Illinois Election: Last day to vote early ahead of midterms
CHICAGO (CBS)-- It is the final day for early voting in Chicago before Tuesday's midterm elections.
The city has 52 early voting sites open on Monday until 6 p.m.; one in each ward, and two downtown – at the city's voting supersite at Clark and Lake streets, and at the Chicago Board of Election Commissioners office at 69 W. Washington St. You can find a list of every early voting site on the Chicago Board of Election Commissioners website.
Meantime, if you're voting by mail, you must drop off your completed ballot at the post office or a secured election drop box at an early voting site by Election Day.
The Chicago Board of Election Commissioners said nearly 209,000 voters in the city applied to vote by mail this year, the second most ever in any election in Chicago. As of Sunday night, 103,205 of those ballots have been returned to the board, with more than 105,000 mail-in ballots still outstanding.
"Turnout has been steadily on the rise over the last few weeks. More and more people are showing up to early vote, and as of last night, we are at 134,014 ballots cast just for early voting. That's overtaken the vote by mail returns, something that hasn't happened in the past two elections," said Marisel Hernandez, chair of the Chicago Board of Election Commissioners.
On Election day, there will be 946 individual polling places serving 1,290 precincts throughout the city. Voters can only cast ballots at their assigned precinct polling place. You can find your precinct polling place on the Chicago Board of Election Commissioners website.
However, early voting sites also will be open on Election Day in all 50 wards, and at the downtown supersite at Clark and Lake, and voters in Chicago can cast their ballots at any early voting site.
Governor JB Pritzker will travel around the state Monday and attend several Get Out the Vote rallies, while Republican candidate Darren Bailey will attend a news conference in Oak Brook on Monday morning. Bailey hosted multiple Get Out the Vote rallies over the weekend, including in Bloomington on Saturday morning.
"This race is close, but this race is winnable," Bailey said. "We have the power to change this great state and it starts with every one of us going out to the polls and sending a message to the powerful elites that their time is over."
Pritzker is hoping for another four-year term and held a Get Out the Vote rally of his own Saturday afternoon.
"Everything that I can tell you about, that we fought for, the things that you and I think are important for the state of Illinois, the people of Illinois, that guy, the other guy voted against literally everything," Pritzker said.
With Democrats and Republicans battling for control of the House and Senate these midterms, President Joe Biden made a stop with congressional candidates Friday night, then headed to Joliet Saturday morning. There he talked about social security and medicare. He also took a moment to focus on the importance of voting.