Cook County transforms high schools into early voting sites to help eligible students vote

Cook County transformed 27 suburban high schools into early voting sites for a "Teen Takeover for Democracy" event Thursday.

The program turns the schools into official voting sites where eligible students can take a break from their normal classes so they can cast early ballots for the 2026 general midterm election.

Around 125 students were also certified as election judges.

The program was developed in partnership with the Chicago Bears and the Cook County Clerk's Office. It was first launched for the 2026 March primary, in which the clerks' office said 1,136 ballots were cast in a single day at 24 participating high schools. That number, the clerk's office said, surpassed the combined total full week of early voting at six other traditional sites.