Chicago voters head to the polls to cast ballots in Illinois primary election
It’s Primary Election day and Illinois voters get to choose which candidate will represent the party for the general election.
CHICAGO – Polls are open across Illinois as voters cast ballots for a wide range of races in one of the seven state primary elections Tuesday.
Chicago voters have choices as they can vote in their precinct near home or in any of the 51 sites that were designated for early voting, now referred to as voting centers.
Mail-in ballots should be dropped off to make sure they arrive on time. If there is a line at the polling place at closing time, you can still vote as long as you’re in line by 7 p.m. No ID is needed to vote when the voter is already registered at their current address and is voting in the right precinct.
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Here’s when you will need to present identification.
The ballot includes races for governor, congressional seats, state legislative offices and a variety of local positions
As he is in most GOP contests, former President Donald Trump is a central issue in Illinois’ Republican primary for governor.
Darren Bailey, a conservative farmer who earned Trump’s endorsement over the weekend and often reads from the Bible in campaign videos, is part of a six-candidate Republican field. His rivals include Richard Irvin, the first Black mayor of Aurora, Illinois’ second-largest city, who had $50 million in support from billionaire Ken Griffin but was heavily targeted by Democrats who see Bailey as an easier matchup for Gov. J.B. Pritzker.
While Trump endorsed Bailey, he also campaigned alongside first-term Rep. Mary Miller, who is challenging five-term Rep. Rodney Davis in one of the state’s two incumbent-on-incumbent primaries.
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But at Saturday’s rally, Miller described the Supreme Court’s reversal of Roe v. Wade as “a victory for white life.” A spokesperson later said she had intended to say the decision was a victory for a “right to life.”
But the Illinois congresswoman is no stranger to provocative statements. Soon after joining the House, Miller quoted Adolf Hitler, saying he was right to say that “whoever has the youth has the future.”
Davis is a powerful, more moderate lawmaker who is the top Republican on the House Administration Committee, which deals with election legislation and the Capitol complex.
Meanwhile, two Democratic incumbents — Reps. Sean Casten and Marie Newman — are facing off for a Chicago-area seat. Also on the Democratic side, about two dozen candidates are fighting to succeed Rep. Bobby Rush, the only lawmaker to ever defeat Barack Obama. They include John Jackson, son of civil rights leader the Rev. Jesse Jackson, and Karin Norington-Reaves, who has Rush’s endorsement.
Chicago election officials said the youngest category of voters, ages 18-24, has the lowest turnout. However, some voters have hope for the next generation.
Polls open for voting in Illinois Primary 2022
Polls are open across Illinois as voters cast ballots for a wide range of races in the state’s primary elections Tuesday.
Emma Hultgren offered some reasons why turnout is low.
“It’s probably a result of two years of the pandemic, people feeling really politically exhausted. But a lot needs to be done. I’m really excited about Gen Z starting to be the largest voting bank. I have hope for them I feel like Millennials are already tired,” Hultgren said.
Quenna Barrett dropped off her ballot and said the thing that holds back younger voters is a lack of knowledge about the candidates.
“I think it’s also hard to get information,” Barrett said. “We don’t know who to vote for. We don’t know what a lot of the offices are. I think there can be a larger support from our local leadership to make sure voters are informed and actually know. Like if you don’t know, why would you care?”
As of noon, 178,215 ballots have been counted, marking an 11.9 percent citywide turnout, according to the Chicago Board of Elections. Over 55,000 ballots have been cast on Election Day alone.
The turnout by age groups are as follows:
- 18-24 year olds: 4,106
- 25-34 year olds: 18,692
- 35-44 year olds: 20,692
- 45-54 year olds: 20,588
- 55-64 year olds: 32,106
- 65-74 year olds: 39,575
- 75+ year olds: 29,681
Chicago voting centers
- 1st Ward – Goldblatts Building, 1615 W. Chicago Ave.
- 2nd Ward – Near North Branch, 310 W. Division St.
