Light snow this morning in Chicago, light lines in my polling place too. A slow, steady trickle of voters. Does everybody vote early these days? Election Day feels more and more anti climatic.
45th Ward - 7:15am. Several voters inside. Must have just gotten there ahead of me because the ballot is so short, thank God. Voted. Left. Several more voters streaming in. Turnout should be higher in this ward because of the zoning change and fast-tracking of a 100 unit apartment building in an area of congested busy streets with no room for the additional cars that will, by necessity, spill over into already parking-limited neighborhood side streets.
- Downstater in Chicago - Tuesday, Feb 26, 19 @ 7:56 am:
33rd Ward, 14th Precinct…at 7:30am, I was number 25. No line at mine or the other two or three precincts at my polling place.
25th Ward, Precinct 5, I was number one in line and my spouse number two around 6:15 am. Precinct 6 had two voters also. In comparison, there were more campaigners outside the building and more judges on duty inside than there were voters. And each of the judges was wearing a nametag that said “Republican Judge.”
Between early in-person voting and mail in ballots, Election Day is becoming just a tab point. News media has to stop treating it like a sporting event with a definite winner/loser and emphasize some results will be uncertain.
- Three Dimensional Checkers - Tuesday, Feb 26, 19 @ 8:15 am:
I early voted yesterday dowtown. There was somewhat of a line around 12:30 but nothing like the midterms. I walk by that polling place pretty often and never saw a line for it. Probably much less turnout than the midterms.
Public Servant, nice spin. You left out that it is affordable housing and the spoken and whispered motivations of most of the opponents. And that the opponents’ favored candidate had an order of protection issued against him for stalking an ex.
- 3312 Belle Plaine - Tuesday, Feb 26, 19 @ 8:32 am:
WArd 35 precincts 27 and 31 Henry elementary, election judges not accepting poll watching credentials of Amanda Yu Dieterich challenging Carlos Ramierz Rosa
- Dog On Sheffield - Tuesday, Feb 26, 19 @ 8:35 am:
44, 21 - I was the only voted in the place for about 20 minutes early this morning. Same time in November, the line was out the door.
Attempting to paint opposition to this project as racist is what I object to the most. People have cars, poor or rich. Where will they park? In addition, plopping a 100 unit building in an area of rush hour gridlock and a 4-lane Milwaukee Ave to cross in order to get to school, purposely misses my point regarding street congestion for access to a neighborhood that has limited entry and exit. Without any street improvements go go along with this project’s housing density is what I object to the most and what is driving opposition.
Alderman Arena wanted a progressive feather in his cap, but did so at the expense of worsened neighborhood access and congestion which is neither good for the new building residents, or current residents of the area.
My point, as you’ve helped my prove, is that this rammed-through project is controversial and turnout will definitely be affected because of it.
@ Dog On Sheffield - you have also consider that the general election ballot in November was much much longer, so it takes longer for each person to vote. There are only 4 questions on this ballot in Chicago. That’s Mayor, Treasurer, Clerk and Alderman. Maybe some wards have referenda.
I usually vote early, having done so for the past several elections. Can’t recall the last time I went to my local polling place. But, I didn’t this year. I will go today after work.
My wife and I were voters 5 and 6 in the 49th ward, just after 7 a.m. The ballot scanner for our precinct jammed after each ballot. In and out in less than 10 minutes.
(One of the judges must fancy himself a deep thinker; he was affecting a “the world bores me” attitude and had a copy of Ayn Rand’s “Capitalism” on the table.)
- Robert the Bruce - Tuesday, Feb 26, 19 @ 9:01 am:
Voted yesterday at the “Super Site” downtown that allows all wards to vote. They opened at 9:00; line was only about 25 people at 8:59.
A CBS 2 reporter and cameraman were inside the building, seeking to interview voters.
@anonymous 8:56 - First, pick a name. Second, I’d be happy to debate you on the facts that I’ve detailed, but not at the expense of hijacking this thread anymore. Third, I’ve seen no such signs, and I’ve lived in the area for 35 years. If the only think you’ve got is attempted character assasination of people who disagree with you, thats on you.
