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Early voting begins to wrap up in Chicago ahead of Election Day
Chicago election officials said they are encouraged by the latest early voting numbers but even with the energy and focus on political messaging going on right now, turnout could be higher.
CHICAGO - Chicago Board of Election officials expect a push on this last day of early voting with Election Day looming on Tuesday.
In Chicago, officials said they’ve solved the shortage of election judges.
The number of polling places was consolidated, which means polling place locations have changed for many voters and that could cause confusion or delays. On Election Day, all 50 ward early voting sites will be open, in addition to the precincts, and the loop super site will also be in operation.
On Monday, there’s an urgent advisory about one of the most popular methods, vote by mail. Nearly 100,000 ballots have not been returned.
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Marisel Hernandez, chairwoman of the Chicago Board of Elections, said even if you mail the ballot, there is no guarantee that it will be postmarked by Nov. 8, which is a requirement.
"We need voters to return those nearly 100,000 ballots that are sitting on your kitchen counter or with other mail," Hernandez said. "We need to have them as soon as possible so they can be counted."
She said a more secure method is to drop the ballot off at a secure drop box. On Tuesday, there will be drop boxes at Wrigley Field, the United Center and Wintrust Arena.
Election officials said they are encouraged by the latest early voting numbers but even with the energy and focus on political messaging going on right now, turnout could be a lot higher. They said there is still time to change that.
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