Early voting opened in all of the city’s 50 wards Monday morning, and while the fate of some candidates and referendums are still pending court rulings, Chicago election officials urged all voters to get out and vote “their preference.”
As of Monday morning, 2,700 Chicagoans had voted early for the March 19 presidential primary, Chicago Board of Elections Chairwoman Marisel Hernandez said during a news conference Monday at the city’s downtown supersite.
At this point in 2020, only 1,900 Chicago residents had voted in the presidential primary.
“We expect a big increase in early voting as the 50 board sites open for voters today,” Hernandez said. “I’m optimistic about early voting surging and a good turnout.”
In addition to the newly opened sites in each city ward, 53 early voting sites also opened Monday at dozens of village halls, courthouses, community centers and other venues in suburban Cook County.
As polling places opened Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court reversed a decision by the Colorado Supreme Court to keep Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump off the ballot.
Cook County Circuit Judge Tracie Porter relied heavily on that decision in agreeing Wednesday that Trump should be removed from Illinois’ ballot.
Hernandez acknowledged court rulings on Trump’s eligibility and the Bring Chicago Home referendum can create confusion for voters. Chicago election officials will continue to monitor such rulings and respond accordingly.
The referendum question about funding homelessness prevention in Chicago via a real estate transfer tax increase will remain on the ballot but, as of now, votes will not be tallied.
“Nevertheless, voters will continue to see these voting options on their ballot,” Hernandez said. “We urge voters to vote their ballot to their preference, your ballot will not be rejected, because you voted or did not vote on a particular race or question.”
Regardless of any further court rulings, officials said early voting will not be paused in Chicago and will continue as normal through election day.
Chicago’s ward-based early voting sites — which join two Loop sites that have been open since mid-February — will be open 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekday; 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays; and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sundays. Residents can early vote at any of the city’s early voting sites.
At 25 of those 50 early voting sites, there will be bilingual voting officials.
Chicago voters also have until March 14 to request a mail ballot, which must be postmarked by March 19. Secure drop boxes for completed mail ballots are available at all early voting sites.
So far, there have been over 165,000 applications to vote by mail submitted in Chicago, down slightly from the number of applications received in the last midterm election.
Voters slowly trickled into the Loop voting supersite Monday morning.
One voter, who asked not to be named, said she decided to vote Monday to avoid crowds, expecting a smaller turnout because it was Casimir Pulaski Day. Another voter said he came out to “stop Trump at all costs.”
Samuel Jones, a longtime Chicago resident, said he never misses an election.
“You couldn’t live in my parent’s house and not vote,” Jones told the Chicago Sun-Times. “And things are still as bad now as they were when I started voting when I was 18. I will be 60 years old this year and things are worse now … but I have to utilize my vote.”
Sharon Pelletier cast her ballot Monday morning at one of the newly opened early voting sites on the city’s North Side. Pelletier said voting early helps her “manage her fear and anxiety” about the election, and she urged others to vote ahead of election day.
“I think early voting is really important, to get people to do it when it is easier, and then get on with doing more than just voting,” Pelletier said. “We’ve got to help others to get out there, register to vote, participate.”
In the 2012 presidential primary, Chicago had a low voter turnout with 315,000 ballots cast, Hernandez said. In the 2016 presidential primary, on the other hand, Chicago saw 810,000 ballots cast.
“We think this year will be somewhere in the middle,” Hernandez said.
City and county officials are still looking for more poll workers, who can make $170 to $255 in the city and $250 to $400 in the suburbs.
Here’s a list of early voting sites in Chicago. Suburban locations are listed on the Cook County Clerk’s website.
