Illinois Election Day 2022: Results, voter reaction and everything else that happened Tuesday
The Sun-Times and WBEZ’s coverage of a historic Election Day for the 2022 midterms.
The 2022 U.S. midterm elections were held Tuesday, Nov. 8, across the country. In Illinois, Gov. J.B. Pritzker, Sen. Tammy Duckworth and attorney general Kwame Raoul were among key winners in statewide races. Below, read a detailed blog of all the Election Day coverage from the Sun-Times and WBEZ.
- Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker won his reelection bid over Republican downstate state senator Darren Bailey.
- Democratic U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth on Tuesday coasted to a second term, fending off a challenge from Republican challenger Kathy Salvi.
- Kwame Raoul declared victory Tuesday night in his bid for a second term as Illinois attorney general, beating Tom DeVore, a small-town lawyer from southern Illinois.
- Democrats held on to their majority on the Illinois Supreme Court Tuesday night as Judge Elizabeth Rochford declared victory in one of two vacant seats up for grabs.
- Election results: See the data as votes get counted at Illinois’ 8,910 voting precincts
Republicans trying to hold on to at least one seat on the Cook County Board of Commissioners had few answers as of Tuesday evening where their efforts stood.
Election results were slow to come as of 8 p.m. for Sean Morrison, the lone incumbent Republican running to keep his Board seat.
“I’m hoping that a lot of our local and regional races come through,” Morrison said in a packed banquet hall in southwest suburban Orland Park, waiting for the results. He shared the party with Republican 6th Congressional candidate Keith Pekau.
The entire 17-member County Board plus its president, Toni Preckwinkle, was on the ballot, though several commissioners either did not run again or couldn’t because they lost in the June primary.
That means there will be new commissioners, and the politics of the board could shift. Democrats have long dominated. Heading into the election, there were only two Republican commissioners to 15 Democrats. Morrison was the only incumbent Republican on the ballot. The other Republican commissioner, Peter Silvestri, did not run for re-election.
Democrats held on to their majority on the Illinois Supreme Court Tuesday night as Judge Elizabeth Rochford declared victory in one of two vacant seats up for grabs.
Shortly before 10 p.m., Rochford thanked her supporters on Twitter and said her Republican opponent, Mark Curran, called her to concede in the newly drawn suburban 2nd District.
As she spoke, about 43% of precincts had been counted, with Rochford up 53% to 47% over the former Lake County sheriff who was seeking his first-ever judicial office in a district covering the northwestern and western suburbs.
In the western and southwestern suburban 3rd District, Appellate Justice Mary Kay O’Brien held a scant 51%-49% lead over incumbent Republican Justice Michael J. Burke, with 54% of precincts counted.
Democrats held onto two key statewide races Tuesday night.
“We’re going to keep helping families send their kids to college, fighting Wall Street and defending working families, and returning money to its rightful owners,” Illinois Treasurer Michael Frerichs declared in a statement, adding that his challenger, state Rep. Tom Demmer, R-Dixon, had called him to concede.
“While our campaign has come up short, our movement has just begun,” Demmer said in his statement.
With about 86% of precincts reporting, Frerichs had 55% of the votes compared to 42.8% for Demmer. Libertarian Preston Nelson trailed with 2.2%.
Incumbent Democratic Comptroller Susana Mendoza defeated Republican challenger Shannon L. Teresi. In a speech to supporters gathered at the Palmer House Hilton in the Loop, Mendoza declared victory, though Teresi had not conceded late Tuesday.
Trailing by more than 17 percentage points, Teresi did not respond to requests for comment late Tuesday.
Mendoza told those who didn’t vote for her that she would “work as passionately for you as I do for my family.”
With about 81% of precincts reporting, Mendoza, seeking a second full term as comptroller, had 57.9% of the votes, to about 40.3% for Teresi, the McHenry County auditor. Far behind was Deirdre McCloskey, the Libertarian candidate, with 1.8%.
Top-ticket Democrats in Illinois and other blue states repelled Republicans early Tuesday who were backed by former President Donald Trump, but control of Congress and the future of Joe Biden’s presidency rested in tougher contests.
And those have yet to be decided.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker declared victory over Republican Darren Bailey, a downstate farmer who secured Trump’s endorsement during the primary campaign.
Democrat incumbent Gov. J.B. Pritzker hugs Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton as they celebrate with their families during an election night rally at the Marriott Marquis Chicago after beating Republican candidate Darren Bailey and his running mate Stephanie Trussell in the Illinois gubernatorial election, Tuesday night, Nov. 8, 2022.
Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times
U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth also soared to a second term, prevailing over Republican challenger Kathy Salvi, who insisted Illinois is “crippled by one-party rule” in Springfield and Washington, D.C.
Still, the victories by Pritzker and Duckworth were so expected that the Associated Press called their races the moment the polls closed Tuesday. Their party won similar victories in Massachusetts and Maryland.
Democratic U.S. Reps. Lauren Underwood and Bill Foster were leading in other key Illinois congressional races Tuesday night. Meanwhile, Democratic U.S. Rep. Sean Casten found himself in a closer contest.
The outcome of races for House and Senate will determine the future of Biden’s agenda and serve as a referendum on his administration as the nation reels from record-high inflation and concerns over the direction of the country. Republican control of the House would likely trigger a round of investigations into Biden and his family, while a GOP Senate takeover would hobble Biden’s ability to make judicial appointments.
Democrat Alexi Giannoulias wins race for Illinois secretary of state
Alexi Giannoulias’ last run for office — in 2010, for President Barack Obama’s former U.S. Senate seat — ended in stinging defeat that halted his political career.
Until Tuesday, at least, when Giannoulias, a Democrat, formalized his planned comeback, with a dominant win over Republican Dan Brady in the election for Illinois secretary of state.
Giannoulias replaces the retiring Jesse White to run a state agency responsible for driver’s licenses and motor vehicle registrations — and known historically as a launching pad for even higher office.
With more than 47% of precincts reporting, Giannoulias had roughly 59% of the vote to around 39% for Brady, a veteran state legislator from Bloomington. Libertarian Jon Stewart had 2%.
Brady’s spokeswoman says her candidate conceded Tuesday evening, before Giannoulias spoke to supporters, declaring victory.
An emotional Sean Casten declared victory in his bid for a third term in Congress after edging out a Republican challenger as Democratic incumbents across Chicago’s suburbs seemed to overcome political headwinds.
Casten seemed to swap positions with Orland Park Mayor Keith Pekau as each batch of returns were reported Tuesday night in the race for the 6th District. But with 96% of precincts reporting, Casten led Pekau 54% to 46%.
Around 10:30 p.m. Tuesday, Casten took to the lectern at Chicago Laborers District Council hall to tell supporters Pekau had conceded the race.
Casten, whose 17-year-old daughter, Gwen, died in June of cardiac arrhythmia, said the race was difficult personally and politically. Tearing up, Casten recalled taking the stage to announce his victory in 2020 with Gwen by his side and the political strife of the last two years in a polarized Congress.
“Part of the why it feels so good to have won tonight is because I needed this reminder – as Elijah Cummings used to tell us – that we are better than this,” Casten said.
Farther south, Democrat Lauren Underwood faced a close race in her bid for a third term representing the 14th District against Scott Gryder. Underwood led the Kendall County Board president by 51% to 49%, with about 44% of precincts reporting.
The two districts, which Biden carried by more than 10 points two years ago, became battlegrounds for Democrats in the days running up to Tuesday’s vote. With the party facing difficult odds of retaining a narrow majority in the U.S. House, Casten welcomed President Joe Biden and Speaker Nancy Pelosi in the closing days of the campaign.
An Illinois constitutional amendment guaranteeing workers’ right to unionize drew strong voter support Tuesday, but whether the measure becomes law could depend on a count of all ballots.
The Workers’ Rights Amendment, if adopted, would assure the right to collective bargaining while banning any right-to-work laws for the private sector. Right-to-work allows people to avoid union dues as a condition of employment.
The amendment would pass if it meets one of two tests: approval from at least 60% of those voting on the amendment, or from a majority of all persons voting in the election.
Statewide results showed the amendment favored by 64% of voters making a choice on the issue, with about 38% of precincts reporting. Amendment supporters said it appeared it also would be backed by a majority of all voters.
“We feel good. We feel confident we will reach that 60% threshold,” said Joe Bowen, spokesman for the Vote Yes for Workers’ Rights campaign. “It will be a while to get a sense of the total turnout.”
Two of the most powerful women in Cook County Democratic politics — Toni Preckwinkle and Karen Yarbrough — easily defeated their GOP challengers, Bob Fioretti and Tony Peraica.
Preckwinkle led the race for Cook County Board president all night against Fioretti, a former Chicago alderman, and Libertarian Thea Tsatsos, winning by a wide margin — 67% to 30% and 3%, with 96.7% precincts reporting.
