Tuesday's turnout lower than usual

Voter turnout in Tuesday's local election was low even by the low-turnout standards set by previous local elections.

Suburban Cook County election officials expect turnout will reach 14 percent after late mail ballots are counted. That's compared to about 19 percent two years ago, 16.7 percent in 2011 and nearly 21 percent in 2009.

Voters perhaps weren't as motivated to go to the polls when there was no one to vote for. In Cook County, 63 percent of all local races were uncontested.

By comparison, 70.7 percent of registered voters cast a ballot in the 2012 presidential election in suburban Cook County.

McHenry County turnout was even lower at 10.9 percent and Lake County turnout Tuesday just a bit higher at 11.3 percent countywide, according to preliminary numbers. Kane County was reporting 13.6 percent.

In DuPage County, where hot races for Naperville mayor and relatively high turnout in Clarendon Hills, Oak Brook and Winfield buoyed numbers, turnout was about 17.1 percent.

Kane County Clerk John "Jack" Cunningham lamented the low voter turnout. He said local elections have a great affect on residents' lives, especially their property tax bills.

Cunningham said candidates could have done a better job generating interest in the election, but said it's difficult to match turnout of a presidential election because those candidates obviously have more resources to get the vote out.

"These races affect your property tax more than anything," Cunningham said. "I guess you have to feel like it personally affects you, but that's not the case with consolidated elections."

•Daily Herald staff writers Harry Hitzeman, Madhu Krishnamurthy and Robert Sanchez contributed to this story.