Voters In Tinley Park Are Heading To The Polls Early

TINLEY PARK, IL — Early voting opened at 53 suburban Cook County sites on Monday. A long line stretched outside the Tinley Park Village Hall as voters waited to be admitted into the building to exercise their right to vote.

As of early Tuesday afternoon, more than 40,000 Cook County voters had voted early in person and more than 542,000 voters had already returned their mail-in ballots, according to data compiled by the Illinois State Board of Elections.

On Tuesday evening, the wait time to vote in Tinley Park was over 75 minutes, according to the Cook County Clerk's Office. Some voters said it was worth the wait to "preform a civic duty."

Voters stood in line outside the Tinley Park Village Hall holding umbrellas and blankets on Monday. Patch asked Tinley voters how long they're willing to wait in line. Here's what some voters said:

"I got in line at 11:10 a.m. at TP Village Hall and got to a voting booth at 12:45 p.m," one voter said. "I would wait as long as it took to do my civic duty. Today it was an hour and five minutes," another voter said.

"It was really good to see all of my neighbors out there today... I had a few seniors tell me that they couldn't stand up that long and we sent them up to the front of the line where they seemed to be accommodated... I hope they have a way to make it easier for our seniors and others who can't stand in line that long to vote. Let me know if anyone knows about this or if you're concerned about that and I'll find a way to help you or get you the information. Proud of my community every time I see you guys turn out like today," one voter wrote on Facebook.

"I dropped off my ballot at the Orland Township office. You just drive up and drop your ballot off. You never get out of your car. Took me about one minute," one voter said.

View more voter responses below:

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.

Related:

Tell Patch If You See Election Shenanigans In Tinley Park

Tinley Park Voter Guide 2020