Preckwinkle said she was comfortable declaring victory, saying in her fourth term she will “focus on the distribution of Cook County’s $1 billion in American Rescue Plan Act funding.”
Preckwinkle winning her fourth term leading the Cook County Board of Commissioners sets the stage for her holding that office longer than anyone except George W. Dunne, the party stalwart who served nearly 22 years.
The Hyde Park Democrat faced a repeat foe in Fioretti, who has run six campaigns in seven years for four different offices. He challenged Preckwinkle for her seat four years ago — although this time he did so as a Republican.
Kwame Raoul declared victory Tuesday night in his bid for a second term as Illinois attorney general, beating Tom DeVore, a small-town lawyer from southern Illinois.
With almost 67% of the state’s precincts reporting, Raoul had about 56% of the vote to DeVore’s 42%. Libertarian candidate Daniel K. Robin had about 2%. DeVore conceded the race late Tuesday night.
“I’m your 42nd attorney general, and I’m going to serve as such for the next four years,” Raoul said in a victory speech.
Jonathan Jackson, Delia Ramirez declare victory, bringing new blood to Illinois congressional delegation
Two Democrats from Chicago appear to be headed to Congress after declaring victory Tuesday — a North Sider becoming the first Latina in the Illinois delegation and a South Sider, whose brother previously held a congressional seat.
State Rep. Delia Ramirez and businessman Jonathan Jackson, son of the Rev. Jesse Jackson, both campaigned on progressive platforms to win districts that were changed after the 2020 U.S. Census.
Ramirez was leading Republican Justin Burau in the 3rd Congressional District race with over 65% of the votes tallied, holding more than 69%. The seat was left open when state legislators redrew the district’s boundaries, creating a second district with a large Latino base. It now includes portions of the West and Northwest sides and stretches to the far western suburbs.
In a statement, Ramirez said the redistricting “presented us with a historic opportunity to expand Latino representation in Illinois.
“We have done this and broken a glass ceiling for Latinas throughout the entire Midwest,” she said after hosting an election night party in Warrenville. “We delivered this victory by campaigning on an unapologetically progressive platform, and a deep commitment to representing the needs of working people in Congress.”
Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker won his reelection bid over Republican downstate state senator Darren Bailey — in a decisive victory that also clears a path to any future political aspirations.
The Associated Press called the race at 7 p.m., based on exit polling. With 63% of precincts reporting, Pritzker led Bailey 55.3% to 41.7%. Pritzker took the stage to deliver a victory speech at 8:13 p.m., citing networks calling the race.
“I am so thrilled to spend four more years as your governor,” Pritzker said to cheers.
In a fiery speech reminiscent of his political addresses that have sparked presidential speculation, Pritzker took direct aim at MAGA Republicans, saying he’d defend Illinois at all costs when it comes to abortion rights.
Bailey was endorsed by former President Donald Trump in the primary, but took pains not to discuss Trump during the general election.
“Anyone who thinks they can come into this state and try to force some right-wing, MAGA war on a woman’s body, you will never get an inch of Illinois,” Pritzker said.
In prepared remarks sent to reporters, Pritzker had planned to say Bailey had conceded, and it was a sign that democracy works. That appeared to be a rosy scenario. Bailey had not conceded at the time of the speech.
Pritzker’s campaign later confirmed Bailey conceded around 9:38 p.m. And the Republican waited nearly 90 minutes after Pritzker spoke to address his own supporters in Springfield.
Sen. Tammy Duckworth secures second term over Republican challenger Kathy Salvi
Democratic U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth on Tuesday coasted to a second term, fending off a challenge from Republican Kathy Salvi to extend her historic Senate career another six years.
Within an hour of the polls closing, Duckworth had declared victory and Salvi had conceded, though returns were incomplete. With about 70% of precincts reporting, Duckworth led with nearly 59% of the vote compared to 40% for Salvi and less than 2% for Libertarian candidate Bill Redpath.
Duckworth told a cheering crowd at the Adler Planetarium that she was “honored to get to keep working to help every kid in every pocket of Illinois realize their own dreams, too.”
Guests at the wounded Iraq War veteran’s election night party, including Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, were treated to stuffed toy ducks with camouflage shirts emblazoned with the phrase “Tammy Strong.”
“I’m going to roll my wheelchair into every office in the Capitol if necessary, working to ensure that our nation’s first great pledge — that everyone has the right to pursue happiness — holds true all these years later,” Duckworth said.
