Gives Election Day updates, tips and trends for April 2 Consolidated Election
More than 1.6 million suburban Cook County residents – a record number – are registered to vote in next Tuesday’s Consolidated Election, according to Cook County Clerk Karen A. Yarbrough.
Three suburban townships will be piloting new voting machines during the April 2 Consolidated Election in preparation for the countywide rollout in the 2020 Presidential Primary.
“Our current equipment has served us well for a decade, but these new machines have the latest technology and security measures. Along with more intuitive and accessible equipment, voters will be able to review their printed ballot – in hand – before their vote is cast, said Yarbrough. “We expect these machines will speed up tabulation of votes at the end of the night, and any issues with ballots that occur on Election Day or with Mail Ballots should be resolved quicker and more efficiently.”
Clerk Yarbrough also issued a call for Election Day poll workers, especially in the north and northwest suburbs. “We’re always looking for additional poll workers to bolster the ranks on Election Day,” Yarbrough said. Election judges earn $200 for Election Day, while equipment managers get $340. “You can apply online, at cookcountyclerk.com/work.”
Here are some interesting statistics about the April 2 Election:
- 1,603,193 registered voters in suburban Cook County (1,534,858 in 2017)
- 2,037 candidates in 708 contests
- More than 6,300 Election Judges and Equipment Managers working in 984 polling places
- 147 precincts in three townships piloting new voting equipment
- Oak Park (37 precincts)
- River Forest (8 precincts)
- Proviso (102 precincts)
- 811 ballot styles in 1,599 precincts
A video of this morning’s press conference can be viewed here.
EARLY VOTING
A total of 26,469 suburban Cook County voters cast ballots during Early Voting through Tuesday morning, with Monday, the 25th being the busiest day yet.
Suburban Cook County voters have already surpassed the 9-day total from 2015 and are not too far behind the 2017 total either.
Top Five Early Voting Sites*: Orland Township Hall, Orland Park (1,938); Trickster Art Gallery, Schaumburg (1,297); Park Forest Village Hall, Park Forest (1,185); Centennial Ice Rink, Wilmette (1,111); and Olympia Fields Senior Living, Olympia Fields (1,003).
*Through 10 a.m. Tuesday. Early Voting lasts until 5 p.m. Monday, April 1.
Suburban Cook County voters can find a list of the Early Voting locations and their hours at cookcountyclerk.com/EarlyVoting. The sites include 51 in suburban Cook County, as well as the Cook County Clerk’s downtown Chicago office.
The full list of candidates, referenda, and write-in candidates can be found under the 2019 Elections section of cookcountyclerk.com.
Residents who are unsure if they are able to vote can use the Your Voter Information Tool on the Clerk’s website to check a sample ballot and find their polling place.
ELECTION RESULTS
Unofficial election results will be posted at cookcountyclerk.com beginning about an hour after polls close. Votes for write-in candidates will not be available until after the canvas, which will begin roughly a week following the election.
After polls close on Election Night, the Cook County Clerk’s office tabulates and displays unofficial vote totals that include: all early votes; all mail ballots received by Election Day; and all ballots cast in the precincts on Election Day. Precinct- and township-level results are not available on Election Night.
The Clerk’s office will tabulate all mail ballots received within two weeks of Election Day if they are postmarked by April 2 and all provisional ballots that are verified. By statute, Illinois election authorities have up to three weeks to certify election results.
Additionally, election data including voter registration statistics, turnout history, and more from previous consolidated elections are available at the Clerk’s website.
ELECTION DATA
Election data including voter registration statistics, turnout history, and Post-Election Reports from previous elections to 2008 are available at the Clerk’s website. Maps which show where voters cast their ballots throughout Cook County, as well as additional election data from previous elections, can be found in the Map Room section of the Clerk’s website.
MEDIA GUIDELINES
Members of the media do not need a paper credential provided by the Clerk’s office to visit suburban polling places. However, election judges will require news reporters, photographers and TV crews to show a press pass or business card.
- Upon entering the polling place, introduce yourself to the election judges before conducting any interviews or taking any photographs.
- All interviews must be conducted outside the polling place as to not disturb voting.
- Photos and videos can be taken inside the precinct. However, you may not take shots of a voter making their choices on a ballot.
- Please ask first and respect voters and poll workers who say they do not want to be interviewed or photographed.
HOTLINES
The Clerk’s office offers the following Election Day hotlines:
- English: 312.603.0906
- Spanish: 312.603.6767
- Chinese: 312:603.6769
- Hindi: 312.603.6743
- Polish: 312.603.6770
- TDD: 312.603.0902
- Voters with disabilities: 312.603.0929
- Legal hotline to report fraud and irregularities: 312.603.0236