Voters at early voting site in Lakeview wait hours in line to cast ballots for midterms
Voters in Illinois on Tuesday will send at least six new members to Congress, including a new U.S. senator and five congressional seats where incumbents are not running.
One political expert says in a lot of those races, he has seen candidates rarely out visiting and no mail from them — a sign that those races could be in the bag. However, that did not stop early voters from waiting hours to cast their ballot on Monday.
At the early voting site off Belmont in Lakeview, some voters waited up to three hours just to get to the front of the line. The queue snaked along the block and snaked around the next-door parking lot. Many voters brought books to kill time, knitting projects, and made conversation with the people next to them.
"I came earlier in the week, but I ran out of time, so I left, and so I came back today," said Mary Lou Schmidt.
"I had planned for it to be a long line. I have been coming to this place the last 13 years, so I do know it can get a little hectic. So I made sure to take the day off, have a little rest this morning, and then came with my friend so we can just tackle the line together," said Aaron Kornick.
Election judges say the problem at this site is that there are only seven booths for voting and the ballot is long this year, taking more time to complete.
Political experts say the long lines show enthusiasm, and lots of campaigns push early voting to get votes in the bank.
"You never know what could happen on election day — maybe the weather might be poor, maybe voters who you expect to support you will end up having something come up and not make it to the polls," said Loyola University Chicago professor of politics David Doherty.
"I'm really passionate about education, so for the school board," said voter Aya Lewis.
For others like Lewis, the Chicago school board races, including the president, are top of mind considering it's the first time they are all up for election instead of some being selected by the mayor.
Lewis says she voted for candidates that value mental health resources.
"The other one is having a really good balance between understanding finance and how to budget while also having a deep care and experience working with kids."
Early voter turnout rate is higher this election than four years ago.
Thirty percent more have already gone to the polls compared to 2022 in Cook County. McHenry and Kane County election officials also say they are seeing higher voter turnout rates.
When it comes to congressional races, Doherty says Tuesday he plans to watch what happens outside Illinois.
"We live in a state where not much action is happening, so a lot of my attention is honestly really been focused on what is playing out on the national scene."
"There's so much going on with the Senate and the judges and everything. So it's exciting when the line is long. It's a good problem to have," Kornick said.
