Millennials Help Push Midterm Turnout In Chicago To Highest Level In 32 Years
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.
Watch CBS News
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.
"This is a pre-election day stunt to try and drive up voter turnout in that precinct or ward."
Cook County's first wedding of the New Year was also the last performed by County Clerk David Orr.
Brian Wildeman and Susie Fogle showed up at the Cook County Clerk's office at 4 a.m., despite wind chills well below zero, to make sure no one beat them to the first marriage license of 2018.
There are only five early-voting sites right now: in Evanston, Maywood, Berwyn, Calumet City and the clerk's office in downtown Chicago.
Despite a massive turnout in Chicago and the Cook County suburbs on Election Day, officials have reported only a few problems at polling places on Tuesday.
Cook County Clerk David Orr said expanding early voting into next week has been good for the voters, but a little hard on his elections staff.
On the day after the first presidential debate, the Cook County Clerk's office was hosting nearly 100 voter registration events across the county to mark National Voter Registration Day.
Cook County officials expect to issue the county's 10,000th same-sex marriage license this week.
Democratic state lawmakers and others have lashed at Gov. Bruce Rauner, for his veto of legislation that would allow for automatic voter registration when people get their driver's licenses.
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.
Brenda Bravo and Jose Castro lined up at the Cook County Clerk's office downtown at 5 a.m. Friday, to make sure they were the first to get a marriage license when the office opened at 9 a.m. As the first to get a license, they got a free wedding ceremony conducted by Clerk David Orr.
A week after Election Day, the race for Illinois State Treasurer is growing extremely tight, with the two leading candidates separated by just a few hundred votes. Now, charges of vote fraud have started to fly.
"Overall, for us in suburban Cook, 169,000-plus have already voted," Cook County Clerk David Orr said. "That's a 53 percent increase over 2010."
"There is an intent to try to disrupt the orderly administration of the election," Chicago Board of Election Commissioners Chairman Langdon Neal said.
There are dozens of early voting polling places in the city and suburbs. Election officials are encouraged by what they've seen so far. CBS 2's Jim Williams reports.
Monday is the first day that county clerks throughout the entire state of Illinois must issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples.
Albany Park couple Tom Crisham, 36, and Andrew Rodbro, 38, received the 1000th license Friday afternoon, Clerk David Orr's office said in a statement.
More than 80 same-sex couples from Illinois and have gotten marriage licenses in Cook County, including several from other counties who apparently didn't want to wait until June 1, when gay marriage becomes legal throughout the state.
Same-sex couples wasted no time getting marriage licenses on Friday, shortly after a federal judge ruled they don't have to wait until June to tie the knot in Cook County.
Gay and lesbian couples fighting for the right to get marriage licenses hailed the ruling as another step toward marriage equality in their home state.
If you think your one vote doesn't matter, just take a look at some of this week's election results.
Cook County officials are paying homage to celebrities born in Cook, in a sometimes surprising exhibit beneath Daley Plaza.
A state lawmaker wants Illinois to stop using schools as polling places on Election Day, but the idea doesn't sit well with local election authorities.
Cicero Town President Larry Dominick easily won his bid for re-election Tuesday in a contentious three-way contest marked by accusations of corruption, voter intimidation and ballot-fixing.
Two men were shot and killed after being approached by a group of unknown men on the night of March 24, 2026.
Some youngsters got a behind-the-scenes look at the magic of making opera Sunday at the Lyric Opera of Chicago.
The Chicago White Sox on Sunday honored a Buffalo Grove High School security guard who died days after a pole fell on him during a car crash last week, and who was the son of the longtime chef for the baseball team.
Sunday was set to be the last day of the "Marvel's Spider-Man: Beyond Amazing" exhibition at the Griffin Museum of Science and Industry. But the exhibit has been extended again.
A man was critically wounded in a shooting in Chicago's Humboldt Park neighborhood Sunday morning.
President Trump was evacuated from the White House Correspondents' Dinner after shots rang out at the hotel where the event was taking place.
President Trump was safely evacuated from the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner Saturday night after shots were fired outside the ballroom of the Washington Hilton Hotel.
U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro said that the Federal Reserve's inspector general will investigate cost overruns in project to renovate the central bank's headquarters.
Hegseth indicated during a Pentagon news conference that the Trump administration is in no hurry to reach a peace deal as the war continues.
Inspector General Deborah Witzburg said Mayor Brandon Johnson's campaign promises of improved transparency in the mayor's office don't match his actions since he took office.
In the legal venue of anti-trust enforcement, the state is not taking on the Trump administration, but rather filling a void that state officials say the Trump administration has vacated.
A passenger on an American Airlines flight from New York to Chicago has been charged with making a false bomb threat that forced an emergency landing at Detroit Metro Airport last month, according to a federal criminal complaint.
Skyrocketing property taxes continue to be a hot-button issue in Cook County — particularly since last fall, when many residents saw their tax bills increase by 100% or more.
Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias this weekend issued a warning about a surge in text messages that falsely claim to come from his office or the DMV within it.
Tenants at a South Loop luxury high-rise that has been plagued with problems like broken elevators are vowing to fight five-day eviction notices.
