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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.
People who choose to vote early in Chicago can use any early voting site in the city. Voters using mail-in ballots can deliver them to drop boxes at all early voting sites.
With concerns about voting at crowded polling places on Election Day in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, 1.82 million voters in Illinois already have requested to vote by mail in the 2020 presidential election.
As a debate rages nationwide over the effectiveness of voting by mail, the Morning Insiders went to the Chicago Board of Election Commissioners to find out the best way to ensure your ballot is counted on time.
Officials said limited phone, email, and online voter assistance would be available, with staff working remotely.
For six elections held between 2016 and spring 2019, approximately 72,000 people were hired to staff polling places in Chicago. Only 41 were fired.
Jamar Foreman will always remember his first time as an election judge. Essential equipment was not at the polling place in Andersonville where he was staffing the election on Tuesday.
Gov. JB Pritzker said he would not use the COVID-19 crisis as an excuse to "supersede my constitutional authority."
"The glitch that was found by the Secretary of State's office, and that was investigated, has been overcome, it appears," Pritzker said at a Chicago news conference to discuss election security.
Board spokesman Jim Allen said the city and county haven't purchased new voting machines since getting rid of the old punchcard equipment in 2005.
A 39th Ward polling place at 6100 N. Central Ave. turned away several voters Tuesday morning because none of the assigned election judges showed up before polls opened at 6 a.m.
A wide-open election and 14 candidates on the ballot for mayor haven't been enough to get most voters out to the polls in Chicago this Election Day, and officials expect turnout could set a record low on Tuesday.
The Chicago Board of Election Commissioners confirms that early voting starts Tuesday for the Feb. 26 municipal election, which includes the mayor's race.
Cook County Circuit Court Clerk Dorothy Brown has been booted from the ballot for mayor of Chicago, four days after a hearing officer at the Chicago Board of Election Commissioners determined she didn't have enough valid signatures on her nominating petitions.
The races for mayor, city clerk, city treasurer, and 50 City Council seats begin in earnest on Monday, as candidates begin filing petitions to get on the ballot.
Overall, 56 percent of registered voters in Chicago cast a ballot in the election, either in person on Election Day, during early voting, or by mail.
The United States Attorney's Office announced Wednesday a settlement with the Chicago Board of Election Commissioners to ensure accessibility of polling sites to persons with disabilities.
A former Walgreen's drug store at 15 W. Washington St. is now home to 140 voting machines.
The Chicago Board of Election Commissioners had an easy hearing before the City Council Budget Committee on Wednesday, mostly avoiding questions about a proposed cost-saving idea.
Chicago election officials said they're hopeful for good turnout for the runoff elections on Tuesday, with the contest for mayor and 18 aldermanic seats up for grabs.
Cell phone video taken at a 5th Ward polling place purportedly shows an election judge advising a senior voter how to cast her ballot, but city election officials said there's not enough evidence to prove wrongdoing occurred.
The Chicago Board of Election Commissioners says in-person absentee voting will take place from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Chicago election officials were urging voters to get it right the first time if they take advantage of early voting in the upcoming city elections, because there are no do-overs.
Early voting starts Monday at 51 locations in Chicago. The Chicago Board of Election Commissioners says each site also will offer voter registration. The election is Feb. 24.
A supervisor fired by the Chicago election board was "terminated for gross dereliction" of duty in the wake of problems with absentee ballots that were discovered as votes were being tallied in the hotly contested race for Illinois state treasurer, according to newly obtained records.
