Chicago Election Officials Hope Voters Turn Out Tuesday
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Chicago election officials say they have 500 different ballots ready to go, and they are hoping that the ballots get used in the primary Tuesday.
As WBBM Newsradio's John Cody reports, Chicago Board of Elections chairman Langdon Neal says early and absentee voting has produced only 39,000 primary ballots case so far. By comparison, there were 81,000 ballots cast ahead of the last presidential primary in February 2008, election officials said.
LISTEN: WBBM Newsradio's John Cody reports
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"We've been a little disappointed with the results of early voting this far, but I remain optimistic that our voters will recognize that this is an important election," Neal said.
Neal says the Board of Election Commissioners has ballots ready in four languages – English, Spanish, Chinese and Hindi. He says the contest is important at the federal, state and local levels, including a tight race for the Illinois Supreme Court in which appointed Justice Mary Jane Theis is up against Appellate Court justices Aurelia Pucinski and Joy Virginia Cunningham, and attorney Thomas Flannigan.
Voters will encounter a long ballot filled with many judicial candidates that might take some time to complete.
Also, a large number of voters may be surprised to find their elected officials have changed, due to the recent redistricting. There also may be more confusion for voters once assigned to nearly 300 city and Cook County precincts that no longer exist.
To find out which precinct you live in, click here.
Polling places open 6 a.m. Tuesday.