With her victory, Illinois’ first Asian American senator becomes its first woman reelected to a Senate seat. Former Sen. Carol Moseley Braun made history as the state’s first woman senator in 1993 but was ousted after one term.
Incumbent Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul hosted an election day basketball game earlier Tuesday in Chicago’s Near West Side neighborhood before his election party at Offshore Rooftop on Navy Pier.
Supporters trickled into the restaurant Tuesday night and snacked on burgers and crab cakes, and a few people warmed themselves around a fire on the porch overlooking Lake Michigan.
Benita Gibson stood by the bar with a wide smile. She said she’d known Raoul since 1983 and appreciated his positivity and commitment. She said she was passionate about voting access and was proud that earlier in the day she was able to help her 93-year-old mother vote.
Sofia Aranda, 22, sat at a table under the red, white, and blue lights. She said she supported Raoul because she cared about abortion rights and the environment.
“I believe he will win,” she said.
In the final weeks of the campaign, candidates in the race for Illinois attorney general focused on the SAFE-T Act and crime. Raoul is a former prosecutor who served as a Democratic state senator for 14 years before becoming AG in 2019. His Republican challenger, Tom DeVore, rose to prominence when he sued the state over mask mandates.
— Shannon Heffernan, WBEZ
Chicago voter turnout for the 2022 General Election appears to be lagging quite a bit behind numbers from the last midterms in 2018.
Only 636,931 ballots have been cast in Chicago this year as of 7 p.m. local time, which is when polls across the city started to close, according to the Chicago Board of Elections. That’s a voter turnout rate of 41.3%, well below the roughly 56% of registered Chicago voters who sent in ballots four years ago.
The numbers for this year already include all early voting and mail-in ballots.
Nearly half of Chicago voters had new polling places this year as a result of a redrawn ward map and the consolidation of voting precincts.
The Associated Press has called several races in the 2022 Illinois General Election, reporting that Gov. J.B. Pritzker and U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth have been reelected.
With just 7% of votes counted, the Sun-Times is holding off on making a final call in these races.
The AP decision is based on exit polling.
Inside a banquet hall in southwest suburban Orland Park, supporters for Republican candidate for the 6th Congressional District Keith Pekau gathered. Those included his childhood friend Bill Burns, who warmed up his guitar to play songs from the Eagles’ hits.
“We’ve known Keith since first grade, so don’t ask us any questions about him,” Burns said with a laugh.
Pekau, a Republican and mayor of Orland Park, hopes to defeat Democratic U.S. Rep. Sean Casten. Pekau and Cook County Board Commissioner Sean Morrison, the lone incumbent Republican on the 17-member board to run for re-election, are having a party together at Elements by the Odyssey.
There was a cash bar, and a bartender quipped she plans to come up with a drink called “the Pekau.”
Nearby, a row of tables were covered in white tablecloths, waiting for the party food — smoked pulled chicken, and chorizo and potato that would be kept warm on bricks.
A row of cameras from news outlets awaits, as a handful of people trickle in as polls closed.
More than 570,000 ballots have been cast by Chicago voters as of 5 p.m., making for a citywide turnout of 37.1%, according to the Chicago Board of Elections.
The vote total includes all early votes and vote-by-mail ballots received before Election Day in Chicago, election officials said. The day’s largest turnout so far came within the 4 p.m. hour, with 34,347 ballots cast.
Election data also showed that, by 5 p.m., voters in the 55-64 age range made for the largest turnout, totaling 106,519 ballots cast. The second-largest age group to turn out was voters in the 65-74 range, with 98,169 ballots cast.
The age range with the least amount of votes cast was the 18-24 group, with a total of 24,405 ballots cast. However, the 25-34 age range totaled 96,072 ballots cast as of 5 p.m., according to city data.
Chicago voters navigated changing polling places Tuesday as they headed to the ballot box to vote for the next governor of Illinois and other seats up for grabs in this midterm election.
At New Field Elementary School in Rogers Park, the doors were shut as a bright red sign posted on the entrance let voters know in bold letters their polling place had moved. And around the corner at the Rogers Park Library Branch, some voters were also being sent elsewhere.
Kumari Ghalley, a 43-year-old Rogers Park resident had walked to the library expecting to vote at her traditional polling place. Instead, she was told her polling place was now a 10-minute walk away at Paschen Park.
“They sent me there but actually this place is easy for me,” Ghalley said of her old polling place, later adding: “I cannot walk long distances.”