A new $48 million wellness center opened Thursday in the West Garfield Park neighborhood. The goal is to improve the health and quality of life for people on the West Side of Chicago.
La Rabida Children's Hospital went all out for Earth Day on Wednesday, with volunteer cleanup efforts by staffers and activities for patients and families.
It has been several weeks since West Suburban Medical Center in Oak Park, Illinois, abruptly shut down — and then on Wednesday, it just as swiftly partially reopened, with some services available.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says more than 80% of deaths related to pregnancy are preventable, and Black women are three times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes than white women.
The United States has long struggled with understanding and finding ways to help treat mental illness. A new documentary, which is screening Saturday in Chicago, examines the reality of living with mental illness in America.
At a meeting on Tuesday, the Lincolnwood Village Board approved a pre-development agreement with the mall, providing a roadmap with the property owner for further preparations and government approvals for redevelopment.
The only remaining location of Pal Joey's pizzeria in Batavia, Illinois, will soon be going out of business, its owner announced this week.
Investment research firm Morningstar could move into the Thompson Center in downtown Chicago once Google is done renovating the former Illinois state government building.
Trader Joe's is planning to open a new location at the Lincoln Village Shopping Center in Chicago's North Park neighborhood, the office of Ald. Debra Silverstein (50th) recently announced.
The satirical news outlet The Onion has a new plan to take over conspiracy theorist Alex Jones' Infowars platforms and turn them into parodies.
Some youngsters got a behind-the-scenes look at the magic of making opera Sunday at the Lyric Opera of Chicago.
Matt DeCaro, an actor who was a familiar face on the Chicago stage for many years, died this weekend.
Jake was at the funeral for one of his closest friends when he learned of his parents' deaths, he said.
Tickets for the 2026 Ravinia Festival season went on sale Thursday morning.
The satirical news outlet The Onion has a new plan to take over conspiracy theorist Alex Jones' Infowars platforms and turn them into parodies.
Sunday was set to be the last day of the "Marvel's Spider-Man: Beyond Amazing" exhibition at the Griffin Museum of Science and Industry. But the museum said because of visitors' requests, the exhibit showcasing everything Spider-Man has been extended again.
On Thursday, a Purchase 4 Pink is planned at L’Agence at the 900 North Michigan shops. Throughout the day, 10% of proceeds will go to the Lynn Sage Breast Cancer Foundation.
DeCaro had been appearing in “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” at the Goodman.
A bakery is suing a roofing company after a fire destroyed two businesses in McHenry.
The acting attorney general said the suspect may have been targeting Trump administration officials. Wendy Gillette reports.
Authorities on Sunday morning identified a Chicago police officer who was killed in a shooting inside Endeavor Health Swedish Hospital the day before.
President Trump was safely evacuated from the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner Saturday night after shots were fired outside the ballroom of the Washington Hilton Hotel.
A person was killed early Sunday morning in a multi-vehicle crash on I-55 in Joliet, Illinois.
Two men were shot and killed after being approached by a group of unknown men on the night of March 24, 2026.
Some youngsters got a behind-the-scenes look at the magic of making opera Sunday at the Lyric Opera of Chicago.
A mother in southwest suburban Morris, Illinois, is fighting for stiffer penalties for adults charged with grooming children. Some local lawmakers agree, saying Illinois' current law is too weak and puts kids in danger.
Almost 24 hours after a derailment made a mess of the Red, Purple, and Yellow lines in Chicago, the CTA continued to investigate the cause of the incident, and experts were raising concerns about what they called a troubling pattern.
There are 22 city of Chicago crews out on our roads filling potholes across the city day in and day out.
Michaels spent years as an advocate for sexual assault survivors, putting pressure on Congress and speaking out on behalf of Jeffrey Epstein survivors, like herself.
Residents in one part of Chicago's Noble Square neighborhood say they've been dealing with cars careening off the Kennedy Expressway and crashing into their front yard for decades, and the state won't help.
The Chicago Bears ended up selecting seven players in the NFL Draft — three defensive players and four on the offensive side.
Roki Sasaki earned his second major league victory as the Los Angeles Dodgers rallied to beat the Cubs 12-4.
The White Sox could muster only one run in the bottom of the 10th off Brad Lord.
Dansby Swanson hit a tiebreaking two-run homer in the ninth inning, leading the Chicago Cubs to a 6-4 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Munetaka Murakami hit his 11th homer of the season and reliever Seranthony Domínguez struck out two in the ninth inning for his sixth save as the Chicago White Sox beat the Washington Nationals 5-4 on Friday night.
A man was critically wounded in a shooting in Chicago's Humboldt Park neighborhood Sunday morning.
A man was hospitalized early Sunday after a shooting near Foster Avenue and Broadway on the cusp of Chicago's Edgewater and Uptown neighborhoods.
Authorities on Sunday morning identified a Chicago police officer who was killed in a shooting inside Endeavor Health Swedish Hospital the day before.
Efforts were ramping up Friday night to support the family of a Little Village fruit vendor who was killed in a mass shooting that left three other people wounded earlier this week.
Zamil Limon's remains were found on the Howard Franklin Bridge in Tampa. His roommate was in custody, officials said.