Turnout High On First Day Of Early Voting In Suburban Cook

SOUTH COOK COUNTY — Early voting opened at 53 suburban Cook County sites on Monday. A long line stretched outside Oak Lawn Village Hall as voters waited patiently to be admitted into the building to exercise their right to vote.

As of Monday morning, about 12,000 people had voted early in person and more than 27,000 voters had already returned their mail-in ballots, according to data compiled by the Illinois State Board of Elections.

According to state data, fewer than 400 people had cast mail-in ballots and only 3,110 people had voted early as of Oct. 18, 2016. At that point in the presidential election four years ago, 55,238 suburban Cook County voters had requested mail ballots, compared to 510,599 as of this week.

The wait time in Oak Lawn was 90 minutes. In Chicago Heights, people waited as long as three hours to vote in the Prairie State College conference room.

Voters stood in line outside Oak Lawn Village Hall holding tumblers of coffee in the fall chill. First day-early voting totals across the south suburbs are as follows:

• Orland Township - 1,114
• Oak Forest City Hall - 549
• Oak Lawn Village Hall - 582
• Palos Heights Rec Center - 716
• Tinley Park Village Hall - 603
• Andrew Biela Center (Crestwood) - 390
• Prairie State University (Chicago Heights) - 611
• Prairie Trails Library Dist. (Burbank) - 327

In addition to early voting, secure drop boxes are available for mail-in ballots. People can walk right in and drop off their ballot. A Worth Township election judge was by the box at the Oak Lawn site, assisting voters and checking to see that they signed the outside of their mail-in ballot so it could be counted. Don’t forget your “I Voted” sticker.

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Should you change your mind at the last minute about whom you voted for before submitting your mail-in ballot in the drop box, get in line. You can still vote for your candidate at a polling place.

Suburban Cook County sites are open 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, through Nov. 2, the day before election day on Nov. 3.

To find out how long of wait there is to vote at an early voting site, check the Cook County Clerk’s Early Voting Wait Time Viewer. Be prepared to wait in line if voting early, and dress for the weather.

If you have requested a mail ballot from the Cook County Clerk, there is no need for further action on your part. The office is currently processing these applications and began mailing ballots to voters on Sept. 24.

To check on the status of your mail ballot, please visit Cook County Clerk Voter Info and click the “What Is My Mail Ballot Status” tab.

Check out the Patch Voter Guides:

• Palos Voter Guide 2020 Election
• Alsip-Crestwood Voter Guide 2020 Election
• Evergreen Park Voter Guide 2020 Election
• Oak Lawn Voter Guide 2020 Election