Chicago Voters Turn Out in Record Numbers for Midterm Election

Heavy voter participation marked the November 3, 2026, midterm elections across Chicago and surrounding communities, where residents cast ballots amid long waiting times and temporary shortages at polling stations. Election officials reported substantial early voting and mail-in participation, while voters in southwestern Michigan focused on a closely contested US Senate race between Democrat Abdul El-Sayed and Republican Mike Rogers.

By 6 p.m. Tuesday, nearly 334,000 ballots had been cast at Chicago polling locations, according to Chicago Board of Election Commissioners spokesperson Julie Metea. Those votes supplemented more than 211,000 early ballots submitted through Monday and approximately 109,000 mail-in ballots received by the city.

Cook County also recorded stronger early participation than during the previous midterm election. According to County Clerk Monica Gordon's office, suburban early voting exceeded 250,000 ballots by midday Monday, representing a 31% increase from 2022. Nearly 107,000 mail-in ballots had also reached the clerk's office, with another 11,000 moving through the postal system.

Gordon expected mail voting to exceed the 122,600 ballots recorded in the 2022 midterms. Ballots remained eligible for counting if deposited in an election dropbox or postmarked by the postal service before the 7 p.m. Tuesday deadline.

However, the substantial turnout created logistical difficulties at several Chicago polling locations. Some precincts exhausted their paper ballots early in the morning, prompting election officials to print and distribute additional supplies.

Chicago Ald. Daniel La Spata, representing the 1st Ward, reported that two precincts at Goethe Elementary School in Logan Square ran out of ballots around 9 a.m. Additional supplies arrived by approximately 1 p.m.

"In the time I've been doing this job, I have never heard of polling places running out of ballots," La Spata said.

He also questioned why the problem emerged so early in the voting process.

"It'd be one thing if we were hearing about this issue at 4 p.m. But to be hearing about this at 9 a.m. is concerning," La Spata said.

Officials attributed some shortages to precincts requiring multiple ballot formats because different political jurisdictions overlapped within their boundaries. Additional paper ballots were printed and delivered throughout the day.

At Rockwell on the River, voters in Precinct 17 of the 35th Ward encountered delays because the location had limited touchscreen equipment and insufficient supplies of one ballot format. Election judge Nergal Malham, 34, described the operational difficulties.

"This precinct utilizes three different styles of ballots, and we ran out of one style pretty much within a handful of hours," Malham said.

The shortage was compounded by limited equipment availability.

"We had only one touch screen assigned to us, which immediately caused a pretty big backlog," Malham said.

The election board eventually delivered a second touchscreen during the afternoon, although waiting times remained substantial.

Malham also warned that prolonged delays could discourage participation.

"There's a not-zero risk that some people left and won't come back tonight," Malham said.

Voter Erik Opland experienced the disruption firsthand, making three trips over approximately 5 1/2 hours before successfully casting his ballot at 5:30 p.m. After registering at his original precinct, he visited the downtown SuperSite but was directed back because his registration had already been processed at his assigned location.

"I just hope it gets fixed" for the next major election, Opland said.

Other locations operated without comparable disruptions. At Toman Library in Little Village, first-time voter Deisy Alvarez received recognition after submitting her ballot. Election judge Marta Resendiz encouraged continued participation.

"We need them," Resendiz said, referring to first-time voters.

Alvarez explained that immigration enforcement activity in her neighborhood influenced her decision to participate after previously questioning whether voting could make a difference.

"It's embarrassing," Alvarez said of her earlier reluctance to vote, "but I feel like it should be now or never."

Meanwhile, residents at Dawson Technical Institute in Bronzeville described voting as an important civic responsibility. Voter Aneita Williams, 58, connected participation to the historical struggle for voting rights.

"It's sad in the black community that anybody should be apathetic about voting because people died for the right for us to vote," Williams said. "So I feel that blood was shed on your behalf and you owe it to people who gave their lives."

Beyond Illinois, southwestern Michigan experienced steady voter participation during its closely watched Senate contest. Democrat Dr. Abdul El-Sayed faced former Republican Congressman Mike Rogers, with both candidates making final appeals to supporters.

El-Sayed, who sought to become the first Muslim senator, emphasized protecting workers, healthcare access and public education during his campaign message.

"When they come for our union rights, we won't back down. When they come for our healthcare, we won't back down. When they come for our public schools, we won't back down," El-Sayed said.

Rogers highlighted the political stakes of the contest while appealing to Republican voters.

"Our base is fired up. They understand the risk of having the Democrat Socialists of America have their first statewide candidate going into the United States Senate," Rogers said.

Both candidates continued urging residents to participate as voting concluded and election results began emerging across the region.