Election Day Turnout: More Than A Million Ballots Cast In Chicago

CHICAGO (CBS) -- Voter turnout for November's general election in Chicago has hit more than 65% with more than a million votes cast in the city.

As of 4:30 Tuesday afternoon, the Chicago Board of Election Commissioners reported 1,051,529 ballots cast. The turnout is expected to go past 70% this year.

Earlier on Tuesday, turnout showed the overall turnout percentage will be in the mid 70s, according to the Chicago Board of Elections.

As of shortly after 2:00 p.m. Tuesday, 1,002,582 voters had voted, or about 63%, said Chairman James P. Allen of the Board of Election Commissioners. Allen said based on the feedback received from voters, there were be man "repeat customers."

"Just like we saw a lot of repeat customers from March primary, who had a positive experience using vote by mail and they appreciate the communications back and forth and notifications that the ballot had been received and will get counted," Allen said. "And we think this election is going to likely change not only how elections are run, possibly in Illinois, but in other jurisdictions around the country as well they're all going to be. We're all laboratories and all looking for the best practices with to find, and this has been a very challenging election but at the same time very educational."

Allen said he believed the highest voter turnout for Chicago for a presidential election was back in 1952 with more than two million ballots cast.

Voter turnout was steady but descending each hour, the board said. In the first hour, 30,000 voters went to the polls, followed by about 28,600 the second hour. By 2 p.m. the turnout was closer to 20,000 voters.

The biggest voter group by age so far has been 25 to 34-year-olds with 233,000 voters casting ballots. Next 35 to 44 age group with 191,000, then 55 to 64 at 168,000.

Allen said based on this year's smooth process, with early voting and vote-by-mail ballots, no polling place in Chicago will stay open late because of problems.

"The first time in years. We're very happy. We're grateful to the thousands of people whose who stood up in the middle of a pandemic and signed up saying that they you know they make the election come off. We're grateful to all the voters who who use vote by mail and early voting took advantage of those options they had their minds made up. That made everything today go that much more smoothly," Allen said.

That group was followed by 35 to 40-year-olds with 182,000 voters turning out. Just under 161,000 55 to 64-year-olds turned out, followed by about 154,000 45 to 54-year-olds.

Allen referred to Election Day so far as a "relatively smooth day," noting few issues at polling places.

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