Monday was a record-breaking day for the first day of expanded early voting in DuPage County.
58% Increase
DuPage County officials say 12,380 ballots were cast at early voting locations. That’s a 58% increase over the previous record of 7,809 in 2016. Last year saw 6,218 votes cast on the first day of expanded early voting.
As of the end of Monday, over 18% of DuPage County’s 644,569 voters had cast their ballots, by either mail-in or in person early voting.
“High voter turnout reflects the enthusiasm for democracy. When voters don’t exercise their franchise, they allow those who do to make decisions for them which impact their lives,” DuPage County Clerk Jean Kaczmarek said. “When more people vote, it gives governments and those that are elected to run them greater legitimacy.”
More Voting Locations
The county opened up 50% more early voting locations since the primary. Early voting counts just at the DuPage County Fairgrounds from September 24 through October 17 were 16,066.
Mail-In Ballots
Mail-in ballots are also at a high, with 202,754 voters applying so far. That’s compared to 42,338 applicants in 2018, and 32,126 in 2016.
Kaczmarek is urging those who would like mail-in ballots to apply as early as possible, and asks those who have them to send them back as soon as possible.
If you have a story idea, we want to hear from you!
