A man walks into a polling station during early voting in Chicago. | JOSHUA LOTT/AFP/Getty Images Clinton-Trump inspires higher early turnout in Chicago than Obama in '08

CHICAGO — Early voting turnout is on a record pace in Chicago, with 9 percent more people casting ballots before Tuesday compared to the previous high mark in 2008, when hometown hero Barack Obama first ran for president.

“Chicago regularly leads or comes close to leading the state in Early Voting both as a percentage of voters and as a percentage of turnout,” said Jim Allen, spokesman for the Chicago Board of Election Commissioners. “Today, we simply reinforce the program through our mass mailings, newspaper ads and on Facebook. Also, as people use this option and post about it, it goes viral.”


The volume of voters comes amid one of the most contentious and polarizing presidential races in history between Democrat Hillary Clinton and Republican Donald Trump. In Chicago, Clinton maintains a solid polling advantage over Trump.

There are plenty of local races attracting interest in Illinois, with an unprecedented amount of money spent on statehouse contests, as well as a fierce battle for state Comptroller, between GOP incumbent Leslie Munger and Democrat Susana Mendoza. U.S. Senator Mark Kirk is also locked in a costly battle to hang on to his Republican seat against U.S. Rep. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill.

The Chicago Board of Elections Commissioners reports that 284,506 people so far have cast ballots in the city, topping the previous record in 2008 when 260,378 ballots were cast ahead of the presidential election. And there’s still one more day to go — today — for early voting. All 51 Chicago Early Voting & Registration sites will be open 9 am to 7 pm.

Early voting numbers do not necessarily mean higher final turnout. In the heated gubernatorial race in 2014, for example, early voting was strong but turnout ultimately was down in the city — ultimately dooming then-Gov. Pat Quinn's re-election bid.

