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Morning polling place updates

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Illinois

* Tell us what you’re seeing out there this morning. Long lines? Any problems? Weather reports, etc. are also appreciated. Thanks!

posted by Rich Miller
Tuesday, Nov 6, 12 @ 7:31 am

Comments

6:00 a.m. Springfield southwest side. Crisp air. Fairly crowded. Quiet. Somber. Determined. After vote, quickstep to cars. Off to embrace the day.

Comment by Res Melius Tuesday, Nov 6, 12 @ 7:43 am
A few hiccups but nothing like Florida. Lines everywhere, with some people arriving before 6am. Most voters are being patient and the judges seem to have it under control. Some confusion with new polling places and new precinct boundaries, but so far no major issues.

Comment by 47th Ward Tuesday, Nov 6, 12 @ 7:50 am
I got a report of hour wait at a pct in Oak Park, 111 voted already in a pct southside of chicago, and an aggressive rommney poll watcher targeting african americans in springfield

Comment by ktown chicago Tuesday, Nov 6, 12 @ 7:56 am
No problems in my area. Voted in 10 minutes. Chicago North Side 33rd Ward.

Comment by dan shomon Tuesday, Nov 6, 12 @ 8:02 am
Hi, I was #37 to vote this AM in Frankfort. Usually I am number 4 or 5. There were a lot of folks there that I never saw before. For the first time ever, I did have to wait in line but the line was short. Traffic was steady and there were more people coming in when I left. I did pass by another polling place in Mokena where people were parked on the shoulder of the road because the parking lot was full. No issues, weather is fine as well so far.

I plan on going back this evening to take my mom to vote. It is the first time since Kennedy she has felt like she needed to vote (I know, I have tried to get her to vote each election - she never would). But she votes in the same precinct so it will be interesting to see the total number of voters.

Comment by The KQ Tuesday, Nov 6, 12 @ 8:03 am
First time ever voting for me in Kane County…Republican election worker loudly making fun of government spending, government logic, government period…while all 100 of us waited in line

County staff stopped by and reminded election workers not to ask for ID from voters, but to accept it if it was offered…that was good

Line and voting took 50 minutes altogether, not too bad

Comment by mongo Tuesday, Nov 6, 12 @ 8:05 am
North side of Chicago…about a 20 minute wait, during which three different people showed up to vote who were in the wrong place because of redistricting.

Comment by Voltaire Tuesday, Nov 6, 12 @ 8:07 am
Early voter here.

Voted middle of last week, had a small line for 3 voter booths, never had that happen before. Seemed to be higher than normal voter turnout for early voting. All went smooth.

Drove by elementary school this AM to see how voting going today. Parking lot is overflowing, and line is out door at 07:30 AM. Looks like about a 30+ minute wait.

Comment by Judgment Day Tuesday, Nov 6, 12 @ 8:11 am
Oak Park — some long, long lines in about 3 precincts. Problems with machines in another 3, but seriously, when half (or more) of a precinct have early voted, is it really an issue? If an Oak Parker votes in the woods and no one cares, does it really count?

Comment by Its All About the Donuts Tuesday, Nov 6, 12 @ 8:13 am
My dad attempted to vote before work this morning in Moline, but said the parking lot was full and the line outside the door. Probably driven by the CD-17 Schilling-Bustos race. Said he’s never had to wait in line to vote before.

Comment by nrebreg Tuesday, Nov 6, 12 @ 8:13 am
Steady stream at 0750 in Carbondale this morning, although the precinct workers were checking ID’s.

Comment by NIref Tuesday, Nov 6, 12 @ 8:13 am
#43 today on the west side of Springfield, near Meijer. In and out the door in 10 minutes. No line when I arrived, but steady group of people entering.

Comment by How Ironic Tuesday, Nov 6, 12 @ 8:18 am
Felt like Urlacher as I was #54 in Skokie this morning. Most confusion between the upstairs and downstairs polling places and the people in front of me who were in the completely wrong building. Took no more than 10 mins- early voting is now a bigger waste of time apparently. Poll watcher asked to see my ID, for which I thanked him.

Comment by Bakersfield Tuesday, Nov 6, 12 @ 8:19 am
Had a real problem with one of the judges at the very end:

Got in sixth in line to vote at 5:55 a.m. Saw the first person in line pull out her ID so I did the same but I do not know if she was asked. The electronic voting machine was not yet up and running.

After I voted and had the ballot in the privacy sleeve, evidently they realized the judge who handed out ballots had been initialing in the wrong place. At that point, the judge who monitors you putting the ballot in the machine tried to take my ballot and take it out of the privacy sleeve so that the first judge could initial it in the correct place. I refused, saying, “I don’t want you to see who I voted for.” He said, “But I have too.” Me: “No, you don’t. Where does he have to initial?” And then he pointed to a box at the top that was sticking out of the top of the privacy sleeve. I then took it myself to the first judge, had him initial the ballot pages correctly, showed the result to the second judge and fed the ballot sheets into machine.

