Chicago voter turnout: Hundreds of thousands flock to polls for Illinois primary election

Key Illinois primary races in focus as voters head to the polls

Dr. Constance Mixon, political science professor at Elmhurst University, breaks down the high-stakes Illinois primary contests, including the open U.S. Senate seat and several competitive congressional and local races.

CHICAGO - More than 200,000 ballots had been cast in Chicago as of early Election Day, representing 13% of the city’s more than 1.5 million active registered voters.

The total of 211,766 ballots includes early voting and previously processed vote-by-mail ballots. Election officials said turnout figures will continue to update throughout the day.

Ballots cast by age group

By the numbers:

Here's a look at Chicago's voting totals as of 9 a.m.:

18 -24: 7,738 ballots cast

25-34: 28,784 ballots cast

35-44: 31,374 ballots cast

45-54: 26,756 ballots cast

55-64: 36,527 ballots cast

65-74: 44,390 ballots cast

75+: 35,426 ballots cast

By gender, women made up the majority of ballots cast with 120,035, compared with 91,263 from men. A small number of ballots were recorded from voters identifying as non-binary or undeclared.

Featured

article

Illinois 2026 Primary Election Day: Here are 5 things to watch as voters head to the polls

Primary Election Day is here in Illinois with several key races at the federal, state, and local level at stake.

Hourly data showed a steady flow of voters early in the day, with 5,104 ballots cast between 6 a.m. and 7 a.m., and 7,860 ballots between 7 a.m. and 8 a.m.

Officials said turnout is expected to rise throughout the day as polls remain open.