Due to the redrawn ward map and precinct consolidation required by state law, nearly half of Chicago’s voters have a newly assigned polling place this Election Day, said Max Bever, director of public information for the Chicago Board of Elections. Registered voters were mailed cards informing them of their new polling location and the Board of Elections said it was spending 10 times what it spent last year on print and digital advertising to inform voters.
Maria Romero, a 12-year Little Village resident, spent her day getting signatures for mayoral candidate Brandon Johnson and campaigning for the Workers’ Rights Amendment.
Romero said since she had gotten to the polls at 9 a.m. she’d seen very few young voters and attributed it to an apathy she said she sees in her grandkids and younger relatives.
“The 20-somethings are not really participating,” Romero said. “In my own family, it seems like [voting] doesn’t matter to them. I’d like something to change in that regard so they could be more involved in the community. Coming out and participating matters.”
Fred Brandstrader, a 22-year-old Bridgeport resident, said voters his age might skip the polls due to a lack of information, something he has struggled with before voting.
“It would be nice to have a more cohesive ‘cheat sheet’ about where the candidates stand on things,” Brandstrader said. “As a young person, it’s pressed on me a lot to vote, but I don’t know where to go to find out who I want to vote for.”
Brandstrader said, from what he had read up on before hitting the voting booth, he felt strongly about the proposed tax increase to provide funding for forest preserves.
“I believe it’s important for us to take care of the Earth we inhabit,” Brandstrader said. “If [the government is] going to be charging for all these random things, I think we should be putting some resources back into the land that provides for us.”
The idea of misinformation has played a large role in recent elections, but has also bled into some Chicagoans’ personal relationships.
Gabriel Welmers, a Michigan native and Bridgeport resident, said he’s received countless texts with misinformation about the elections in Michigan despite being registered to vote in Chicago.
The 38-year-old said many of his friends and relatives have started believing in what has been pushed by these campaigns or just stopped caring, putting tension on his relationships with them.
“I’ve lost a lot of friends recently because of hard conversations I’ve had with them that they don’t feel is important anymore,” Welmers said. “It’s sad … people have changed their tune entirely around important [issues].”
Bishop Tavis Grant, acting national executive director for Rainbow PUSH Coalition, the Chicago-based international civil rights organization, said his group has been taking calls from voters since before the polls opened Tuesday morning.
Grant said most callers are asking about whether they can vote as felons, which IDs they need to vote and why certain entrances are closed at polling places.
Most of these issues have been resolved quickly, though Rainbow PUSH is prepping for a larger fight after Tuesday amid reports of voter intimidation in other states.
Grant said he has yet to hear of anything of the sort happening in Chicago, but said Rainbow PUSH is preparing a “strong” legal response in other states.
Secretary of state and judges’ races were foremost in his mind because of how they could impact the handling of voting issues and progressive legislative efforts.
“If there’s a Republican [Illinois] Supreme Court, a lot of the key pieces of legislation related to criminal justice reform, environmental issues, women’s rights and measures related to equality are up for grabs,” Grant said.
Max Bever, director of public information for the Chicago Board of Elections, provided a midday update on how voting is going throughout the city.
Polls opened relatively smoothly Tuesday morning, Bever said, but some minor recurring issues have cropped up throughout the day.
The first has to do with voters needing to fill out two separate paper ballots, labeled A and B. The A ballot has federal, state and county races, the constitution amendment, appellate and circuit judge races and the Cook County forest preserve tax. Ballot B covers the retention of judges currently in office and any local referendums.
So far, 24 precincts have reported that some voters have only filled out ballot A and not ballot B, Bever said. For anyone who has voted but didn’t fill out a ballot B, he advises voters to reach out to the election board’s helpline: 312-269-7870.
Another issue involves the felt-tipped pens voters are given to fill out their ballots. It’s OK if the ink from the pen, such as a Sharpie, bleeds through to the other side of the ballot, Bever said. It doesn’t invalidate the vote. But a problem that has impacted some ballots is the ink can bleed through from ballot A to ballot B if the two sheets of paper are stacked together.
Some voters have also been confused by changes to their polling locations. Half of Chicago voters had their usual polling places changed this year thanks to ward redistricting and a new state law requiring precincts to be consolidated, Bever said.
“Please, if you are still looking to vote today, please check your polling place ahead of time,” Bever said.
Voters can find their polling place by searching here.
Since the polls opened at 6 a.m. Tuesday morning, turnout has been slow but steady in Chicago.
Citywide turnout by noon on Tuesday was at 27.1% with 417,286 ballots cast, according to city election officials. There are 1,540,821 registered voters in Chicago.