Lesson: Don’t let them take your completed ballot out of the sleeve–be firm, people!

Comment by 32nd Ward Roscoe Village Tuesday, Nov 6, 12 @ 8:22 am
Building manager at the Spfd. Masonic Center polling place said the early morning turnout was the heaviest he’d ever seen. People lined up and waiting when the polls opened.

Comment by pipersls Tuesday, Nov 6, 12 @ 8:24 am
Not an election day polling update, but I voted last Thursday at 2pm. The line was 80 people deep at the Sangamon County election office, and it was just as big when I left. Early voting really is going to completely change future campaigns.

Comment by UISer Tuesday, Nov 6, 12 @ 8:25 am
Also, my precinct was the only one left at my site. I have been voting there for 20 years and it used to have at least two other precincts. Maybe a result of redistricting–am now at the outermost edge of 32nd Ward.

Comment by 32nd Ward Roscoe Village Tuesday, Nov 6, 12 @ 8:28 am
Long lines at all 4 precincts in my polling place in north Belleville/ Swansea, but made it in and out in 20 minutes. There were quite a few people in line for the wrong precinct. There seemed to be more poll watchers this year, and they were recording voters much more closely than in the past.

Comment by El Conquistador Tuesday, Nov 6, 12 @ 8:30 am
6:00am Chicago - The guy couldn’t get the constitutional ballot to load through the machine. It was complaining about the ward/precinct info missing at the top of the form, but the info was there. It might have been complaining about his attempt to write the 39th precinct over his initial mistake of 38. Anyway, he ended up passing my candidate ballot through the machine twice, which I’m assuming is the Chicago way in action, but shoving my “Constitutional” ballot into a large (closet-sized) metal container. I said how’s your doing that going to get my ballot counted in the electronic tally, and he said, don’t worry, we’ll count it manually. Whenever someone tells me not to worry, I really start to worry.

I’ve been trying to get through to the Chicago Board of Elections website to get a number to report the issue, but their website is so swamped, it’s non-responsive.

Comment by PublicServant Tuesday, Nov 6, 12 @ 8:32 am
Carbondale #13 @ 07:55. Steady line of people. About a five minute wait. Heard that people were lined up outside before they opened. No problems that I could see.

Comment by Jak Tichenor Tuesday, Nov 6, 12 @ 8:32 am
No. 60 at Carterville 2 at 7:45 this morning. I wasn’t asked for an ID but the woman who followed me had to show hers. Easy in, easy out… no line.

Comment by Deep South Tuesday, Nov 6, 12 @ 8:33 am
In the infamous Saviano Willis district. Only 53 ballots so far.

Comment by MC Tuesday, Nov 6, 12 @ 8:34 am
Kane County , polling place Immanuel Lutheran this morning, and the turnout was much higher than 2008. It is was most people I’ve ever seen waiting to vote in this polling place, the line started in hallway and then snaked into the room, it took 30 minutes. There were no noticeable problems with the voting machines, just a large crowd.

Comment by Guido DeBres Tuesday, Nov 6, 12 @ 8:34 am
Just heard the Chicago Board of elections website is swamped and offline. Being directed to the state election website verbally via newsradio 78.

Comment by PublicServant Tuesday, Nov 6, 12 @ 8:35 am
==Steady stream at 0750 in Carbondale this morning, although the precinct workers were checking ID’s.==
What was the precinct, or the polling place?

Comment by Hail 4B Tuesday, Nov 6, 12 @ 8:37 am
==Long lines at all 4 precincts in my polling place in north Belleville/ Swansea, but made it in and out in 20 minutes. There were quite a few people in line for the wrong precinct. There seemed to be more poll watchers this year, and they were recording voters much more closely than in the past.==
Did you see them turning anybody away, or disregarding ballots? BTW how involved were the poll watchers. Were they intimidating voters, check ids, giving false information about voting laws etc.?

Comment by Hail 4B Tuesday, Nov 6, 12 @ 8:40 am
The 32 ward in Chicago long lines. Rude judges. Good thing none of the races are contested other then d. Smith.

Comment by 32-32 Tuesday, Nov 6, 12 @ 8:41 am
==I wasn’t asked for an ID but the woman who followed me had to show hers.==

Do you know if she was asked by a poll watcher or an election judge to show the id.

Comment by Hail 4B Tuesday, Nov 6, 12 @ 8:41 am
Hail 4B - No real interaction with voters. No challenges that I saw. They were just keeping very close track of who was voting. I usually don’t see that from both sides in my precinct.

