Voter turnout numbers for presidential primaries in Illinois from 1972-2024. (Courtesy of Illinois State Board of Elections)

This year’s primary election in Illinois saw the lowest voter turnout in a presidential primary in several decades, according to the Illinois State Board of Elections.

Voter turnout for the March 19 primary election was 19.07%, the lowest in at least the last 50 years, according to official vote totals certified Friday by state election officials.

Statewide, Democratic voters accounted for 58.69% of total ballots cast in the Illinois primary, while Republican voters accounted for 40.16%, according to state election data.

Voter turnout was slightly higher in Chicago, with 25.88% of registered voters casting a ballot for this year’s primary election, according to the Chicago Board of Elections. Of the ballots cast in the city, 87.84% were Democratic and 10.44% were Republican.

Tabitha Bonilla, associate professor of human development, social policy and political science at Northwestern University, said a possible reason for low voter turnout is that there are two presidential candidates who voters have already seen before.

Also, by the time of the Illinois primary on March 19, candidates President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump had already won enough delegates to clinch their party nominations.

Dissatisfaction with the presidential candidates, along with concerns about the direction of both the Republican and Democratic parties, might also explain the low voter turnout, Bonilla said, citing concerns about the Jan. 6 insurrection and Trump’s ongoing trial among some Republicans, in addition to concerns about Biden’s handling of Gaza among some younger Democratic voters.

Even though primary elections typically draw lower voter turnout than general elections, Bonilla said she wouldn’t be surprised if turnout for November’s general election is lower than it typically is for a presidential election.

“Both these candidates are known; nobody is choosing someone new for the first time,” Bonilla said. “I think the question will be how well the campaigns are able to excite their base and mobilize voters in the next few months.”

Contact Eunice Alpasan: @eunicealpasan | 773-509-5362 | [email protected]