Village Sees Strong Turnout on First Day of Early Voting

Although it was only the first day of early voting for the Nov. 6 election, Tinley Park officials were already seeing an increase in participation Monday compared to previous years, including the 2008 presidential election.

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At a little past 3 p.m. Monday, Oct. 22, about 20 voters had completed early voting ballots at Village Hall, said Village Clerk Patrick Rea, adding that he expected a few more voters before voting stopped at 4:30 p.m. In 2008, the village had less than five ballots cast on the first day of early voting, Rea said. During that same year, the village had 328 early voters, and the biggest turnouts came in the last four days of early voting, he added.

Early voting at the Village Hall also reflects a small portion of Tinley Park voters: those living in Will County. There is no Tinley location for Cook County early voters; the Orland Township Hall is the closest early voting polling place for those Tinley residents. That location had more than 800 voters Monday, according to Orland Park Patch.

READ: State Senate: The Tribune Tells You Who to Vote For

The strong first-day numbers for Tinley Park come on the heels of a very successful voter registration drive the village held in advance of the election, Rea said. The Clerk's Office spent around $500 advertising the drive—a village first—and reached out to residents, particularly seniors and students, with visits to Tinley Park High School, Bettenhausen Recreation Center, Tinley Court Retirement Center and other similar locales, Rea said.

Overall, Rea's office registered 640 voters in September and the first nine days of October. That number outstrips the amount of voters the village has registered in the past three years combined.

"That was huge by our standards," Rea said. "That's a dickens of a response."

If the voter registration figures and first-day early voter numbers are any indication, local turnout for this year's November election could outdo the records set in the 2008 presidential race, Rea said.

"We're on track to do better than our last record turnout in 2008," he said.

How Can I Vote Early?

Early voting runs until Nov. 3. To vote early, you must have a valid photo ID. Those include a current driver’s license, a state-issued ID card, a college ID or another government-issued photo ID.

Cook County Early Voting Sites

Site

Address

Hours

Monday-Saturday: 9 a.m.–5 p.m.
Sunday: 9 a.m. – 3 p.m.

SOURCE: Cook County Clerk's Office

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