Comment by El Conquistador Tuesday, Nov 6, 12 @ 8:45 am
Voted Chicago 41st ward. No lines, no waiting. Almost the same incident as someone above, election judge wanted to remove my ballot from privacy holder to put it in the electronic scanner. I refused and insisted that he let me do it which he eventually and reluctantly did. Ballot is so large that it is easy to see you cast votes.

Comment by Tom Edison Tuesday, Nov 6, 12 @ 8:48 am
Very crowded at polling place west side of Orland between 6:30 and 7. All available spots in parking lot and then some taken. Line maybe 6-8 deep to get to electronic machines but no line for paper.

Comment by Ron Burgundy Tuesday, Nov 6, 12 @ 8:48 am
First time I was ever asked for an ID to vote. The woman was straight up rude about it too. Otherwise I wouldn’t have minded. I asked if that was a new policy because I’d never been asked to show an ID before. She said that they have always asked for identification, that I must not be a regular voter, and she was extremely hostile about it.

Comment by Lil Enchilada Tuesday, Nov 6, 12 @ 8:54 am
Haven’t voted yet. Placed Demo signs at Wheeling/Palatine/Elk Grove Township polling sites between 2-3am. Some sites had heavy dew, others a light frost. Currently sunny and crisp autumn air. I recall 2008 being remarkably warm.

Odd lack of GOP signs which is unusual for this area. Only half the places had GOP signs when I got there but usually they’re all up by midnight.

When I did a follow-up sweep later still no GOP signs at a lot of sites.

Two other curious things:
- Saw some red “Walsh for Congress” signs that didn’t look like his usual signs. They also had an Illinois graphic with a big X through it. On closer inspection, they were paid for by Rove’s Freedomworks and the X-ed out Illinois was actually an Illinois with the Freedomworks star logo in it.

Weird all around though.

- Also saw some local GOP legislator signs at the wrong polling locations as if the incumbent GOPs didn’t know their new districts yet.

Comment by G. Willickers Tuesday, Nov 6, 12 @ 9:00 am
@ Lil Enchilada - with VERY few exceptions related to a tiny number of provisional voters Illinois does not require ID to be shown on Election Day.

On the other hand, ID does need to be shown for early voting.

I think it’s because you have to show some form of residency identification in order to get registered and be on the voting rolls in the first place. On Election Day each precinct polling site should have a voter roll on hand (with voters’ scanned signatures to match up). Early voting is a more mass effort so they don’t have a book w/ everyone’s signature.

That election judge was most likely wrong.

Comment by G. Willickers Tuesday, Nov 6, 12 @ 9:03 am
waited about 15 minutes at my polling place, near south side of Chicago. A little confusion with the new wards/precincts/polling places. Also, there was only language support for Chinese, no Spanish language speakers. Thankfully, a fellow voter helped out a man who spoke Spanish. Also, no privacy holders for ballots and the man stationed at the electronic scanner actively looked at people’s ballots that were rejected.

Comment by Daphne Tuesday, Nov 6, 12 @ 9:05 am
First time I was ever asked for an ID to vote. The woman was straight up rude about it too. =====Otherwise I wouldn’t have minded. I asked if that was a new policy because I’d never been asked to show an ID before. She said that they have always asked for identification, that I must not be a regular voter, and she was extremely hostile about it. =====

Lil Enchilada: where did this happen?

Comment by Machinist Tuesday, Nov 6, 12 @ 9:05 am
I voted in Rock Island County and the voting was heavy. It’s raining here too.

The other judges were smirking and trying not to laugh over my “confrontation” with old lady snooty pants. I didn’t mind showing an ID. In the end she told me it’s because they might not be able to read my printing. I asked if she was having a problem reading my printed name and she would not answer just motioned me on.

Comment by Lil Enchilada Tuesday, Nov 6, 12 @ 9:06 am
Voted in Bloom 2 (southern cook county) between 6 an 630 - not that busy, but the adjacent precinct (82) had a line about 15 deep - not sure what the story was there - could have just been slow judges having problems with machines

Comment by RWP Tuesday, Nov 6, 12 @ 9:08 am
I was voter #135 at 7:45 in northwest DuPage County precinct. Usually I’d be voter 40 or so at that time of the morning. The election judge said their turnout has been steady since they opened with 10 people in line.

Comment by Bluefish Tuesday, Nov 6, 12 @ 9:12 am
Morning voting heavy at the Emily Oaks Nature Center in Skokie. The blue line advocate border drawn outside looked way too close to the poll. Told Rep Lang’s people I measured it off at 75 feet. Voting is fun.

