Election Officials Expecting Big Turnout In Cook County For Illinois Primary
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Local election officials say the many contested races in Tuesday's primary elections are generating a lot of interest and they're expecting strong turnout for a primary, reports WBBM's Mike Krauser.
Cook County Clerk David Orr and Chicago Board of Elections Chairwoman Marisel Hernandez are both expecting a better than 43 percent turnout, which would be high for a primary.
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Orr says records have been set with early voting, with 230,000 votes cast in Chicago and the Cook County suburbs.
"The main thing driving turnout is candidates," Orr says. "I don't know if we have ever had a race quite this contested in both parties."
Hernandez reminds people going to the polls that there is no campaigning within 100 feet of a polling place.
"Like a T-shirt that says the word 'Trump' or 'Bernie,' that would be construed as campaigning," she says.
Orr says he is more concerned about November in terms of potential problems.
"Battling hooliganism and so forth, so I hope that's not the case," he says.
About three million people are registered to vote in Chicago and suburban Cook County.