Voter turnout in March primary set a Lake County record, clerk says
Voter turnout in last month's primary election set a Lake County record, officials announced Tuesday.
An estimated 44 percent of Lake County's registered voters - a whopping 182,851 people - hit polling places or voted by mail in the primary.
The percentage was double the rate in the 2012 presidential primary and almost triple the rate in the 2008 presidential primary, Lake County Clerk Carla Wyckoff said.
"It was exciting to see the crowds of people who came to vote on Election Day," Wyckoff said in a news release. "Lines at some voting sites were long because of the unexpected large turnout, and I thank the voters for their patience while waiting."
Wyckoff predicted turnout in November's general election - when the nation will pick the next president - could be as high as 70 percent or 80 percent.
Anticipating long lines at polling places in November, Wyckoff is urging people to vote early or by mail. Those options are open to all voters in Illinois.
Fourteen early voting sites in Lake County will be available Oct. 24 to Nov. 7, and some locations will offer evening and weekend hours. Voters can use any early voting site regardless of where they live in Lake County.
To find early voting sites, go to lakecountyil.gov/351/Voter-Power or call the county clerk's office at (847) 377-2400.
To vote by mail, voters can request a ballot starting Aug. 10. To get a ballot at that time, call (847) 377-2406 or send an email to votingbymail@lakecountyil.gov.
Ballots can be mailed to voters as early as Sept. 29.