Nearly half of Chicago voters are heading to new polling places for the 2022 election

With approximately half of Chicago voters heading to new voting locations for the midterm election, polling places opened before sunrise on a crisp Tuesday.

Voters across Illinois will elect their governor, junior U.S. senator and all 17 of Illinois’ representatives in the U.S. Congress, and will decide other key races and issues, which can be found in the Tribune’s voter guide.

[ [Don’t miss] Attention Chicago voters: Find your new polling place ]

Election officials are aiming for a smoother day after a rocky June 28 primary. Election judge shortages caused 56 precincts in Chicago and six precincts in suburban Cook County to open late that day.

Statewide, just 21.7% of voters cast their ballot June 28, down from 26.5% in the 2018 midterm election. State Board of Elections spokesperson Matt Dietrich estimates Tuesday’s election will see a turnout of about 50%, based on historical data.

Chicago Board of Election Commissioners Chairwoman Marisel Hernandez said Monday that she is hopeful Chicago will beat its 2018 turnout.

However, Chicago faces the potential for widespread confusion after nearly half of city voters were assigned new polling places in the three months leading up to the election.

[ [Don’t miss] Election Day 2022 in Illinois: What to know before you vote on Tuesday ]

[ [Don’t miss] Check back for live Election results ]

In accordance with a new city ward map, and in an effort to save money on election operation costs, the Chicago Board of Election Commissioners cut nearly 40% of electoral precincts since the primary. This increased the number of voters per precinct and lowered the number of polling places, which can host multiple precincts, from 1,043 in the primary to 944 on Tuesday.

The drastic changes so close to the election drew criticism and yielded a lawsuit filed by Chicago mayoral candidate Willie Wilson, which his legal team later voluntarily dismissed. Chicago election officials said they did not have a choice in the timing of the move, and said all voters should have received notice of their new polling place assignments in the mail.

The cuts made it easier for Chicago’s election officials to staff precincts. The board has a surplus of election judges for Tuesday, said Max Bever, a spokesperson for the Chicago Board of Elections. The board reported Monday it has assigned more than 7,000 election judges, but needs only 6,450 to be fully staffed. More than 1,200 of those judges are high school students from the board’s partnership with the Mikva Challenge, a youth development and civic education organization.

Long lines had wrapped around the block at early voting sites in Chicago, and even led some voters to give up on waiting. At the Merlo Library early voting site in Chicago’s Lakeview neighborhood, some voters waited up to 2 ½ hours Monday afternoon.

Site administrator Vito Cifaldi said the long lines had started Saturday and held steady through the weekend. Despite the wait, Cifaldi said the majority of people who made it inside were understanding and kind.

For voters who show up at the wrong polling place, the Tribune has a guide on what to do. Voters with questions or issues also can call the Chicago Board of Election Commissioners at 312-269-7870.

Jake Sheridan contributed to this report.