Ward 35 Precinct 27 & 31 credentials were invalid because a campaign used the date of 2018 midterm election instead of today’s date on their credentials. Not sure which candidate.
44th Ward - I think I was the 59th voter this morning around 8:00. I was only person in polling place entire time I was there. But it literally took about 1 minute to vote since there were only 4 races and I knew all the candidates.
I voted weeks ago, downtown. There was no line then.
I was listening to WBEZ this morning and they were acting as if this is going to be a normal election with results tallied by the end of the night. With the vast numbers of ballots mailed, I’m just not expecting tonight will look/sound like a normal election night.
5150 was downsized to 75 units. There is ALOT of misinformation out there about the project. More to the post, the controversy is definitely driving turnout in the 45th ward. Hard to say who that helps in the mayoral race. Rosedale park had a very short line, but it’s not fair to compare lines to the midterms when the actual ballot is so much shorter. The process of voting took less than a minute for me.
- West Side the Best Side - Tuesday, Feb 26, 19 @ 9:22 am:
Public Servant - Good for you for no further responses to anonymous posters, we should all that. It’s not that you have to file a petition or pay a fee or win an election to pick a name to post here.
JeffParker, thanks for correcting the misinformation about the size of the unit. This Tribune article, including some of the online comments about the development, provides context.
Turnout extremely light in early going in the 32nd ward, 21st & 25th precincts.
- HaikuCommenter - Tuesday, Feb 26, 19 @ 10:02 am:
In 43 snow flies
Lines aplenty at 8:10
Winds whisper “Daley”
- Chicago_Downstater - Tuesday, Feb 26, 19 @ 10:15 am:
48th Ward 6th Precinct: My girlfriend was 15th & I was 16th at around 6:30 am.
The judges mentioned there had been a problem with “a box” (no idea what that meant), but that they had fixed it real quick like.
Everything went smoothly while we voted.
There was a fella on the other side of the blue cones when we left that hollered at us to ask if everything went ok. I hollered back it was all good.
I don’t know if he was there for a campaign or a watchdog group, but it’s the first time in the five years that I’ve voted there that there was anyone camped out by the cones.
Our nonpartisan Election Protection hotline (866-OUR-VOTE) is getting calls about electioneering, polling places opening late, ballots not being ready, short staffed polling places, machine problems, etc. Please call us if you have any problems voting today!
866-OUR-VOTE -English
888-VE-Y-VOTA -Spanish
844-YALLA-US -Arabic
888-API-VOTE -API languages
~Do we really know that many ballots are being mailed in?
No, but if you have a mail ballot and decide to go vote in person you’re supposed to bring it with you.
Also, and I could be wrong, but I think mailed ballots are only opened/counted after the polls close. If there are a lot (and I don’t know what ‘a lot’ means in this case) they probably won’t be counted by the time the media wants to call the election.
- West Side the Best Side - Tuesday, Feb 26, 19 @ 11:16 am:
Birdseed - Sure, we’re all as anonymous as we let ourselves be here, maybe revealing something about ourselves in various posts, but at least with a name you know you’re dealing with an individual, not a bunch of posters all going off in different directions making it harder to follow if nobody uses a name. Besides, with a name you can think “OW, that can’t be you saying that, someone must have hijacked your handle.”
- Back to the Future - Tuesday, Feb 26, 19 @ 11:19 am:
42nd Ward
Only 60 voters at 10am. Very light turnout compared to prior elections.
No wait- no other voters.
I was #86 in my precinct shortly before 11:00 a.m. (Two precincts vote in my polling place.). One of the judges said that it had been fairly light, and she thought a lot of people voted early.
Our alderman (known to some as the “least awful candidate”) has a couple of challengers, which I’m sure has nothing to do with the fact that a whole slew of potholes got filled over the last couple of days.
