New downtown Chicago supersite opens for early voting
Early voting for the 2026 primary began Thursday morning for anyone who lives within the Chicago city limits.
Watch CBS News
Early voting for the 2026 primary began Thursday morning for anyone who lives within the Chicago city limits.
Bever joins Joe Donlon and Irika Sargent with information on election security and integrity, and what the board is expecting for polling places on Election Day Tuesday.
Sheriff Tom Dart said this implementation of law enforcement makes his deputies proactive instead of reactive.
The final accuracy and logic tests were under way Monday at the Chicago Loop Supersite, at 191 N. Clark St.
Per state law, all late-arriving but properly postmarked ballots must be counted.
Chicago election officials on Friday will begin scanning and counting thousands of mail-in ballots, a day after workers spent the day checking signatures on those ballots. Poll watchers for both of the Democratic candidates for Cook County State’s Attorney will be there to keep an eye on the process, with that race still too close to call. Max Bever, with the Chicago Board of Election Commissioners, helps break down the process.
CBS 2's cameras were rolling Thursday as several checks were made on mail-in ballots.
Technically, the deadline is April 2, so it could take almost two more weeks to determine whether Eileen O’Neill Burke or Clayton Harris III will be the next Cook County State’s Attorney. CBS 2’s Tara Molina reports.
The demonstration ballot listed the names of various historical figures with Chicago or Illinois connections as candidates for various offices.
Younger voters 18 to 24 are the smallest voting bloc to show up to the polls so far.
Younger voters 18 to 24 are the smallest voting bloc to show up to the polls so far. CBS 2's Marissa Perlman reports.
Candidates must submit signatures from registered voters in order to appear on the ballot. That is a mandate you won't find in every big city.
The second page, or Ballot B, has all the judges up for retention.
Election officials statewide say they are doing everything they can to protect your vote.
If you need to brush up on the candidates in your district or see if your polling place has changed, check out the CBS 2 Voter Guide and then be sure to stay with CBS 2 for live Election Night coverage.
"I do think, you know, the Obamas visiting the early voting site lets voters know that it's there, it's open – it's ready for their early votes," said Chicago Board of Elections spokesman Max Bever.
There will also be extended weekday hours for the supersite (9:00 a.m. to 7:00 pm) from June 20 to June 24, the week before Election Day.
Early voting for the 2020 general election still had a little bit of time to go as of late Monday afternoon, but it had already set records by that time – along with mail-in ballots.
Election Day is coming up Tuesday, but yes, you still have time to vote early.
Experts expect the vote totals to break records, but as CBS 2's Jeremy Ross reported, there is one total in particular that Chicago leaders are watching closely.
"Regardless of what happens, November 3rd will be a big day for all of us, and our goal is clear: keep Chicagoans safe as we take part in this momentous day," Lightfoot said.
It's the first time ever the arena is being used as a voting site, and the arena will be open to all Chicago voters on Election Day.
In light of the pandemic, there's been a major push urging Americans to vote by mail or vote early for the Nov. 3 elections.
"When we receive those ballots back, we have a team of three judges who must review the envelope. And make sure the signature matches what we have on our voter rolls for that particular voter, and it has to be a unanimous decision by all the judges."
Many voters lined up as early as 6 a.m., more than two hours before the Loop Super Site opened at 8:30 a.m. It wasn't long before the line to vote stretched for blocks.
Lizard's Liquid Lounge announced recently that it will be closing for good in April after 18 years on Chicago's Northwest Side.
Tricia McLaughlin, the Department of Homeland Security's top spokeswoman, is leaving her post next week, two U.S. officials familiar with her plans told CBS News.
A person was hit and killed by a CTA Blue Line train Tuesday morning in downtown Chicago, disrupting service for nearly two hours.
Santita Jackson, the daughter of the Rev. Jesse Jackson, said Tuesday that she hoped people would remember her father as their "champion."
President Trump and the Rev. Jesse Jackson, who died Tuesday at the age of 84, knew each other for decades.
Tricia McLaughlin, the Department of Homeland Security's top spokeswoman, is leaving her post next week, two U.S. officials familiar with her plans told CBS News.
Santita Jackson, the daughter of the Rev. Jesse Jackson, said Tuesday that she hoped people would remember her father as their "champion."
President Trump and the Rev. Jesse Jackson, who died Tuesday at the age of 84, knew each other for decades.
Democrats made their counteroffer on overhauling immigration enforcement on Monday, the latest step in talks to fund the Department of Homeland Security.
Martin Luther King Jr.'s daughter Bernice King shared a photo on social media of Jackson and King and wrote, "Both ancestors now..."
This is after Mayor Brandon Johnson vetoed an ordinance that would have banned most hemp-derived products this weekend.
This week marks Identity Theft Awareness Week, and Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza emphasized some safety tips Monday for avoiding and dealing with identity theft.
A controversial data center in Naperville, Illinois, could be the cause to pack a city council meeting there on Tuesday night.
Police in the west Chicago suburb of Geneva are warning of a scam involving spoofed phone numbers.
Protesters on Tuesday were cranking up the heat on Peoples Gas over a recently proposed rate hike that would add an additional $10 to $11 a month to utility bills.
Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital announced this week that it is planning to open a new pediatric hospital in the west Chicago suburb of Downers Grove.
It has been nearly six years since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, and one of the many questions doctors are still working to answer concerns the long-term effects.
Leaders from Cook County, the Illinois Department of Human Services, and the Greater Chicago Food Depository denounced changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program on Wednesday.
The University of Chicago Medicine Comprehensive Cancer Center has received a grant from The Ralph Lauren Corporate Foundation for a new cancer center.
Chicago's Lurie Children's Hospital said Tuesday that it is no longer initiating gender-affirming medical treatment for minors.
Lizard's Liquid Lounge announced recently that it will be closing for good in April after 18 years on Chicago's Northwest Side.
BP refinery workers in Northwest Indiana hit the picket line this past weekend as they escalate their fight for a contract.
Funkytown has now received a $3.7 million grant from the City of Chicago. The money will be used to create a new brewery and tap room on the Near West Side.
With his name now hanging in the rafters, former Chicago Bulls guard Derrick Rose is helping the United Center with its major redevelopment.
A potential bidding war is taking shape for the Daily Herald, the newspaper of record for suburban Chicago.
Robert Duvall was in such classics as "The Godfather," "To Kill a Mockingbird," "M*A*S*H," "The Great Santini" and "Tender Mercies."
"Dawson's Creek" and "Varsity Blues" star James Van Der Beek has died at 48 years old.
The 31-year-old Puerto Rican artist Bad Bunny took the stage on Sunday dressed in all white, donning a jersey with his last name, Ocasio, and the number 64.
Brad Arnold, the founder and lead singer of the 3 Doors Down has died following "his courageous battle with cancer," the rock band announced Saturday on social media.
Bad Bunny took the stage at halftime for the 2026 Super Bowl. Here's who else performed at Super Bowl 60.
In this Channel 2 News clip from 1975, the Rev. Jesse Jackson talks with sports director Brent Musburger about the search for a new UCLA basketball coach to replace the retiring John Wooden, and Jackson’s call for UCLA to consider Black candidates.
President Trump posted his condolences to the family of the Rev. Jesse Jackson following his death at 84 and called the civil rights leader a "force of nature like few others before him."
Meteorologist Mary Kay Kleist has the extended forecast.
Two people were killed in the shooting, and three others were in critical condition. Police said the shooter, who died by suicide, had a history of family-related issues, some related to the shooter’s gender identity.
Millions of people in southern California are reeling after a powerful winter storm hit on Monday, bringing flash flood warnings as rain pounded the region.
Tributes are pouring in from Chicago residents and Illinois leaders remembering Rev. Jesse Jackson after his death at the age of 84.
A person was hit and killed by a CTA Blue Line train Tuesday morning in downtown Chicago, disrupting service for nearly two hours.
The late Rev. Jesse Jackson might best be remembered as a longtime civil rights leader, but he also played a pivotal role in presidential politics.
The Rev. Jesse Jackson marched alongside Martin Luther King Jr., ran for president in the 1980s and led the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition in Chicago for decades.
U.S. Rep. Jonathan Jackson shared his last moments with father Rev. Jesse Jackson before his death at age 84, and the lessons he learned from his as a leader and as a son.
Chef Art Smith said the carjacking and fatal shooting of his employee, Darwin Tirado, 22, was devastating not only to his family but also to the larger community.
A state lawmaker is joining the growing call for accountability from the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services about past abuse allegations before an 8-year-old boy's murder.
Chicago's rodent problem is well known, but a new pilot program testing rat birth control to curb the population in problem areas is underway to help rein it in.
From Kat Abughazaleh to Jason Friedman, some surprising names lead in fundraising in Illinois' primary elections.
The move means the United States Environmental Protection Agency will no longer regulate greenhouse gases emitted from sources like cars, trucks and power plants.
With Alex Bregman now a member of the Cubs, Matt Shaw is making the transition from playing almost exclusively at third base to being a utility guy who will play in the outfield as well.
Cubs Chairman Tom Ricketts and manager Craig Counsell delivered a message to the Cubs team before their first full-squad workout.
Newly acquired Luisangel Acuna was among the White Sox players getting on the field for the first time.
The NBA Hall of Famer bear-hugged Reddick in victory lane and then jointly hoisted the Harley J. Earl trophy with the 23XI Racing driver.
Illinois pulled down 15 offensive rebounds, which led to 17 second-chance points, and outrebounded Indiana 38-25.
A 14-year-old girl was shot Sunday morning in a home unincorporated Oswego Township, and a male victim was later found shot dead in the same home.
A device that can pick up certain electronic signals is being used in the search for Nancy Guthrie, as it may detect emissions from her pacemaker, sources told CBS News.
A woman was hospitalized Monday after being shot in Chicago's Auburn Gresham neighborhood.
Police early Monday were searching for an attacker who shot and wounded two young men in Chicago's West Ridge or West Rogers Park neighborhood.
Chicago police were conducting a homicide investigation early Monday after a shooting in the city's Englewood neighborhood.