Early Voting in Illinois Increasing, But Higher in Other States

Since 2006, the use of Early Voting in Illinois Primary Elections has been steadily increasing. The 2018 Primary saw record turnout, with 22% of ballots cast before Election Day, compared to 18% in 2016. Early Voting in Illinois General Elections is also on the rise, with usage increasing significantly in Presidential Election years. In terms of timing, Illinois has one of the longest Early Voting periods in the country at 40 days, compared to the national average of 22 days.

Early Voting Trends Across the U.S.
While Early Voting numbers in Illinois are breaking state records, other major U.S. states have seen significantly higher figures. In recent Primary Elections, California has had an average of 64% of votes cast before Election Day. The primary source of Early Votes in California is through mail-in ballots, as election jurisdictions are not required to set up in-person polling places during the Early Voting period. However, many voters receive their ballots in the mail ahead of time by signing up as a “Permanent Vote-By-Mail Voter.” The Early Voting period in California lasts 29 days.

In Florida, 62% of voters cast their ballots ahead of time in 2016, with 43% of ballots cast by mail. Florida’s Early Voting period is just 15 days, but usage still rose between 2014 and 2016 in the state. By contrast, Illinois’ vote by mail percentage was just 4% in 2018, and 3% in 2016.

The area with the highest Early Voting percentage was Champaign County, where 40% of votes were cast before Election Day. Champaign County ran nine early voting locations, which is seven more than required by state statute. Schuyler County, situated in Central Illinois, saw 32% of its votes cast before Election Day.

Early Voting was higher than the state average in Chicago and Cook County, where 27% of votes were cast before Election Day. On average, Early Voting results in Illinois counties were more Democratic by 4 points than the county results overall.

Conversely, some counties still see a heavy reliance on Election-Day polling places. Hardin County, which has the smallest number of registered voters in Illinois, saw 100% of their votes cast on Election Day. 25% of votes cast in the 10 largest counties were submitted by mail or at an early voting location, compared to 14% of votes cast in the 10 smallest counties.

*Data from Vermilion County was excluded due to a discrepancy pending verification with the Illinois State Board of Elections