- 32nd Ward Roscoe Village - Tuesday, Feb 26, 19 @ 11:39 am:
Sorry for the last posting: like Riverview Snark, I report on 32nd Ward, Precinct 21, at 6:05 a.m., was the second person to vote after my next-door neighbor. No one else there.
I had not seen any Toni signs at all until I went on Saturday to the DMV in Austin and they were all over. Now, you want to see lines, go to one of only 2 DMV sites open on a Saturday in the city. Luckily my son got in before they cut off driving tests after only 2 hours. A madhouse!
- TinyDancer(FKASue) - Tuesday, Feb 26, 19 @ 11:40 am:
2nd Ward, 24th precinct @ 10:30. I was #55.
Empty except for the usual suspects - 2 people whose names were not on the list (for what ever reason) and have no ID. How do you go to vote without ID and without checking your voter status?
There’s also another component of shorter lines — it’s a MUCH shorter ballot. No judges, only 4 races, and depending on the ward a couple of ballot questions.
To the 45th ward — Transit-Oriented Development, located near public transit, would not necessitate everyone having cars. This development is walkable from both the Blue Line and a Metra line. It’s a good thing. We all should be driving less.
- Bourbon Street - Tuesday, Feb 26, 19 @ 12:00 pm:
According to the Tribune only about 15% of the voters cast ballots in Chicago by 11 am. That includes the early voters. What is happening that no one seems to care who the next mayor is?
- 47th Ward - Tuesday, Feb 26, 19 @ 7:28 am:
Light snow this morning in Chicago, light lines in my polling place too. A slow, steady trickle of voters. Does everybody vote early these days? Election Day feels more and more anti climatic.
- Utopia Watch - Tuesday, Feb 26, 19 @ 7:30 am:
42nd Ward. Walked in right away and out. No line
- 33rd Ward - Tuesday, Feb 26, 19 @ 7:31 am:
I was the 5th vote at 6:15. A poll watcher was there. The ballot scanner jammed and was promptly fixed. Seems like that may be an issue all day.
- Ravenswood Right Winger - Tuesday, Feb 26, 19 @ 7:38 am:
In and out just now in the 47th Ward.
- PublicServant - Tuesday, Feb 26, 19 @ 7:42 am:
45th Ward - 7:15am. Several voters inside. Must have just gotten there ahead of me because the ballot is so short, thank God. Voted. Left. Several more voters streaming in. Turnout should be higher in this ward because of the zoning change and fast-tracking of a 100 unit apartment building in an area of congested busy streets with no room for the additional cars that will, by necessity, spill over into already parking-limited neighborhood side streets.
- Downstater in Chicago - Tuesday, Feb 26, 19 @ 7:56 am:
33rd Ward, 14th Precinct…at 7:30am, I was number 25. No line at mine or the other two or three precincts at my polling place.
- Christopher - Tuesday, Feb 26, 19 @ 8:10 am:
25th Ward, Precinct 5, I was number one in line and my spouse number two around 6:15 am. Precinct 6 had two voters also. In comparison, there were more campaigners outside the building and more judges on duty inside than there were voters. And each of the judges was wearing a nametag that said “Republican Judge.”
- a drop in - Tuesday, Feb 26, 19 @ 8:11 am:
“Election Day feels more and more anti climatic.”
Between early in-person voting and mail in ballots, Election Day is becoming just a tab point. News media has to stop treating it like a sporting event with a definite winner/loser and emphasize some results will be uncertain.
- Three Dimensional Checkers - Tuesday, Feb 26, 19 @ 8:15 am:
I early voted yesterday dowtown. There was somewhat of a line around 12:30 but nothing like the midterms. I walk by that polling place pretty often and never saw a line for it. Probably much less turnout than the midterms.
- Anonymous - Tuesday, Feb 26, 19 @ 8:23 am:
Public Servant, nice spin. You left out that it is affordable housing and the spoken and whispered motivations of most of the opponents. And that the opponents’ favored candidate had an order of protection issued against him for stalking an ex.
