April 4 Consolidated General Election Information

Go Vote! Consolidated General Election — Your vote counts!

Polls open tomorrow – 6 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Chicago, IL-(ENEWSPF)- Clerk David Orr reminds suburban Cook County voters that there’s plenty at stake in tomorrow’s Consolidated General Election when 1,031 contests and 2,541 candidates will be on the ballot.

“The decisions that directly impact people’s lives every day, from how schools and emergency services are funded, to the way tax money is spent and what services are made available to residents, are made at the local level,” Cook County Clerk David Orr said. “Many of the people who get to make those decisions throughout suburban Cook County – the village presidents and mayors, city council members, and school, park, and library board members – are on the ballot, so I encourage all of suburban Cook County tomorrow to Be Vocal. Vote Local.”

The Clerk’s office has been using technology-based tools to give voters useful information before Election Day. The Clerk’s office sent more than 1 million voter information notices to suburban Cook County households. These mailers, for the first time ever, list every candidate who is on the ballot for that household. The notices also showed each household’s polling place on April 4, as well as the nearest early voting site.

EARLY VOTING

A total of 55,633 suburban Cook County voters cast ballots during Early Voting through Monday morning.* That’s up 54.1 percent from the last Consolidated Election in 2015 (36,099 Early Voting ballots cast), and up 36.7 percent from 2013 (40,693 Early Voting ballots cast).

Top Five Early Voting Sites*

Evanston Civic Center, Evanston (4,652); Orland Township Hall, Orland Park (4,109); Oak Park Village Hall, Oak Park (1,943); Centennial Ice Rink, Wilmette (1,921); and Oak Lawn Village Hall, Oak Lawn (1,910).

As of this writing, 773 people voted early at Park Forest Village Hall. Remember, any registered voter in Cook County may vote at any early voting site, and early voting totals do not reflect the number of people who voted in any particular town.

*Through 10 a.m. Monday. Early Voting lasts until 5 p.m. Monday.

MAIL VOTING

Mail Voting is a popular option with Cook County voters. Voters requested 14,504 mail ballots this election, a decrease of 5.2 percent over the 2015 Consolidated Election (15,308) but an increase of 70.3 percent over the 2013 Consolidated Election (8,517) and nearly 2.5 times the number from 2011 (6,169).

The full list of candidates, referenda and write-in candidates can be found under the 2017 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 m.cookcountyclerk.com from their smartphone or tablet.

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 roughly a week following the election.

After polls close on Election Night, the Cook County Clerk’s office tabulates and displays unofficial vote totals that include: all early votes; all mail ballots received by Election Day; and all ballots cast in the precincts on Election Day. Precinct- and township-level results are not available on Election Night.

The Clerk’s office will tabulate all mail ballots received within two weeks of Election Day if they are postmarked by April 4 and all provisional ballots that are verified. By statute, Illinois election authorities have up to three weeks to certify election results.

Additionally, election data including voter registration statistics, turnout history, and more from previous consolidated elections are available at the Clerk’s website.

MEDIA GUIDELINES

Members of the media do not need a paper credential provided by the Clerk’s office to visit suburban polling places. However, election judges will require news reporters, photographers and TV crews to show a press pass or business card.

Upon entering the polling place, introduce yourself to the election judges before conducting any interviews or taking any photographs.
All interviews must be conducted outside the polling place as to not disturb voting.
Photos and videos can be taken inside the precinct. However, you may not take shots of a voter making their choices on a ballot.
Please ask first and respect voters and poll workers who say they do not want to be interviewed or photographed.