- 3rd Ward – Fuller Park, 331 W. 45th St.
- 4th Ward – Dr. Martin Luther King Center, 4314 S. Cottage Gr.
- 5th Ward – Jackson Park, 6401 S. Stony Island Ave.
- 6th Ward – Whitney Young Library, 415 E. 79 St. Chicago
- 7th Ward – Trumbull Park, 2400 E. 105th St.
- 8th Ward – Olive Harvey College, 10001 S. Woodlawn Ave.
- 9th Ward – Palmer Park, 201 E. 111th St.
- 10th Ward – East Side Vodak Library, 3710 E. 106th St.
- 11th Ward – McGuane Park, 2901 S. Poplar Ave.
- 12th Ward – McKinley Park Branch, 1915 W. 35th St.
- 13th Ward – Westlawn Park, 4233 W. 65th St.
- 14th Ward – Archer Heights Branch, 5055 S. Archer Ave.
- 15th Ward – Gage Park, 2411 W. 55th St.
- 16th Ward – Lindblom Park, 6054 S. Damen Ave.
- 17th Ward – Thurgood Marshall Library, 7506 S. Racine Ave.
- 18th Ward – Wrightwood Ashburn Branch Library, 8530 S. Kedzie Ave.
- 19th Ward – Mt Greenwood Park, 3721 W. 111th St.
- 20th Ward – Bessie Coleman Library, 731 E. 63rd St.
- 21st Ward – Foster Park, 1440 W. 84th St.
- 22nd Ward – Toman Library, 2708 S. Pulaski Rd.
- 23rd Ward – Clearing Branch Library, 6423 W. 63rd Pl.
- 24th Ward – St Agatha Catholic Parish, 3151 W. Douglas Bv.
- 25th Ward – Chinatown Library, 2100 S. Wentworth Ave.
- 26th Ward – Humboldt Park Library, 1605 N. Troy St.
- 27th Ward – Union Park Field House, 1501 W. Randolph St.
- 28th Ward – West Side Learning Center, 4624 W. Madison St.
- 29th Ward – Amundsen Park, 6200 W. Bloomingdale Ave.
- 30th Ward – Kilbourn Park, 3501 N. Kilbourn Ave.
- 31st Ward – Portage Cragin Library, 5108 W. Belmont Ave.
- 32nd Ward – Bucktown-Wicker Pk Library, 1701 N. Milwaukee Ave.
- 33rd Ward – Congregation Of The Resurrection Bldg, 3633 N. California Ave.
- 34th Ward – West Pullman Library, 830 W. 119th St.
- 35th Ward – Northeastern Il University El Centro, 3390 N. Avondale Ave.
- 36th Ward – West Belmont Library, 3104 N. Narragansett Ave.
- 37th Ward – West Chicago Library, 4856 W. Chicago Ave.
- 38th Ward – Hiawatha Park, 8029 W. Forest Preserve Dr.
- 39th Ward – North Park Village, 5801 N. Pulaski Rd.
- 40th Ward – Budlong Woods Library, 5630 N. Lincoln Ave.
- 41st Ward – Roden Library, 6083 N. Northwest Hw.
- 42nd Ward – Maggie Daley Park, 337 E. Randolph St.
- 43rd Ward – Lincoln Pk Br Library, 1150 W. Fullerton Ave.
- 44th Ward – Merlo Library, 644 W. Belmont Ave.
- 45th Ward – Independence Library, 4024 N. Elston Ave.
- 46th Ward – Truman College, 1145 W. Wilson Ave.
- 47th Ward – Welles Park, 2333 W. Sunnyside Ave.
- 48th Ward – Broadway Armory, 5917 N. Broadway
- 49th Ward – Willye B White Park, 1610 W. Howard St.
- 50th Ward – Warren Park, 6601 N. Western Ave.
- Chicago Board of Elections Supersite at 191 N. Clark.
You can also find the closest polling place to you through the Chicago Board of Elections website.
The general election will be held Nov. 8.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
