Early voting begins at Loop Supersite, Chicago Board of Elections Offices

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Early voting started in Chicago on Thursday morning for the 2024 presidential election.

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Voters can cast their ballots at the Downtown Supersite or at the Chicago Board of Elections Offices.

Chicago officials said they expect 50% of city voters to cast their ballots early.

The Supersite is located at 191 N. Clark St. The Chicago Board of Elections Offices are located at 69 W. Washington St. on the sixth floor.

Both early voting locations will be open until Sunday, Oct. 27.

On weekdays, they are open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. On Saturdays, the sites are open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sundays.

Starting Oct. 28, the locations will extend their weekday hours from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. through Nov. 4.

On Election Day, which is Nov. 5, the Supersite will be open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Early voting in all 50 wards of Chicago begins Monday, Oct. 21 at 9 a.m.

Anyone in Illinois can register to vote at the locations or online.

To see all locations and times, click here.

People stood in line, waiting for the doors to open Thursday morning. And a steady flow of voters cast their ballots throughout the day.

"I've been really fired up about this election. I see it as a very, very stark contrast between two very different visions of America," voter Mohamed Ismail said.

Ismail was the first in line on Thursday at the Loop Supersite. He said he supports Kamala Harris.

"It represents a vision of America that could either go back or forward in my opinion. And I don't wanna go back," Ismail said.

On the other side, Elizabeth Pullapilly said she supports Donald Trump. She said she was unhappy with how the past four years have gone with the Biden-Harris administration.

"It's not safe anymore to go around America," Pullapilly said. "Looking back at 2016, I felt the Donald Trump really did a good job, and he took care of the people of this country. The economy was great; the people were very, very happy."

One woman said she cast her first presidential ballot for Franklin D. Roosevelt, and she wasn't about to sit out this one.

Mary Payne, who is 104, needed her walker to cast her ballot Thursday. What she did not need was any additional motivation. She wishes others valued voting as much as she does.

"They're not taking it as serious; it's just so messed up. We can vote; Black people can vote, and many of them are not doing it. They're not teaching their children how to be good citizens," Payne said.

Michael Curran, 22, is voting in his first presidential election. He came Thursday to avoid the long lines he endured in the primary.

"So, this time around, I want to make my vote count, and not have any deterrence of, like, waiting outside, or anything like that. So, really, voting early makes it accessible for voters like me," Curran said.

Voter Eduardo Miller said he's always voted.

"So, getting out on the first day has sort of become a bit of a ritual for me. And so, when I heard that this, this was open today, I figured I'd come down during my lunch break. So, they made it easy for me," Miller said.

One woman participated in early voting for the very first time.

"I have an opportunity for the first time to have an impact in this election that I think will be transformative," Marguerite Mariama said.

The Chicago Board of Elections Chairwoman Marisel Hernandez said she was heartened by the increase in early voters she saw Thursday morning.

"Given that there's so much interest in this election, we think that this is going to be sustained, that there's going to be an increase in early voting and vote by mail," she said.

The chairwoman added that there's been a surge of new registrations for people 18 to 35 years old, primarily young women.

Election authorities are expecting a near-record turnout.

Turnout Thursday in Chicago seemed higher than in a normal presidential election. Officials are projecting overall turnout to be over 70 percent this year.

Several suburbs began early voting last week. Sites opened in DuPage, Kane, Will, and McHenry counties, along with Lake County, Illinois.

Turnout was so good in DuPage County, when early voting started there on Sept. 26, they smashed first-day records, and interest remains high.

"It's been very strong all week long. Today we're going to be over 9,000 soon," DuPage County Clerk Jean Kaczmarek said.

Election officials are encouraging people to make a plan, so they don't miss out.

There was also a coordinated effort to get people to the polls Thursday, by Rainbow PUSH, sororities, unions and other groups.

A call-to-vote caravan descended on the downtown Supersite Thursday afternoon.

"Voting is imperative. It's not just a right. It is. It's a voice. Your voice must count, and you must go down-ballot. Don't just stop at president and vice president," said the Rev. Janette Wilson, with Rainbow PUSH.

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