Andersonville resident Anthony Hamilton stopped by a voting supersite location in the Loop Monday to drop off his mail-in ballot. He said he likes to fill out his ballot early to make sure his vote counts.
“I live in the 9th District, and there’s 10 people running for the 9th District. And so right now it feels really important to have somebody who feels like they’re speaking to as many issues as that you, like, are concerned about as possible.”
Hamilton, 33, was one of the many voters across the Chicago area turning out to vote, as locations in all 50 wards and in 55 locations in suburban Cook County opened ahead of the March 17 primary election. Additional early voting sites also opened in the collar counties.
Marisel Hernandez, chairperson of the Chicago Board of Election Commissioners, was joined by Cook County Clerk Monica Gordon for a news conference at the supersite to update voters ahead of the primary. Officials said that they urged voters to vote early to avoid issues.
“You never know how the weather will be in the beginning of March, or what circumstances may come your way preventing you from voting as you originally planned,” Hernandez said. “We are urging Chicago voters to vote early and enjoy the peace of mind that comes with getting your civic duty out of the way.”
Bobbi Ball, of Streeterville, came by the supersite to drop off her mail-in ballot Monday. Issues most important to her included affordability, health care and employment.
“I think we would like to go to the grocery store and to be able to afford to pay for the food that’s in it, so that we could eat,” Ball, 75, said. “It would be good for people who have lost their health insurance to get that back. … And it would be good to pay attention to some of the errors that are facing our country now.”
Rochelle Hamilton, of Hyde Park, voted in person at the South Side YMCA in Woodlawn because of skepticism about mail-in voting.
“Prior to this, I think the past 20 years, I voted by mail. But I’m not sure I trust the system anymore. I’d rather do it in person,” she said.
Ahead of the primary, Hamilton said she is most concerned about finding candidates that don’t take money from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee.
“To be perfectly honest, I vote for all anti-AIPAC candidates. That’s what’s most important to me, because I think a lot of the troubles we’re having right now in foreign policy and even domestic are because of our allegiance to a foreign country,” she said.
And in suburban Berwyn, the first thing on Danny Vilchez’s mind as he went to vote at Berwyn Recreation Monday was affordability.
“Money has been the biggest issue my family has had for I don’t even know how long,” Vilchez said. “We were all told everything would be cheaper. … Everything has been the same way, if not worse.”
The 22-year-old had to transfer colleges last year when money troubles made attending his first school no longer viable. With $13,000 in loans and plans to pursue a master’s in public policy in the fall, he said he lost faith in those who won in 2024 to deliver on promises of a more affordable country.
While he identified as a Republican when he voted for the first time in 2022, he has since shifted leftward, in part because of immigration policy. He saic there should be stronger pathways to citizenship.
“My family is Hispanic, so it felt like we weren’t their target demographic anymore,” Vilchez said. “[And] I grew up in Chicago, so I got very upset seeing the raids in Little Village, specifically.”
Over 170,500 applications to vote by mail had been submitted in Chicago, and over 26,000 votes have already been cast, Hernandez said.
Compared to the 2022 primary election, officials said they are seeing an increase in the number of votes. At this point in the June 2022 primary, she said about 11,000 votes had been cast.
“Voters look at the climate in our country, and in our state and city, at the time of election,” Hernandez said.
She also attributed the increase in votes to the number of open positions in which incumbents are not running for reelection.
Voters have been able to vote early at the Chicago Board of Elections office at 69 W. Washington St. and at a Downtown supersite at 137 S. State St. since Feb. 12.
“No matter where you live in the city, whether it’s a site closest to your home, to school, or your place of work, you can pick any early voting site to cast your ballot,” Hernandez said.
Find a full list of early voting sites here. Voters who want to vote by mail can still sign up for a mail-in ballot. The deadline to apply is 5 p.m. March 12.