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Afternoon precinct reports

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Illinois

A surge in early voters over the weekend was not reflected in turnout at some polling places on a frigid Election Day morning.

Some veteran poll watchers say the pace of voters was very slow. At Kelvyn Park Public School, for instance, in the 31st Ward, there had been just half a dozen voters by 8 a.m.

“It’s been a quiet start to the morning so far,” Langdon D. Neal, chairman of the Chicago Board of Election Commissioners, told reporters Tuesday morning.

As Pat Quinn and the Democrats found out last year, more early voters does not necessarily mean more voters. Regular voters are getting to like this early voting thing.

What’s happening by you?

posted by Rich Miller
Tuesday, Feb 24, 15 @ 12:39 pm

Comments

The couple of precincts I’ve been working today have been better than average but still slow. And the snow just started, which isn’t going to help.

Comment by 47th Ward Tuesday, Feb 24, 15 @ 12:43 pm
Just voted in Bridgeport. Was 110th voter. 11th ward guys pushing Rahm hard…they joked that they don’t want to have to work another election in April.

Comment by Thomas Paine Tuesday, Feb 24, 15 @ 12:58 pm
In my Springfield polling place, at about noon, I was the 222 voter. The woman helping out said the number was low. The weather is good (for February.)

Comment by Come on Tuesday, Feb 24, 15 @ 1:10 pm
I was 247th in Capital 49 (Springfield) about 10 minutes ago. Mayor’s race was the only one on the primary ballot.

Comment by olddog Tuesday, Feb 24, 15 @ 1:10 pm
slow, slow, slow ….drip, drip, drip == westside

Comment by Anonymous Tuesday, Feb 24, 15 @ 1:50 pm
I voted (Chicago, 5th Ward) at about 10:30. Not a whole lot of folks at that hour, but reasonably busy.

No one campaigning nearby, and no signs for mayoral candidates. There were signs for some aldermanic candidates, including three from one candidate that were in the process of being removed because they were literally right outside the door of the polling place. Closer to 10′ than 100′!

Comment by Joan P. Tuesday, Feb 24, 15 @ 2:06 pm
Does the State of Illinois break out how candidates do in “early voting” vs. how they do on election day? Texas, for example, breaks this out very clearly.

Comment by Summerwind Tuesday, Feb 24, 15 @ 2:24 pm
I was 132 in Capitol 18, north side of Springfield, at around 2:00. The parking lot was fairly full and there was a steady stream of voters coming in and out at that time. I presume that with the pleasant weather this afternoon things will continue to pick up.

Comment by Skirmisher Tuesday, Feb 24, 15 @ 2:43 pm
2nd Ward—very slow going from late morning.
I am reading alot of info on 1st and 26th Wards via Facebook and most of the voting is low. Did a lot of people early vote? Saturday was heavy from all reports.

Comment by Belle Tuesday, Feb 24, 15 @ 2:54 pm
African American vote is not turning out today on the west and south side for some reason and 49% is going with Rham. Looks like Rham will win with 56% of the vote +/- 3

Comment by OIS Tuesday, Feb 24, 15 @ 3:15 pm
Bita Buenrostro’s people are working the precincts hard in the 2d Ward.

Comment by Aldermanic Panic Tuesday, Feb 24, 15 @ 3:59 pm
I heard some reports of machines being down this morning. I wonder if some of that was due to the weather — a lot of the machines were stored in pretty frigid places last night.

Other than that, same . . . slow in many places. I think people saw the weather report and voted last week. I did.

Comment by Vasyl Tuesday, Feb 24, 15 @ 4:05 pm
==African American vote is not turning out today on the west and south side for some reason and 49% is going with Rham. Looks like Rham will win with 56% of the vote +/- 3==

If Rahm gets 49% in the black wards, there is no way he will avoid a runoff. He was near or above 60% there in 2011.

Comment by Snucka Tuesday, Feb 24, 15 @ 4:07 pm
Was also in the 11th today. If signs could vote (and I mean 4′ x 8’s in front of residential homes) could vote, he’d win. Putting up that sign was a bigger priority than taking the Christmas decorations down at some domiciles.

Comment by Aldermanic Panic Tuesday, Feb 24, 15 @ 4:09 pm
Just voted. Turnout so far is about one eighth of registered voters in my precinct.

Only one office on the ballot here, and that’s mayor.

Comment by Rich Miller Tuesday, Feb 24, 15 @ 4:25 pm
I am a regular voter and vote early every time it is offered. It is way more convenient for me. I do not believe there should be early voting for ideological reasons, but I like it.

Comment by Aldermanic Panic Tuesday, Feb 24, 15 @ 4:29 pm
I voted after 1 PM at my precinct in the 9th ward. Was the 69th ballot cast. Very quiet at the polls.

Comment by Levois Tuesday, Feb 24, 15 @ 4:41 pm
I was 18th to reply to this blog post.

The same post in November had 44 responses.

Comment by LizPhairTax Tuesday, Feb 24, 15 @ 5:35 pm
Very slow. Nobody voting in 42 and not much difference in 2. Hopkins, Bita and Alyx all had a presence in 2.

The sign printers had the best day. Those three all blanketed the place, and the other three had a few signs too.

Fioretti had a staffer running for 2, and she was invisible, which is appropriate considering how her boss operated.

No sign of anything from Rahm. One Chuy sign.

Comment by Gooner Tuesday, Feb 24, 15 @ 5:48 pm
Gooner: The sign printers had the best day if they get paid. Politicians are notorious for stiffing those guys.

Comment by Aldermanic Panic Tuesday, Feb 24, 15 @ 5:56 pm
It would be lucky if 35% voted.

Comment by Mokenavince Tuesday, Feb 24, 15 @ 6:00 pm
I voted in the 46th ward about 2:30. The main aldermanic challenger was outside asking incoming voters to vote for her. I was voter 119 in my precinct.

Comment by Uptown Lawyer Tuesday, Feb 24, 15 @ 6:08 pm
It was very slow at the polling place just now, when I voted. I saw three other people voting. Perhaps people voted earlier, but turnout may be low also.

Comment by Grandson of Man Tuesday, Feb 24, 15 @ 6:25 pm