Early Voting Is Running More Than 30 Percent Ahead of 2022 in Chicago and Suburban Cook County
More than 180,000 in-person early ballots were cast in suburban Cook County through Thursday — up more than 30 percent from the same point in 2022, the Cook County Clerk's Office says — and 100,600 mail ballots were already back by Friday morning.
Early voting in Chicago and suburban Cook County is running more than 30 percent ahead of the last midterm cycle. In suburban Cook County, more than 180,000 in-person early vote ballots were cast through Thursday, a more than 30 percent increase from the same time during the 2022 general election, according to a Cook County Clerk's Office spokesperson whose figures were reported by WTTW. Another 100,600 mail ballots had been returned as of Friday morning.
The Clerk's Office's own running count shows the same shape earlier in the window: through Tuesday, Oct. 27, a total of 139,000 suburban Cook County voters had cast early ballots, a 30.4 percent increase over the 106,615 who had voted by the same point in the 2022 gubernatorial general election. Mail voting ran alongside it — 83,700 mail ballots returned as of Monday, Oct. 26, with 9,761 more tracked in the Postal Service delivery process at that point.
“We are absolutely thrilled to see so many voters taking advantage of early voting, and we hope that momentum continues up to and including Election Day,” Clerk Monica Gordon said in the Clerk's Office release. Suburban voters can cast an early ballot at any of the 56 suburban locations through Monday, Nov. 2, regardless of where they live, and secure drop boxes at the early voting sites take completed mail ballots. On Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 3, polling places are open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m.
