Polls open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Chicago, IL-(ENEWSPF)- Clerk David Orr reminds suburban Cook County voters to participate in the Consolidated Election Tuesday, when 699 contests and 2,080 candidates will be on ballots throughout the suburbs.
“The lives of suburban Cook County residents will be affected by the outcomes of these contests,” Orr said. “From the municipal level, to parks and local school districts, important decisions will be made by the winners of these races, so your vote does make a difference.”
In addition to the races for various offices, there are 36 referenda on suburban ballots.
The full list of candidates, referenda and write-in candidates can be found under the2015 Elections section of cookcountyclerk.com. Voters can also find their polling place and view their sample ballot by using the online Voter Information tool or visiting cookcountyclerk.com from their smartphone or tablet.
More than 63 percent of the races throughout suburban Cook County are uncontested. The uncontested races include 10 of the 19 contests for mayor or village president. However, there are also 59 precincts – mainly in Evanston and Hanover townships – where 100 percent of the races on the ballot are contested races. Thornton, Schaumburg, Maine, and Bremen townships all have a high percentage – at least 82 percent or more – of contested races on the ballot.
Turnout
While overall turnout in the past four consolidated elections in suburban Cook County has ranged between 17 and 21 percent, turnout should be looked at a local level. For example, overall turnout in 2013 was 18.9 percent, but it was greater than 30 percent in 22 municipalities.
Early Voting
A total of 36,099 suburban Cook County voters cast ballots during Early Voting. That’s down 11.3 percent from the last Consolidated Election in 2013 (40,693 Early Voting ballots cast), but up 35.3 percent from the 2011 Consolidated Election (26,679). Map: Early Voting turnout by precinct.
Top Five Early Voting Sites
Oakwood Recreation Center, Matteson (2,220); Centennial Park, Wilmette (2,120); Orland Township Hall, Orland Park (2,100); Faith Family Future Center, South Holland (1,657); and the Arlington Heights Village Hall (1,533).
Mail Voting
Mail Voting continues to increase in popularity with each election. Voters requested 15,308 mail ballots this election, an increase of 79.7 percent over the 2013 Consolidated Election (8,517) and nearly 2.5 times the number from 2011 (6,169). Map: Percentage of mail ballot applications by the voters’ home precincts.
Election results
Unofficial election results will be posted at cookcountyclerk.com beginning about an hour after polls close. Votes for write-in candidates will not be available until after the canvas, which will begin the week following the election.
