Early voting begins at locations all across Chicago, suburban Cook County
Early voting for the 2026 Illinois primary expanded an additional 55 locations in Cook County Monday and opened across all 50 Chicago wards.
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Early voting for the 2026 Illinois primary expanded an additional 55 locations in Cook County Monday and opened across all 50 Chicago wards.
Without a federal law ensuring workers can take time off to vote, some states have stepped up with Election Day voting leave laws.
Youth Vote Fest, hosted by the nonpartisan University of Chicago Institute of Politics, included students from 180 colleges and universities.
The University of Chicago's Institute of Politics brought hundreds of Gen Z students to its Youth Vote Fest on the city's Near West Side, just blocks away from the Democratic National Convention at the United Center. As hundreds of college voters filled the Epiphany Center for the Arts. Organizers pulled a song from Charlie XCX's blockbuster "Brat" album, playing to their young audience. One of the attendees wore a "Demo(b)rat" hat to the event.
"This is the first time they'll be voting, and it all started with the conversation of how important it is. That judges can make a difference in your life."
"It's very important to me. Especially as a young woman. I feel very proud to be here."
"The different things that he is going for, like with the police and everything. That really resonated with me."
The Chicago Board of Elections said 516,674 ballots were cast in Chicago.
The final tally for Chicago’s municipal election was released Wednesday night, and turnout was unimpressive.
CBS 2 Political Analysts Ald. Leslie Hairston (5th) and Sylvia Puente join Joe Donlon and Irika Sargent for a discussion of voter turnout in the mayoral rac.e