Early voting locations in Chicago, Illinois are seeing lines ahead of Election Day

CHICAGO (WLS) — With just five days to go until the election, early voting is making itself felt in Chicago.

David Fletcher said it was his civic duty when he cast his vote.

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“The day of is going to be crazy and obviously getting it in; I’m pretty passionate about it. So getting it in right away seems to feel good,” Fletcher said.

The Chicago native was among those who voted early in the city.

“Just the urgency, I think of any election, this one was the most important when it came to women’s rights and other issues,” Lawanna Marshall said.

Voters will make their choice in the elections for the Cook County State Attorneys and Congress, but the driving force for many has been the presidential election.

“This election is important. I wanted to make sure my vote counted, and there wasn’t an issue with rain, weather, and all the lines. I wanted to make sure I qualified as quickly as possible,” said Jennifer Nolan.

Early voting this year could match the 2016 pre-pandemic presidential election total, according to the Chicago Board of Elections.

Their data shows that more than 320,000 ballots were received and reported as of Oct. 30.

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That’s from previous voters and people who mailed in their ballots.

That’s compared to nearly 240,000 ballots received and reported in the 2016 presidential election.

Max Bever of the Chicago Board of Elections said early voting could be a determining factor in election day turnout.

“The high turnout we saw in early voting and voting by mail also suggests we will see high turnout on Election Day,” Bever said.

Election officials say other counties are also seeing high numbers of early elections as more and more people vote early each year.

The Chicago Board of Elections expects about 1.1 million registered voters to show up for Chicago’s elections.

That’s about 70% of the city’s registered voters.

There were already lines on Thursday, but the Monday before Election Day is traditionally the busiest day for early voting.

Mail-in ballots must be postmarked by November 5, Election Day, in order to count.

When asked about security, Chicago Police said in a statement: “The Chicago Police Department will adjust resources as necessary leading up to and on Election Day. Additionally, while there is no actionable information at this time, we will pay special attention to polling places across the city on Election Day.”