- 3312 Belle Plaine - Tuesday, Feb 26, 19 @ 8:32 am:
WArd 35 precincts 27 and 31 Henry elementary, election judges not accepting poll watching credentials of Amanda Yu Dieterich challenging Carlos Ramierz Rosa
- Dog On Sheffield - Tuesday, Feb 26, 19 @ 8:35 am:
44, 21 - I was the only voted in the place for about 20 minutes early this morning. Same time in November, the line was out the door.
- Rich Miller - Tuesday, Feb 26, 19 @ 8:41 am:
===Same time in November, the line was out the door===
Municipal elections almost always have much lower turnout than November elections.
- PublicServant - Tuesday, Feb 26, 19 @ 8:47 am:
Attempting to paint opposition to this project as racist is what I object to the most. People have cars, poor or rich. Where will they park? In addition, plopping a 100 unit building in an area of rush hour gridlock and a 4-lane Milwaukee Ave to cross in order to get to school, purposely misses my point regarding street congestion for access to a neighborhood that has limited entry and exit. Without any street improvements go go along with this project’s housing density is what I object to the most and what is driving opposition.
Alderman Arena wanted a progressive feather in his cap, but did so at the expense of worsened neighborhood access and congestion which is neither good for the new building residents, or current residents of the area.
My point, as you’ve helped my prove, is that this rammed-through project is controversial and turnout will definitely be affected because of it.
- RP_Progressive - Tuesday, Feb 26, 19 @ 8:48 am:
@ Dog On Sheffield - you have also consider that the general election ballot in November was much much longer, so it takes longer for each person to vote. There are only 4 questions on this ballot in Chicago. That’s Mayor, Treasurer, Clerk and Alderman. Maybe some wards have referenda.
- Terry Salad - Tuesday, Feb 26, 19 @ 8:48 am:
I usually vote early, having done so for the past several elections. Can’t recall the last time I went to my local polling place. But, I didn’t this year. I will go today after work.
- A guy - Tuesday, Feb 26, 19 @ 8:53 am:
Cousin in 19th Ward is a Judge. Reporting slow, and trickling. 30 by 8:30. Normally over 150 by 8 am.
- lake county democrat - Tuesday, Feb 26, 19 @ 8:55 am:
northside (dunno the ward - Tunney’s maybe) polling place I saw looked very light.
- Anonymous - Tuesday, Feb 26, 19 @ 8:56 am:
PublicServant, I guess the signs about another Cabrini Green were about the notorious parking problems there.
- Northsider - Tuesday, Feb 26, 19 @ 8:56 am:
My wife and I were voters 5 and 6 in the 49th ward, just after 7 a.m. The ballot scanner for our precinct jammed after each ballot. In and out in less than 10 minutes.
(One of the judges must fancy himself a deep thinker; he was affecting a “the world bores me” attitude and had a copy of Ayn Rand’s “Capitalism” on the table.)
- Robert the Bruce - Tuesday, Feb 26, 19 @ 9:01 am:
Voted yesterday at the “Super Site” downtown that allows all wards to vote. They opened at 9:00; line was only about 25 people at 8:59.
A CBS 2 reporter and cameraman were inside the building, seeking to interview voters.
- City Zen - Tuesday, Feb 26, 19 @ 9:04 am:
==because of the zoning change and fast-tracking of a 100 unit apartment building in an area of congested busy streets==
Is this the 5150 N. Northwest Highway project? I thought they downsized that?
- PublicServant - Tuesday, Feb 26, 19 @ 9:06 am:
@anonymous 8:56 - First, pick a name. Second, I’d be happy to debate you on the facts that I’ve detailed, but not at the expense of hijacking this thread anymore. Third, I’ve seen no such signs, and I’ve lived in the area for 35 years. If the only think you’ve got is attempted character assasination of people who disagree with you, thats on you.
Sorry Rich. I’m done now.
- PublicServant - Tuesday, Feb 26, 19 @ 9:08 am:
CZ- It was downsized to 100 from 150 units.
