Early Voting Turnout Nearly Triple What Election Officials Saw in 2019, 2015 Chicago Elections


Election Day is one week away in Chicago.

According to election officials, early voter and vote-by-mail turnout is nearly triple what it was a week before Election Day in the 2019 and 2015 citywide elections.

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“The steady amount of voting that we’ve seen over the last three weeks really suggests that we’re going to have a high turnout for Election Day,” said Max Bever, director of public information at the Chicago Board of Elections.

Same-day voter registration is available in Chicago. If you’re not registered to vote or need to change your name or address, it’s still possible to vote at any early voting site or precinct polling place on Election Day with two forms of identification — one with your current address.

Bever said people tend to make up their minds much later in the process in municipal elections because the elections are nonpartisan, there’s a quick campaign season and there’s still a lot that can happen in a week for a candidate. 

Offices on the ballot include mayor, city clerk, treasurer, alderpeople in all 50 wards and the new police district councils, in which voters can vote for three people per district.

“Given that there’s that many campaigns talking to people, we have this many mayoral candidates and we have an entirely new office on the ballot for the first time with the police district councils —this is driving a lot of interest in the race and a lot of voters to the polls,” Bever said.

Election Day is Feb. 28.

Check out WTTW News’ 2023 Voter Guide for a countdown to Election Day, candidate profiles and our ongoing political coverage. 


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