Voters between 55 and 64 have had the highest turnout with 79,372 ballots cast. Younger voters, between 18 and 24, are the lowest turnout group so far, with 14,339 ballots cast as of noon Tuesday.
As of Sunday night, 103,205 mail-in ballots had been submitted and 134,014 had voted early, according to election officials. Roughly 280,000 people had requested mail-in ballots.
Sandy Williams had no trouble voting at the same place he’s always voted at, but issues arose when he took his 92-year-old mother Katherine Williams to her polling place.
After taking her to city field house, her “historic” polling place, he was told her new polling place was at 901 E. 95th St.
It was there he was once again informed his mother’s polling place was at a different location.
Instead of driving to McDade Elementary School, which he said is “right behind” where she lives, poll workers had her fill out a provisional ballot — two hours after they’d initially set out to cast her vote.
“It’s very aggravating,” Williams said. “I’ve never seen it happen like this.”
Williams said his mother’s residence switched to the ninth ward during redistricting, though she was never notified her polling place would be changed.
An election worker at a polling place on the South Side, who didn’t want their name used, said people going to the wrong voting site had been an issue since the day started.
“We have a lot of seniors in my ward, they’ve gotta get out of the car and walk up the stairs just to see nobody’s there,” they said. “[By the end of the day] there are only a couple of hours left, if you go to the wrong place after work, that might be the difference between picking up your kids or having dinner prepared.”
Alex and Claire Cockrum, also Portage Park residents, were voting for many reasons – especially to protect women’s rights.
But before they could vote, they were turned away at St. Constance Church because they were at the wrong polling place.
They’ve always voted at Prussing Elementary School, just down the street from the church. But ahead of Election Day, their alderperson, Ald. Jim Gardiner (45th), sent out a flier to the couple and their neighbors saying their precinct had changed to St. Constance Church.
Jazmin Bandera, a poll worker at St. Constance, said the Cockrums weren’t the only ones dealing with this mix up. She has been sending people showing up to vote at the church over to Prussing and has talked with people who were sent to St. Constance from the school.
Those voters were either at the wrong place because of Gardiner’s flier or because their voter registration card had the wrong location, Bandera said.
“People have been super understanding about the confusion. Luckily the school is also just down the street from here,” Bandera said. “It’s really only caused a traffic jam at the check-in table, especially since voter turnout has been strong here.”
At Prussing Elementary, Diana Bandera, a poll worker and also Jazmin Bandera’s sister, said she’s sent a handful of people over to St. Constance because they went to the wrong location.
Nolan and Nichole Silas, a married couple, said they went to vote at their polling place, the Historic Pullman Foundation building, with the Workers’ Rights Amendment in mind.
The couple, who are both union workers, voiced concern about becoming a “right-to-work” state, listing Indiana and Wisconsin off as examples.
“I think unions are important, especially in a place where if you don’t have someone fighting for your rights, you’re screwed,” Nichole said.
Anthony Etheridge, a lifelong Pullman resident, also came out in support of the amendment. He said the measure was another part of Pullman’s storied labor movement history.
“This is Pullman, workers’ rights is what this community symbolizes,” Etheridge said.
Etheridge said the measure being a constitutional amendment is important because it enshrines the rights beyond the whims of the election cycle.
“You can have local or state policy, but we need to have those rights secured,” Etheridge said. “This gives it a stronger position to ensure workers in the state are getting a fair share.”
David Schenkenfelder, an 18-year resident of Mount Prospect, was at Westbrook Elementary School with his wife and 5-year old Golden Retriever Lily just a half hour after polls opened at 6 a.m.
He said they went early both to accommodate later plans and to avoid crowds and politicians at the polls.
“I don’t see anyone out here trying to aim me toward anything, I’m having a nice dog walk,” Schenkenfelder said before feeding Lily some treats. “I vote and I go home… If we had crazy people out here I’d probably walk away.”
For others, election day is a more dedicated ritual.
Deborah Boscoe, a 13-year resident of Park Ridge, said she makes a point to vote on Election Day both because she likes to see her neighbors and because she wants to show what voting means to her.
“I want to demonstrate to people how important it is,” Boscoe said. “I don’t care what’s going on, I take the time out of this day to honor that.”
Boscoe got emotional while exiting her polling place at Benjamin Franklin Elementary School, which she said was because of her ability to cast a ballot.
“I’m living the dream,” Boscoe, 53, said through tears. “I get to vote.”