Record-setting turnout in Cook County despite Tuesday's inclement weather

Not since 1952 have Cook County voters come out for a primary election in such high percentages -- until now, said County Clerk David Orr.

On Tuesday, 42 percent of the record 1.3 million registered voters turned up, Orr said.

"In January, we broke early voting records, then voters braved the bad February weather to cast their ballots," said Orr Wednesday. "There's no doubt that suburban voters are determined to be heard."

The closest modern record until now was 1992, when 40 percent of registered voters came out to give Bill Clinton the nomination in Illinois.

But it was back in 1952, the year Illinois native son Adlai Stevenson would run against Dwight Eisenhower, when a record 44 percent of registered suburban voters turned out to cast ballots. It also was the last year there was no incumbent president or former vice president on the ballot.

However, only 179,111 suburban Cook County residents cast votes in 1952 -- less than three times the number that voted in Tuesday's primary election.

In addition, the proportion of Democratic primary ballots jumped significantly. About 76 percent of suburban Cook voters on Tuesday voted Democratic, and 23 percent voted Republican. Less than 1 percent took Green Party ballots, which were available for the first time in a presidential primary.

In 2004, 68 percent of people took Democratic ballots and 29 percent took Republican. The split in the 2000 primary was 53 percent and 44 percent, respectively, Orr said.

Not that any of that matters come November.

"Voters should remember that their primary vote does not limit how they vote on Nov. 4, 2008 in the presidential election," he said.

The total number of voters on Tuesday has surpassed the historical high of 561,828 in the 1984 presidential primary.

About 4,000 late-arriving absentee ballots remained outstanding Wednesday afternoon and roughly 4,700 provisional ballots still must be reviewed. By law, the clerk's office has until Feb, 26 to certify the results, but those results are expected much sooner.

In Cook County, 50,690 voted early. The majority, 18,748, were 65 years of age or older, while 12,718 were between 55 and 64.

Most early voters, 40,749, were Democrats.

The city of Chicago -- which is counted by the Chicago Election Board and not the Cook County clerk's office -- boasted 81,000 early voters, 100,000 if you included absentee voters. It was the biggest total since 1944.

Election results also came in much sooner than years past.

Orr said his office had 85 percent of the vote counted by 10 p.m. on Tuesday.

Chicago did even better. Chicago Election Board Chairman Langdon Neal said the city had 80 percent of the vote counted by 9 p.m.