Illinois election live updates: How the vote’s going Tuesday in the Chicago area - Chicago Tribune

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As polls opened at 6 a.m. Tuesday throughout Illinois, the highest profile contest on the ballot may be over who’ll occupy the Oval Office for the next four years. But the election intrigue doesn’t stop at the White House.

Meanwhile, all 118 Illinois House seats are up for election, as well as nearly one-third of the state Senate’s membership.

As of Monday, more than 3.5 million voters had already cast ballots across Illinois. Delays in ballot counting are possible, and there also is expected to be a heavy in-person voting presence Tuesday among traditionalists who insist on casting a ballot on Election Day. Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Monday urged patience regarding the counting of ballots.

Here are the latest election updates from across the Chicago area and Illinois:

9:08 a.m.: New citizen casts first ballot, ‘looking for a change’

Dorota Rakowska had always wanted to live the American Dream — and, now, she has a say in what that entails.

Rakowska, 39, an immigrant from Poland, cast her first-ever vote Tuesday morning at Stephen Tyng Mather High School in the 40th Ward. She said she moved to the United States 18 years ago, but just became a naturalized citizen last year, granting her the right to vote.

“It’s very emotional being able to participate completely now and being part of the American Dream,” Rakowska said. “It’s definitely a fulfilling moment.”

Cradling her six-month old son, Antoni Panzarella, Rakowska said she wanted to vote in person for her first experience. She initially came to Mather High School on Monday night to vote, but decided to vote on Election Day instead after seeing the lines stretch out the door and realizing Antoni would have to wait with her in the cold.

Her patience paid off — she didn’t have to wait in any line about 8:15 a.m. when she cast her ballot Tuesday at the school, which was adorned with campaign signs scattered along the front sidewalk as handfuls of voters made their way to the building.

Rakowska, a stay-at-home mom, said the economy was the most important issue to her this election. The last few months being stuck at home had been difficult for her, and she said she felt lucky her husband still had a job after many of their friends lost their livings in the economic fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I’m looking for a change,” Rakowska said outside Mather High School after casting her ballot. “I’m looking for a change for the better — get our city and country in order.”

—Kelli Smith

7:20 a.m.: At Rogers Park library, neighbor steps in for older poll worker because of COVID-19 risks

Aana Vigen wanted to work the polls on Election Day for her 80-year-old neighbor, Jean.

As she taped an American flag about 6:30 a.m. outside the Rogers Park Library polling place in Ward 49, a badge reading “Democratic Judge” attached to her shirt, Vigen recalled how Jean had always worked as an election judge in past years.

But with COVID-19 still a high risk, especially for older people, the 52-year-old election judge wanted to step in for her neighbor this election and set an example for her 13-year-old son, Ben, by participating in democracy.

“In the midst of all the grief and heartache of this year, doing active things helps me with the anxiety and the sadness,” Vigen, an ethics professor at Loyola University, said. “It gives me a sense of hope and purpose and I just hope we keep that spirit regardless of how this election plays out.”

There was no line outside the voting site Vigen was working in Rogers Park early Tuesday as a handful of voters rushed in and out to cast their ballot.

Marilyn Jaffe, 64, was the second voter who arrived, standing outside the doors at about 5:55 a.m. She said she’s always voted as early as she can on Election Day to avoid lines, and this year was no different.

For Jaffe, this election was about needing change after the last four years under President Donald Trump. She said the administration’s handling of COVID-19 and the nation’s divisiveness was a top factor for her decision.

“COVID is a big issue and hasn’t been addressed properly,” Jaffe said before entering the library at 6 a.m. to cast her vote.

—Kelli Smith

6:40 a.m. Chicago officials tout COVID-19 measures for election, tell businesses to sign up for protest, unrest alerts

With more than 756,000 early or by-mail ballots case by Chicago voters by Monday, city officials early Tuesday said that in addition to the more than 1,000 voting sites in the city, residents also can drop off their mail-in ballots at drop boxes at the city’s largest sports arenas.

Secure drop boxes are available at the United Center—a city voting super site, where any registered voter can cast a ballot—as well as Wrigley Field and Guaranteed Rate Field, according to a release from the mayor’s office. Chicago election officials replaced many of the city’s smaller polling places with larger ones better able to handle social distancing and have put in place health plans under the guidance of the city health department.

