Voting smooth so far in the suburbs
Voting appears to be moving smoothly — if slowly — in the suburbs today as Republican primary voters face big decisions over who to nominate to go on to November.
Cook County Clerk David Orr spokeswoman Courtney Greve said the early hours of voting in the suburbs had been going relatively smoothly, with scant calls from poll watchers and no obvious complaints yet.
She encouraged voters throughout the day to seek out help via hotlines, the clerk's website or social media if they need it.
“There are lots of ways to ask questions and get answers,” she said.
Lake County Clerk Willard Helander has posted on Twitter that Republican voting is higher than usual in Democratic areas of Lake County, a trend that could have consequences once ballots start getting counted.
Turnout overall is expected to be low. Polls close at 7 p.m.
Democratic primaries have been much quieter in the Chicago suburbs this year, but the results at the end of the day will set the stage for both parties to battle for the state's highest offices between now and November.
The weather today is far more comfortable than the rest of campaign season, when bitter cold, frozen turf and heaps of snow made it tougher than usual for volunteers to knock on doors and plant signs.
Results could start streaming in shortly after polls close, and DailyHerald.com will post results in races across the suburbs and the state constantly throughout Election Night.
Readers can follow along on Twitter by searching #DHElection or use the hashtag to tell Daily Herald reporters what you're seeing at the polls, who you're voting for and why.
Voters can find their polling place at their county clerk's or election authority's website:
• Cook County: http://bit.ly/1kDKKT3
• DuPage County: http://bit.ly/1g3T8vy
• Lake County: http://bit.ly/1mevtLA
• Kane County: http://bit.ly/1g3TylK
• McHenry County: http://bit.ly/1fDHL80
• Will County: http://bit.ly/1gwfz71
Primary election turnouts tend to be low compared to November elections, but some of the races nonetheless have been heated and expensive.
In Cook County, as an example, about as many early vote were cast as in the last campaign for governor in 2010. But the number of Republican ballots cast is up, reflecting hot races at the top of the ticket for the GOP.
On the ballot today in the suburbs are Republican and Democratic primaries for governor, a Republican race for U.S. Senate, three GOP and one Democratic primaries for Congress, a Republican race for Illinois Treasurer and a handful of races for Illinois House and Senate.
See dailyherald.com/politics/election for more on candidates, races and endorsements.