Early voting in Chicago is off to a fast start. More than 21,000 cast their primary ballots in the first week of early voting. That’s more than the total number of people who voted early in the 2006 primary. Langdon Neal heads the Chicago Board of Election Commissioners. He says a lot of the early voters are senior citizens.

NEAL: They are our greatest participants historically. Our older community, I think, recognizes the importance of voting. That has not always translated to the younger community.

Neal says more voters are turning out on Chicago’s South Side than across the city. He credits community groups and churches for spreading the word about early voting.