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Precinct problems in Chicago
PoliticoSCOOP: Officials at the Chicago Board of Elections say 73 precincts throughout the city won’t be operating for the June 28 primary, and officials are clamoring to locate new polling sites for the November General Election.
The precinct vacuum affects 120,000 registered voters across the city, including voters from nine precincts in the 42nd Ward, generally considered a high-voting area. The city has more than 2,000 precincts spread across 50 wards.
A circuit court ruling Friday allows the Elections Board to contact residents in the 73 precincts to inform them about their voting options, including using their Ward Early Vote sites open on Election Day and voting by mail.
Why precincts are closed: Since the pandemic, numerous buildings and restaurants have decided not to serve as polling sites. They don’t want the hassle. “Our polling places division has seen a wave of new opt-outs from traditional precinct polling places during the Covid pandemic over the last two years,” Board of Elections spokesman Max Bever told Playbook.
Other reasons, too: Some polling locations that were used during previous spring primaries aren’t available for the summertime election — this is the first time Illinois has had a late June election. Schools, for example, often serve as voting sites but they don’t all have the staffing to open for polling during the summer. Other locations can't handle the size of voting equipment. And some locations aren't properly accessible, according to Bever.
The precinct vacuum affects 120,000 registered voters across the city, including voters from nine precincts in the 42nd Ward, generally considered a high-voting area. The city has more than 2,000 precincts spread across 50 wards.
A circuit court ruling Friday allows the Elections Board to contact residents in the 73 precincts to inform them about their voting options, including using their Ward Early Vote sites open on Election Day and voting by mail.
Why precincts are closed: Since the pandemic, numerous buildings and restaurants have decided not to serve as polling sites. They don’t want the hassle. “Our polling places division has seen a wave of new opt-outs from traditional precinct polling places during the Covid pandemic over the last two years,” Board of Elections spokesman Max Bever told Playbook.
Other reasons, too: Some polling locations that were used during previous spring primaries aren’t available for the summertime election — this is the first time Illinois has had a late June election. Schools, for example, often serve as voting sites but they don’t all have the staffing to open for polling during the summer. Other locations can't handle the size of voting equipment. And some locations aren't properly accessible, according to Bever.