- Pizza Puff - Tuesday, Feb 26, 19 @ 9:08 am:
Ward 35 Precinct 27 & 31 credentials were invalid because a campaign used the date of 2018 midterm election instead of today’s date on their credentials. Not sure which candidate.
- City Guy - Tuesday, Feb 26, 19 @ 9:10 am:
44th Ward - I think I was the 59th voter this morning around 8:00. I was only person in polling place entire time I was there. But it literally took about 1 minute to vote since there were only 4 races and I knew all the candidates.
- Honeybear - Tuesday, Feb 26, 19 @ 9:11 am:
I don’t know. I kinda want to see
PublicServant and Anonymous
hash it out in the thunderdome
- Anonymous - Tuesday, Feb 26, 19 @ 9:12 am:
PublicServant, there are always excuses to perpetuate segregation. I am done with you as well.
- Cheryl44 - Tuesday, Feb 26, 19 @ 9:18 am:
I voted weeks ago, downtown. There was no line then.
I was listening to WBEZ this morning and they were acting as if this is going to be a normal election with results tallied by the end of the night. With the vast numbers of ballots mailed, I’m just not expecting tonight will look/sound like a normal election night.
I just wanted to throw that out there.
- Jeff Parker - Tuesday, Feb 26, 19 @ 9:18 am:
5150 was downsized to 75 units. There is ALOT of misinformation out there about the project. More to the post, the controversy is definitely driving turnout in the 45th ward. Hard to say who that helps in the mayoral race. Rosedale park had a very short line, but it’s not fair to compare lines to the midterms when the actual ballot is so much shorter. The process of voting took less than a minute for me.
- West Side the Best Side - Tuesday, Feb 26, 19 @ 9:22 am:
Public Servant - Good for you for no further responses to anonymous posters, we should all that. It’s not that you have to file a petition or pay a fee or win an election to pick a name to post here.
- Anonymous - Tuesday, Feb 26, 19 @ 9:28 am:
JeffParker, thanks for correcting the misinformation about the size of the unit. This Tribune article, including some of the online comments about the development, provides context.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/politics/ct-met-arena-northwest-side-housing-police-complaint-20180202-story.html
- Fav human - Tuesday, Feb 26, 19 @ 9:29 am:
Do we really know that many ballots are being mailed in?
Getting the ballot and sending it in are two different things. And no reason they could not have mailed it in long ago, too
- Riverview Snark - Tuesday, Feb 26, 19 @ 9:53 am:
Turnout extremely light in early going in the 32nd ward, 21st & 25th precincts.
- HaikuCommenter - Tuesday, Feb 26, 19 @ 10:02 am:
In 43 snow flies
Lines aplenty at 8:10
Winds whisper “Daley”
- Chicago_Downstater - Tuesday, Feb 26, 19 @ 10:15 am:
48th Ward 6th Precinct: My girlfriend was 15th & I was 16th at around 6:30 am.
The judges mentioned there had been a problem with “a box” (no idea what that meant), but that they had fixed it real quick like.
Everything went smoothly while we voted.
There was a fella on the other side of the blue cones when we left that hollered at us to ask if everything went ok. I hollered back it was all good.
I don’t know if he was there for a campaign or a watchdog group, but it’s the first time in the five years that I’ve voted there that there was anyone camped out by the cones.
- Chicago Bars - Tuesday, Feb 26, 19 @ 10:31 am:
Northeast corner of 32nd Ward at multi-precinct site. One Precinct at 40 and other precinct at 41 voters as of 8:30am.
I don’t know how any polling could have long lines today with a ballot that short.
- Chicago Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights - Tuesday, Feb 26, 19 @ 10:46 am:
Our nonpartisan Election Protection hotline (866-OUR-VOTE) is getting calls about electioneering, polling places opening late, ballots not being ready, short staffed polling places, machine problems, etc. Please call us if you have any problems voting today!
