Early voting begins citywide as state officials predict 40% of ballots will be cast before March 19 primary
Early voting throughout Chicago and in select counties in Illinois began Monday for this year’s March 19 primary election.
Chicagoans can go to sites in all 50 wards to vote in person or drop off ballots from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sundays, through March 18. Voters do not have to be residents of the ward in which they cast a ballot.
Chicago Board of Election Commissioners Chair Marisel Hernandez announced updates to the city’s ballot and available foreign language services during a press event at the board’s Supersite, 191 N. Clark St., where early voting has been available since Feb. 8.
“The March 19 primary is only two weeks away, so we’re urging Chicago voters to vote early,” Hernandez said. “Avoid the last-minute interruptions in life that can interfere with voting and enjoy the peace of mind that comes with getting your civic duty out of the way.”
The announcement came hours after the Supreme Court issued a ruling that will allow former President Donald Trump to remain on the Republican primary ballot in Illinois.
Still being contested is the Bring Chicago Home citywide referendum asking voters whether they support raising the real estate transfer tax on higher-end sales to secure consistent funding for housing and social services. A Cook County judge disqualified the referendum based on a lawsuit by real estate interests. If the ruling survives appeal, no votes on the referendum will be counted.
“We know that there have been many questions from voters about the ballot status of the city,” Hernandez said. “Voters will continue to see these voting options on their ballot, and we urge voters to vote their ballot to their preference. Your ballot will not be rejected because you voted or did not vote on a particular race or question.”
As of Monday, about 2,700 Chicago voters had turned in primary ballots through in-person early voting, up about 42% from the same time ahead of the 2016 and 2020 presidential primaries, Hernandez said. So far, about 165,000 applications for mail-in ballots have been made, compared with 200,000 requested before the 2022 midterm primary, she said.
“I’m optimistic about early voting surging and having a good turnout,” Hernandez said.
Twenty-five early voting sites are being staffed with bilingual officials to help voters cast ballots. All 50 early voting sites have touch-screen voting machines and audio ballots in 12 languages.
On Monday morning, several voters stopped at the Loop Super Site to cast a ballot or drop one off. Among them was Christopher Vaughn, who said he finds early voting more convenient than going to the polls on election day.
“I always vote — I never miss an election,” Vaughn said.
The deadline to apply to vote by mail is 5 p.m. on March 14, though Matt Dietrich of the Illinois State Board of Elections said he warns voters not to wait until the deadline, especially in the Chicago metropolitan area.
“You don’t want to put yourself in a situation where it’s Election Day morning, you’ve requested a vote-by-mail ballot, and it’s not there yet,” Dietrich said.
Mail-in ballots can be dropped at any early voting site. Dietrich said about 100,000 mail-in ballots have been returned across Illinois and that he expects both mail-in and in-person early votes to make up about 40% of the total count in this year’s primary.
Early voting instructions and voting sites across Illinois are listed on the State Board of Elections website.
