Early voting gets underway in Chicago at downtown supersite

Early voting in Chicago begins on Friday

Early voting in the city of Chicago begins on Friday. Suburban Cook County residents can vote early in-person starting Oct. 12.

CHICAGO - Early voting got underway in downtown Chicago on a drizzly Friday morning, with election officials urging voters to check their precinct polling places soon in case they’ve changed since redistricting.

"Nearly half of Chicago’s voters have a newly assigned precinct polling place ahead of Election Day," said Max Bever, a spokesman for the Chicago Board of Elections. "We are urging all Chicago voters to make a plan to vote — either by voting by mail, early voting or voting on Election Day — and to check their voter information ahead of time."

The city will now have 945 polling places for the Nov. 8 General Election, down from 1,043 that were in place for the June primary.

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A number of high-profile races are on the ballot, including the race for Illinois governor.

Voters were out early Friday for a number of reasons.

"It’s a fight for democracy. I feel like our country is in danger with some of things going on. Our freedoms are being taken away, and I want to make sure I keep them in place," said Linda McCully, 63, of the Gold Coast, referring to issues ranging from women’s rights to voting rights.

Civil rights was also on Azurea Jackson’s mind.

"A lot of Black people have sacrificed a lot for Blacks to have the right to vote and I wanted to be here on the very first day," said Jackson, 70, who lives on the South Side.

The steady drizzle wasn’t a deterrent.

"I don’t care. People have gone through a lot more miserable situations than this," she said.

The Board of Elections supersite at 191 N. Clark St. and the board’s location on the sixth floor at 69 W. Washington St. both opened Friday and will be open through Oct. 30. The sites hours are weekdays from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

From Oct. 31 through Nov. 7, the same downtown sites will be open weekdays from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m, Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The 191 N. Clark St. location will be open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Election Day; the board office at 69 W. Washington will be closed, officials said.

Early voting in each of the city’s 50 wards runs Oct. 24 through Nov. 8. The sites will be open weekdays from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Polls are open on Election Day from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Election officials also said they are seeking people to staff early voting sites and polls on Election Day. The job pays $17 per hour and $230 on Election Day.

For more information, go to chicagoelections.gov.

All 50 Ward Early Voting sites

1st Ward - Goldblatts Building, 1615 W. Chicago Ave.
2nd Ward - Near North Branch Library, 310 W. Division St.
3rd Ward - Dawson Technical Institute, 3901 S. State 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 Library, 1915 W. 35th St.
13th Ward - Clearing Library, 6423 W. 63rd Pl.
14th Ward - Archer Heights Branch Library, 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 - West Pullman Library, 830 W. 119th St.
22nd Ward - Toman Library, 2708 S. Pulaski Rd.
23rd Ward - Ward Hall-St. Faustina Kowalska Parish, 5157 S. McVicker Ave.
24th Ward - St Agatha Catholic Parish, 3151 W. Douglas Bv.
25th Ward - Rudy Lozano Branch Library, 1805 S. Loomis St.
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 Park Library, 1701 N. Milwaukee Ave.
33rd Ward - American Indian Center, 3401 W. Ainslie St.
34th Ward - UIC Student Center, 750 S. Halsted 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 Admin Bldg, 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 Park Branch Library, 1150 W. Fullerton Ave.
44th Ward - Merlo Library, 644 W. Belmont Ave.
45th Ward - Ho Chunk Nation, 4732 N. Milwaukee Ave.
46th Ward - Truman College, 1145 W. Wilson Ave.
47th Ward - Conrad Sulzer Library, 4455 N. Lincoln Ave.
48th Ward - Broadway Armory, 5917 N. Broadway
49th Ward - Willye B White Park, 1610 W. Howard St.
50th Ward - Northtown Library, 6800 N. Western Ave.