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High Number Of Early Voters Reported In Cook County

(CBS) -- If you don't normally vote in the primary but feel an urge to do so Tuesday, you're not alone. WBBM's Bob Roberts says records could be set.

Hot races drive early turnout and Cook County Clerk David Orr says we have them in the city and suburbs and Democrat and Republican.

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"The highest early vote in a primary was in 2008 when President Obama was on the ballot and that was below 52,000," Orr says. "Now, we were over 83,000."

Since 2008, the Illinois Campaign for Political Reform says primary turnout statewide has ranged from 17 to 32 percent, compared to 54 percent for the general election.

There has been a big shift in the ballots chosen from 66-30 in favor of Democrats in 2008 to 61-36 in favor of Republicans in 2014. Fewer than 70 percent of those eligible to vote in Chicago are registered.

For information on early voting locations in Cook County, visit cookcountyclerk.com.

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