Blizzard Fails To Slow Early Voting In Chicago
CHICAGO (WBBM) -- Despite Chicago's third-worst blizzard ever last week, the city still is doing better in early voting this year than the previous mayoral election four years ago.
Chicago Elections Board spokesman Jim Allen says that, as of Tuesday morning, 15,000 people had cast early ballots in this year's mayoral election.
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Four years ago, at this time, 5,600 people cast their votes early.
"Early voting got off to a huge start [last] Monday, the kickoff," Allen said. "It was still going strong into Tuesday until the snow started and then the numbers just plummeted."
Because two days of early voting were lost last week because voting locations were buried in snow, there will be early voting Friday on Lincoln's Birthday at all 51 city locations, instead of just the three previously planned locations.
Besides the growing popularity of early voting, there could be other reasons the numbers look so much better compared to four years ago. Back then, early voting was still in its infancy in Chicago. It had been tried just the year before, in 2006, in the governor's election.
And, back then, Mayor Daley was running for re-election, while this year, there's a real contest.