866-OUR-VOTE -English
888-VE-Y-VOTA -Spanish
844-YALLA-US -Arabic
888-API-VOTE -API languages
- Birdseed - Tuesday, Feb 26, 19 @ 10:46 am:
=== - West Side the Best Side - Tuesday, Feb 26, 19 @ 9:22 am:
Public Servant - Good for you for no further responses to anonymous posters ===
… says the anonymous poster
- Cheryl44 - Tuesday, Feb 26, 19 @ 11:14 am:
~Do we really know that many ballots are being mailed in?
No, but if you have a mail ballot and decide to go vote in person you’re supposed to bring it with you.
Also, and I could be wrong, but I think mailed ballots are only opened/counted after the polls close. If there are a lot (and I don’t know what ‘a lot’ means in this case) they probably won’t be counted by the time the media wants to call the election.
- West Side the Best Side - Tuesday, Feb 26, 19 @ 11:16 am:
Birdseed - Sure, we’re all as anonymous as we let ourselves be here, maybe revealing something about ourselves in various posts, but at least with a name you know you’re dealing with an individual, not a bunch of posters all going off in different directions making it harder to follow if nobody uses a name. Besides, with a name you can think “OW, that can’t be you saying that, someone must have hijacked your handle.”
- Back to the Future - Tuesday, Feb 26, 19 @ 11:19 am:
42nd Ward
Only 60 voters at 10am. Very light turnout compared to prior elections.
No wait- no other voters.
- Anonymous - Tuesday, Feb 26, 19 @ 11:24 am:
Except Anonymous was not saying anything outrageous.
- Molly Maguire - Tuesday, Feb 26, 19 @ 11:31 am:
Election Day turnout is often anti-climatic due to rain, snow, etc. However, that shouldn’t make the results anti-climactic
- Amalia - Tuesday, Feb 26, 19 @ 11:36 am:
fun when you see signs for mayor in a suburb adjacent to Chicago.
- JoanP - Tuesday, Feb 26, 19 @ 11:37 am:
I was #86 in my precinct shortly before 11:00 a.m. (Two precincts vote in my polling place.). One of the judges said that it had been fairly light, and she thought a lot of people voted early.
Our alderman (known to some as the “least awful candidate”) has a couple of challengers, which I’m sure has nothing to do with the fact that a whole slew of potholes got filled over the last couple of days.
- 32nd Ward Roscoe Village - Tuesday, Feb 26, 19 @ 11:39 am:
Sorry for the last posting: like Riverview Snark, I report on 32nd Ward, Precinct 21, at 6:05 a.m., was the second person to vote after my next-door neighbor. No one else there.
I had not seen any Toni signs at all until I went on Saturday to the DMV in Austin and they were all over. Now, you want to see lines, go to one of only 2 DMV sites open on a Saturday in the city. Luckily my son got in before they cut off driving tests after only 2 hours. A madhouse!
- TinyDancer(FKASue) - Tuesday, Feb 26, 19 @ 11:40 am:
2nd Ward, 24th precinct @ 10:30. I was #55.
Empty except for the usual suspects - 2 people whose names were not on the list (for what ever reason) and have no ID. How do you go to vote without ID and without checking your voter status?
- Anonni - Tuesday, Feb 26, 19 @ 11:48 am:
There’s also another component of shorter lines — it’s a MUCH shorter ballot. No judges, only 4 races, and depending on the ward a couple of ballot questions.
To the 45th ward — Transit-Oriented Development, located near public transit, would not necessitate everyone having cars. This development is walkable from both the Blue Line and a Metra line. It’s a good thing. We all should be driving less.
- Bourbon Street - Tuesday, Feb 26, 19 @ 12:00 pm:
According to the Tribune only about 15% of the voters cast ballots in Chicago by 11 am. That includes the early voters. What is happening that no one seems to care who the next mayor is?
- Rich Miller - Tuesday, Feb 26, 19 @ 12:06 pm:
Fresh thread: https://capitolfax.com/2019/02/26/afternoon-precinct-reports-2/