Some Chicago polling places had yet to open when voting officially began at 6 a.m. for today’s primary election, as late-arriving poll workers and no-shows caused delayed starts for an election that is expected to draw fewer voters overall.
As of 8:30 a.m., State Rep. Delia Ramirez, a Democrat running in the 3rd Congressional District race, was one of two voters who had shown up at her polling place at Harriet Beecher Stowe School in the Humboldt Park neighborhood, which opened with two of four poll workers still yet to arrive.
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Ramirez said while she was enroute to vote, she saw volunteers in front of the voting site at Yates Elementary School did not have voting booths open as of 6:45 a.m. Chicago Board of Elections spokesman Max Bever did not have information about Yates but confirmed three other polling locations had delayed starts.
“Unfortunately, Lillian and I talked to a number of voters who said ‘I’m sorry, I’ve been waiting, I have to get to work,” said Ramirez, who addressed reporters alongisde Lillian Jimenez, who is running to replace Ramirez’s seat in the Illinois House.
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“We have people who absolutely understand the importance of voting, especially when we see what’s happening in the country, and they won’t be able to vote,” Ramirez said.
Along with falling on a nonpresidential election year, the primary date is unusually late. The election was moved from its usual March date because 2020 U.S. Census Bureau numbers needed for redistricting were late, making it the latest Illinois has held a primary since at least the Great Depression.
[ Illinois primary 2022: What to know on Election Day ]
Election officials wary of lower voter turnout had urged voters to cast their votes early by mail, before leaving town for the Fourth of July holiday weekend. Early voting numbers show Chicago totals lagging behind the most recent midterm.
At the close of early voting Monday evening, 115,545 ballots had been cast through early voting or voting by mail, Bever said. By comparison, a total of 129,509 ballots had been cast the day before the 2018 midterm primary, Bever said.
By 9 a.m. on Election Day, the total number of ballots cast rose to 141,122 in Chicago, representing 9.4% citywide turnout, Bever said.
While early voting tallies were lower overall, more than twice as many ballots were returned by mail before the election compared with 2018. As of yesterday, 51,078 ballots had been returned by mail, compared with 20,228 one day before the 2018 election, Bever said.
Another 73,801 mail-in ballots had yet to be returned as of Monday. Today is the last day a mail-in ballot can be postmarked to be counted. Any ballot postmarked after June 28 will not be counted, and ballots must be received by local election authorities by July 12.
Voters who are not yet registered can do so at their assigned polling place before casting their vote. (Check your polling place here). Voters can only pick nominees from one political party. If you voted in any previous primary, you can select the same or a different party ballot.
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[ Election 2022: Read all of our coverage here ]
The highest-profile race on the Republican ballot is picking who will face Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker in the general election Nov. 8. Several GOP candidates also are competing to represent the party against Democratic incumbent U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth. And the Illinois Secretary of State’s race is up for grabs on both sides of the aisle with Jesse White, who has held the office since 1999, not seeking reelection.
More than 160 teams of assistant attorneys general and investigators from the Illinois Attorney General’s office are monitoring the election throughout Illinois for potential problems, according to a news release. Voters who suspect improper or illegal activity can call 866-536-3496 in Chicago and northern Illinois, or 866-559-6812 in central and southern Illinois.
