Kane voter turnout at 4 percent

More than 4 percent of Kane County voters turned out to vote early in the primary election -- not as many as elections officials had hoped for, but a respectable number nonetheless.

"Each early vote represents maybe 10 minutes less for each voter at the polling place, which will cut down on the lines Tuesday," Kane County Clerk Jack Cunningham said.

Turnout was even lower in Aurora, which has its own election commission. More than 800 early votes were cast, which translates to a turnout of about 1.5 percent.

Thursday was the last day to vote early in Illinois. Election Day is Tuesday; the polls will be open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m.

By Thursday afternoon, more than 8,900 ballots had been cast in Kane County. About one-third of those were cast at the clerk's office in Geneva, one of more than a dozen early voting locations open since Jan. 14. Cunningham expects the final tally to come in at about 10,000.

Double-digit turnout has been reported in several precincts in Rutland Township, home to Del Webb's Sun City development in Huntley, where voter turnout is historically high. Early-voting turnout is nearly 9 percent in the new village of Campton Hills, where voters are casting ballots in a contentious campaign for would-be village leaders.

Early voting remains relatively new to Illinois. This primary marks only the fifth opportunity -- and the first involving presidential candidates -- for citizens to vote early, so it's difficult to draw definite conclusions by comparing current and past turnout data.

Still, early-vote turnout in this election has surpassed that of previous Kane County elections.

"I'm pleased," Cunningham said. "It's going to take time before we catch up to other states that have had it (for) a long time."