The city also plans to send out geographically targeted messages to businesses regarding “any expected rallies or large gatherings” in the wake of the election, according to the release. Neighborhood businesses can sign up for CHIBIZ alerts by sending via text the acronym “CHIBIZ” to 6-7-2-8-3. Anyone who signs up will receive emergency messages directly from the city’s Office of Emergency Management and Communications.

The emergency management office also “has launched a Business Operation Center” for businesses and other “private sector partners to exchange real-time information and provide situational awareness during public safety or public health issues,” according to the release.

—Chicago Tribune staff

6:26 a.m.: First person in line to vote at United Center traveled from South Side after being unable to sleep

Before the sun could rise, Nakiea Love sat on a concrete block outside the United Center. Love, who couldn’t sleep Monday night, got dressed around 4 a.m., hoping to be the first person in line to vote.

And that she was.

Love said she was unsure of where to vote near her South Side home, so to avoid any confusion, she decided to travel to one of the city’s two super sites, where she heard “any and everyone” could vote.

Armed with a Dunkin Donuts' iced coffee, Love, 34, said this election is one of the most important of her lifetime.

“It’s just been a lot,” she said. “It’s been a lot going on. I think it’s been a lot of issues that need to be addressed.”

Inside the United Center, in the hour before polls opened, election judges, security and poll workers prepared for the day. By 6 a.m., a line of socially distanced hopeful voters wrapped around the United Center’s south end.

—Javonte Anderson

5:55 a.m. Chicago Board of Elections chair says agency is ready for Election Day

At the beginning of Election Day, Marisel Hernandez, chairwoman of the Board of Election Commissioners, said she’s expecting a great turnout for this presidential election.

The Board of Elections has been preparing since March to arrange larger voting sites and adjust to the coronavirus pandemic so voters could cast their ballot safely, she said.

“We’ve been planning for a larger turnout because presidential elections historically have a larger turnout,” Hernandez said. “We’ve been planning just to give voters a good experience, and a transparent experience.”

Standing under the Michael Jordan Statue inside the United Center, 1901 W. Madison St., Hernandez spoke about the significance of having the city’s basketball arena open on Election Day.

For the first time in the arena’s history, the United Center served as a voting site. It’s one of the city’s two “super-sites,” which means all Chicago residents can vote there, and same-day registration is available.

Along with other polling places, both the United Center and the other city super site, located at 191 N. Clark St., were scheduled to close at 7 p.m. on Election Day, baring snafus. Those in line when the polls close will still be able to vote.

“It’s an iconic Chicago symbol,” Hernandez said about the United Center. “It’s a symbol of who we are and how strong Chicagoans are. How united we are. And so, all of that will be reflected in the voters who come out today. We’re strong; we’re united, we’re a team.”

All Chicago voting sites will be following all federal and state public health guidelines, Hernandez said.

“We have available for the voter’s masks, hand gel, we will have disinfectant wipes, we will have socially distant spacing. We have put into place everything possible to keep voters and our workers safe.”

—Javonte Anderson

5:29 a.m. Against a backdrop of pandemic, civil unrest and charged political rhetoric, it’s Election Day in Illinois and across the country.

Illinois voters who didn’t cast an early or mail-in ballot go to the polls Tuesday to wrap up a contentious political season complicated by pandemic restrictions that have forced them to largely watch from afar.

Polls open at 6 a.m. and close at 7 p.m. with weather forecast to be unusually mild for early November, with temperatures in Chicago predicted to be near 60 degrees and nearing 70 degrees downstate.

Election Day will bring an end to the thousands of TV ads, costing tens of millions of dollars, that have aired almost incessantly since September for candidates and a major ballot issue.

But it may take some time for the votes to be counted and there’s no guarantee results will be quickly available in key races. Nor is the election likely to put to rest the ongoing potential for social discontent and violence in what has been a year of civil unrest — the combustible byproduct of a charged presidential campaign, policing incidents in Black communities and restrictions resulting from COVID-19.

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Illinois election live updates: How the vote’s going Tuesday in the Chicago area - Chicago Tribune
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