Illinois Primary 2014: In Chicago, Voter Turnout Extremely Low
UPDATED: 3/18/2014 2:20 p.m.
By John Dodge
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Voter turnout in Chicago was extremely low on Tuesday, with about 8 percent of eligible voters casting a ballot as of 4 p.m., according to data from the Chicago Board of Election Commissioners.
About 103,000 voters out of a registered 1.28 million went to the polls between 6 a.m. and 4 p.m.
The polls close at 7 p.m.
A light turnout was expected in a town that leans heavily Democrat.
While there are a handful of state House contests of interest in the city, the major races are for the Republican nominations for governor and U.S. Senate.
Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn is facing minimal opposition and Sen. Dick Durbin is running unopposed.
Older voters dominated the turnout, with 24,906 people between 55-64 and 23,418 people aged 65-74 casting ballots. A total of 17,506 over age 75 had voted. A total of 19,000 voters under the age of 45 had gone to the polls.
For the first time, voters who turn 18 by the November general election were eligible to vote in the primary, but only 18 teenagers cast a ballot so far.