Chicago Sees Record Turnout For Early Voting

CHICAGO — Early voters in Chicago lined up in record numbers, according to the Chicago Board of Election Commissioners. The city's early voter turnout was up by 96 percent over the 2014 midterm election, the board said. Half of those votes were cast over the past six days.

More than 223,000 ballots were cast during the early voting period, the board said.

Monday was the busiest day of early voting, with more than 28,000 ballots cast — or around 13 percent of the early voting total.

Lengthy lines were reported across the city on Monday, and some voters had to wait more than an hour to cast their ballots. The lineup at the Loop Super Voting Site on West Washington Street — which includes 80 voting machines — stretched for two blocks during the busiest times of the day.

The Chicago Board of Election Commissioners said younger voters — particularly millennials — are coming out in higher numbers. Officials also said more women are coming out to vote. The ability to register online has also helped boost turnout.

As of 4 p.m. on Sunday, more than 238,000 early in-person suburban Cook County voters had cast their ballots — an 86 percent increase from 2014, according to the Cook County Clerk's office.

A few city polling places opened late on Election Day, due to voting equipment setup delays, but no major delays were reported.

Polls opened across Illinois at 6 a.m. on Election Day and closed at 7 p.m.

More Illinois voting info: Everything To Know About The Illinois 2018 Midterm Elections

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