It’s an adage all Chicago natives have heard: “Vote early, vote often.” And although casting multiple ballots is still frowned upon, students and city residents have the chance to vote weeks before Election Day.
Although early voting has been available in the past for absentees, this year Evanston voters need no excuse to take part in early voting anytime between Oct. 13 and Oct. 30.
According to the Web site of the Cook County Clerk, early voting began Monday in several locations in Chicago and its surrounding suburbs, including the Evanston Civic Center.
“We had over 400 people for the first day, and it looks like we’ll get close to that number again today, ” Evanston City Clerk Rodney Greene said Tuesday. “I think that’s the biggest surprise. People are taking an interest in this election more than they have in the past and they are coming out in droves.”
Despite the substantial amount of voters who turned out for early voting in Evanston on Tuesday, few had to wait in line for long. Almost all of the voters expressed surprise when they realized that the wait time at the early polls was so short.
“There were no lines,” said Elizabeth Buccheri, a professor in the Bienen School of Music. Buccheri wanted to avoid the crowds on Election Day and voted early.
“I think in this particular election we are going to see a lot of voter turnout,” she said. “Turnout on the day is going to be huge.”
Buccheri pointed out that the convenience of early voting comes at a price. Casting her vote meant doing so without having all the information about the candidates, a particular problem when it came to the election of judges. In the past, Buccheri has used endorsements from the League of Women Voters and the Bar Association to make her decisions.
For Buccheri and the hundreds of other residents who voted on Monday and Tuesday, the added convenience has compensated for uncertainty over portions of the ballot.
“This is just the coolest thing,” said Michael Doyle, an Evanston resident, as he got in line to cast his vote. Doyle voted early because he was ready to put the presidential election behind him.
“I was sick of all the crap in the media, and I wanted to get it over with,” Doyle said. He said early voting has allowed him to tune out the campaigning and has given him “permission to still be a good citizen and do my duty.”
Other voters echoed Doyle’s sentiment. Greene compared voting early to taking an exam before a friend has to. Though the friend has a little more time to study, “you just get to sit back and smile about it,” Greene said. “It relieves a lot of stress.”
