CHICAGO (WLS) — The I-Team has been in close contact all day with local election officials, monitoring for any irregularities during the vitally important primary expected to mark a generational shift in representation for the Chicago area.
Overall, things have been running smoothly.
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The most notable issue involved state Rep. LaShawn Ford, who is running to replace Danny Davis in the 7th Congressional District. Ford was initially denied a ballot at his polling place because he was erroneously marked as having already voted. He refused a provisional ballot and was eventually able to cast his vote with a regular ballot.
In another incident, ABC7 confirmed that one election location on the South Side’s 5th precinct, the Sherman School of Excellence, had to turn some voters away after running out of ballots. Chicago Board of Elections spokesperson Max Bever told the I-Team that ballots were rushed to the location, and voters were directed to use a touchscreen voting machine in the meantime.
Bever emphasized that there have been no systemic election irregularities so far on Tuesday, noting that turnout has been somewhat middling.
“The issue with candidate LaShawn Ford was resolved in about 40 minutes,” Bever said. “Mistakes can crop up, but thankfully, we have not seen anything that’s systemic across the city — really just minor issues. Ultimately, it’s been smooth, safe, and a little bit boring, which has been good for voters in Chicago.”
Cook County Clerk Monica Gordon also debuted a new election analytics platform, Election Lens, which aggregates real-time voter turnout data across suburban Cook County.
Meanwhile, DuPage County is on track for its highest midterm primary turnout ever.
The I-Team will continue monitoring and standing by in case any election security issues arise.
https://abc7chicago.com/post/illinois-election-day-back-yards-chicago-voting-site-turns-away-lashawn-ford-initially-denied-ballot-due-error/18726609/