Sparse turnout determined outcomes

Election commissioners reported turnout Tuesday that were extremely low even by the standards of an Illinois primary.

McHenry County Clerk Katherine Schultz said Tuesday night that with about half the precincts reporting, turnout was running as low as 8 percent.

Robert Saar, director of the election commission for the DuPage County Clerk's Office, said voting was quiet all day, adding the additional snowfall didn't help push people out the door to vote Tuesday.

"It's been pretty quiet so far," he said. "But, this whole cycle has been slower than one would expect, so there haven't been any surprises so far."

He said that historically, voters in DuPage County turn out in the 35 percent range, but said an increase in the number of registered voters along with a weak economy slowed the number of people heading to the polls.

He said a lack of tax increase referendums on the ballot has left voters lethargic at a local level. The county reported final turnout at around 25 percent.

"There aren't as many tough decisions out there, so local voters will not be pushed into voting this time around," he said. "In primary elections ..., what drives voter turnout is what local level elections will do to their pocketbook."

Lake County Clerk Willard Helander said turnout there was just under 21 percent, but added she feels this is largely because voters do not want to declare themselves a Republican or a Democrat in order to vote.

"We've had a significant number of people ask for a nonpartisan ballot, to which we've had to explain that, because there isn't a public question on the ballot, there wasn't one available," she said.

She agreed that the weather didn't cause voters to stay home. She said the low voter turnout trend was spotted ahead of time when only 19,000 early voting ballots were cast.

"It's snowy, but it seems like public works crews are doing a good job at the polls where I've been," she said around midmorning. "I just think people do not like to vote in primaries because they do not want to be labeled a Democrat or a Republican."

Kane County Clerk John Cunningham said voter turnout was also extremely low.

"I think it is the weather and also campaigns haven't hit a nerve and gotten people excited," Cunningham said. "Candidates have worked hard, but people have been campaigning for five years in a row and I think people may be a little worn out."

Cook County elections spokeswoman Gail Siegel says polls opened in all Cook County precincts on time, adding lines formed in some spots, but adding it was slow going at others.

Siegel said a false fire alarm caused only a small delay at a polling place in Proviso Township.

Siegel says her office wasn't hearing lots of complaints about a new feature on voting machines. For the first time, the machines rejected ballots when someone failed to vote in one or more races for statewide constitutional offices.

Voters could either go back and vote in races they missed, or tell the machine or an election judge that they intentionally left the races blank and their votes would be counted.