoming the man who needs no introduction.

For the past seven years, he’s largely been regaled as the “Mr. Mysterious” guitar player in Harry Styles’ solo career, contributing largely to the superstar’s three solo albums and various tours, including helping to write uber hits like “Watermelon Sugar.”

Yet, since stepping out in late 2023 with his own debut solo album, “Come June,” Rowland has found that people increasingly want to get to know him and his own music, even if it’s a pop about-face. In fact, his stunning collection of pensive indie folk compositions harkens to the gilded Laurel Canyon tribe and the 1960s British folk explosion, with one of his biggest influences being Bert Jansch.

On his first headline tour (arriving at Thalia Hall on March 21), Rowland says he’s seeing the shift each night as he talks to fans at his shows.

“Around the time the album came out, a lot of people just kind of leaned into Harry Styles questions, and I think now meeting these people face to face, day in and day out, that doesn’t come up as much. Instead, it’s people confessing [my] music has helped them in a tough time. I’m making real connections,” he says during a recent Zoom chat from his Brooklyn hotel room.

READ MORE

YOUR DAILY QUESTION ☕️

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Editor: Ellery Jones
Newsletter reporter: Katelyn Haas