Monica Gordon said suburban Cook County turnout for what is the voting for today had already climbed nearly 30% above the 2022 gubernatorial election level by Monday morning. More than 242,000 residents had voted early, and nearly 107,000 mail ballots had been returned as Election Day neared.
Monica Gordon at 69 W. Washington St.
Gordon, the Cook County clerk, said her office had seen enough volume to expect early voting turnout to exceed the 2022 level by 50,000 and mail-in ballot turnout to rise by the same amount. She also cast her own ballot at the early voting site in the Loop at 69 W. Washington St. after the news conference.
“Our priority has been to make voting as convenient and accessible as possible,” Gordon said Monday. She added, “No voter should ever feel intimidated, threatened or discouraged from exercising their right to vote.”
Cook County mail ballots
Gordon said 11,000 mail ballots were still in the U.S. Postal Service pipeline on Monday morning. Over the last two weeks, early voting had been available at 56 locations in suburban Cook County and ended Monday, leaving Election Day as the next step for voters who had not yet cast a ballot.
That pace gave suburban Cook County a turnout benchmark well above the last governor's race, with early voting and mail ballots both outpacing the 2022 gubernatorial election. For voters who still planned to participate, the remaining question was not whether ballots were moving, but how many would arrive or be cast before the count closes on Election Day.
Election Day in suburban Cook County
Gordon said there was no information indicating federal officers would visit any polling locations, despite residents' concerns about that possibility. Illinois law protects voters from interference, intimidation and obstruction within the protected areas surrounding polling places, and county officials said that protection remained in place for Election Day in suburban Cook County.
