Nearly 1.4 million on voter rolls
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, March 13, 2006
A record number of voters in suburban Cook County are eligible to cast ballots in the March 21 primary election, Cook County Clerk David Orr announced today.
According to the latest registration figures, 1,383,712 residents are signed up to vote, marking the highest total of registered voters in suburban Cook County prior to a primary election.
The number breaks the previous record of 1.314 million suburban Cook County voters who were on the voter rolls before the March 2002 gubernatorial primary election. It also eclipses the 1.375 million mark prior to the November 2004 presidential election. The overall record was established in November 1992 when slightly more than 1.4 million suburban voters were signed up to vote.
“Suburban areas continue to grow and that is reflected in the voter rolls,” said Orr. “Hopefully, those voters will take the next step and vote on Election Day.”
According to local totals, 21 of 30 townships experienced increases from the November 2004 election.
Orr noted the overall increase occurred despite a recent voter canvass that removed nearly 90,000 voters, most of whom had moved or died.
In addition, 151 suburban Cook County voters signed up during the 14 days of grace-period registration, a new state law that extended the registration deadline an extra two weeks (until March 6). Under the law, individuals are required to register at their county clerk's main office during the grace period and are issued absentee ballots to vote.
View registrations by township here.