Comment by Cook County Commoner Tuesday, Nov 6, 12 @ 9:16 am
Lakeview neighborhood in Chicago - 15 min wait; I ended up being the 106th voter when I turned in my ballot close to 8:00 AM. My precinct had one electronic voting machine (a first) and 7 traditional voting machines. I hoped to try out the electronic voting machine but wasn’t given that option as judges directed me to the traditional voting machine which opened up first.

Comment by Robert the Bruce Tuesday, Nov 6, 12 @ 9:16 am
Lil Enchilada: what was the precinct/polling location where this happened?

Comment by Machinist Tuesday, Nov 6, 12 @ 9:25 am
Weather is nice, parking lot mostly full, but spots available. No line to speak of. Officials seemed slow and tentative, but if they have not done this before its understandable.

After preliminary identification, there as only one person dispensing ballots per precinct. I had one person ahead of me and there was some sort of issue that took some time to sort out. There were a half dozen people behind me when I moved forward to get my ballot.

There are normally around 225 votes cast ahead of me historically, Today, I was 265.

Comment by Plutocrat03 Tuesday, Nov 6, 12 @ 9:31 am
It’d be great if everyone could include their polling location and precint number. That will help the clerks take care of any illegal stuff

Comment by Machinist Tuesday, Nov 6, 12 @ 9:50 am
NW Burban Cook County. 88 at 8:05. Not asked for ID, but woman behind us was. There were some D supporters in the driveway of the school annoying people. I brushed them back a little as I left.

Comment by Wumpus Tuesday, Nov 6, 12 @ 9:57 am
In the 47th Ward at 7am, maybe a 10 minute wait, and I was #117. Pretty long line, 7-8 stations in the precinct but they were having people vote at desks, in the kitchen, wherever there was a flat surface. No ID check for me but there was one for my wife - she changed her address by mail and hadn’t voted in person since, so that’s legal.

Most egregiously though - judges didn’t even offer privacy sleeves.

Comment by Joe Bidenopoulous Tuesday, Nov 6, 12 @ 10:01 am
Chicago south side - 20th ward, precinct 16. Arrived at 8:45 and the line, normally just a few people long, was out the door. Much more chaotic than usual — it took over an hour to vote, and many people said they’d never seen lines like this before.

Ald. Cochran was there doing crowd control — said he just took a phone call from someone in Sweden trying to vote.

Comment by John K Tuesday, Nov 6, 12 @ 10:08 am
42nd ward, Streeterville. In 2008 at 8:30 AM, it was a 30 minute line. This morning at 9:30, no line.

Comment by 60611 Tuesday, Nov 6, 12 @ 10:26 am
19th Precinct in East Lakeview. I was number 137 at 8:15 a.m., with no line. One poll worker told me they had a line when they first opened this morning.

Comment by Jabes Tuesday, Nov 6, 12 @ 10:29 am
====Steady stream at 0750 in Carbondale this morning, although the precinct workers were checking ID’s.==
What was the precinct, or the polling place?==

At the polling place, by the election judge.

Comment by NIref Tuesday, Nov 6, 12 @ 10:41 am
My polling place was busier than normal. I am usually voter 30ish and today I was 242. It went smooth for me, but I chose paper-the electronic ballot cards were not working properly.

Comment by Dtown Tuesday, Nov 6, 12 @ 10:54 am
NIref—yeah but what was the precinct number and location?

Comment by Machinist Tuesday, Nov 6, 12 @ 10:56 am
I was supposed to be a juge for the first time but have pneumonia so resigned…totally bummed.
I early voted about a week ago and waited in a line of about 10 at the Bucktown Library. Yes, ID’s requested.
It was a longer wait when I left. On Sat, there was a line down the stairs and almost out the door.

Comment by Belle Tuesday, Nov 6, 12 @ 11:24 am
Long lines in Geneseo. Election judge said it had been that way all morning. Misty rain.

Comment by Just a citizen Tuesday, Nov 6, 12 @ 11:32 am
In the Southern Illinois University of Carbondale student precincts signs have been put up saying that voters need to present two forms of ID. That is not true.

Comment by Machinist Tuesday, Nov 6, 12 @ 11:47 am
@Machinist: Sorry, Carbondale 6. I’m hearing rumblings that Jackson County is getting a lot of complaints.

Comment by NIref Tuesday, Nov 6, 12 @ 12:00 pm
I am happy to report the polls are crowded today in Northeast Sangamon Co. Early voting in Sangamon Co was crowded every day they were open. I am willing to bet 90% of state workers/ retirees have already voted or will vote today!

Comment by Mama Tuesday, Nov 6, 12 @ 12:17 pm
Lets move this to a fresh thread: https://capitolfax.com/2012/11/06/afternoon-voting-reports/

Comment by Rich Miller Tuesday, Nov 6, 12 @ 12:38 pm