Turnout low, but election voting ran smoothly in Sangamon County
Brenden Moore The State Journal-Register @brendenmoore13Steven Spearie The State Journal-Register @stevenspearie
Mar 17, 2020 at 12:29 PM Mar 17, 2020 at 10:45 PM
Democratic and Republican voters across Illinois Tuesday made their choices for president, Congress and a myriad of local races amid a global pandemic.
Turnout was low and appeared to be born out in the pace of voters filing into precincts in Sangamon County Tuesday morning.
About 500,000 Illinoisans early voted in this election, 100,000 more than in 2016, according to state election officials.
As of the end of the day Monday, there were 4,158 in-person early voters in Sangamon County, according to the county clerk's office. There have been 1,876 vote-by-mail ballots returned while 924 are still outstanding. There are 134,694 registered voters in the county.
Sangamon County Clerk Don Gray said Election Day turnout as of noon was about 6.5 percent.
Voting started out at "a snail's pace," admitted Gray, but he was a bit more uplifted as he bounced from one polling place to another.
"Interest is starting to grow," he said at Gardner Township. "We are seeing more activity. People see that it can be done quickly and safely."
While Gray said earlier that he predicted around 10 percent turnout, "who knows really," he asked. "All of our predictor numbers have been thrown out the window. We are in uncharted territory."
Gray said that there was "significantly more turnout" in New Berlin and Williamsville, where school bond referendums of $39.5 million and $40 million, respectively, were on the ballot. He also said there was a higher turnout in Gardner Township, where voters will decide whether or not the township remains dry.
Sangamon County has 79 polling stations for 180 precincts. And Gray says those polls were safe. Voters had hand sanitizer and election judges wiped down every surface at the polls with disinfectant wipes. Some election judges and voters were spotted wearing masks and gloves.
Problems appeared to be few and far between most places across the state besides Chicago, where election officials complained about the lack of hand sanitizer and there were delays getting certain polling places open. They said they requested that the state postpone the primary.
As Gray thanked poll workers at Cherry Hills Baptist Church, he reflected on the camaraderie the election seemed to elicit, despite the cloud of the coronavirus situation.
"What I think I've learned most in the morning is a real sense of community in Sangamon County," Gray said. "The individual voter is out thanking personnel for working and personnel is thankful voters are coming out casting ballots. I mean, that's extraordinary. In a regular election, it's the hustle and bustle of it all. We are going to be a better people coming out of this. Experiences like this in moments centered in and around our elections like that, it's a unique environment."
Gray had championed for the election to go on, despite the health uncertainties.
"I'm proud of how everyone, from the federal to the state to the local level came together," he said. "I hope the public realizes how hard we work for elections and do it right. Parties aside politics aside when you cast a ballot, that's universal to all of us. "
Still, an election during an pandemic is uncharted waters, according to those who have worked them for years. Faheem Hamdani, an election judge manning the polls at St. Agnes Grade School, admitted that it was the strangest election he's been a part of in 37 years doing it.
"You learn as you're stepping," Hamdani said. "We're doing pretty good today."
Eighteen-year-old Bricen Moore was working his first election Tuesday as an election judge for Capital Township 97 at VFW 2211.
The senior at Calvary Academy wanted a behind the scenes look at what election judges do.
"It's been reinforcing that way," said Moore, who also voted for the first time this year.
As for the experience, "I was a little nervous, but I got through it," Moore said.
Gray said that "younger generation stepped up" to help run the polls after more than 135 workers backed out in the past few days, many over coronavirus concerns. Gray thought his office would be mitigating more no-shows Tuesday morning, but that turned out not to be the case.
Staff writers Steven Spearie and Brenden Moore contributed to this report.
The State Journal-Register ~ Street address: One Copley Plaza (corner of Ninth Street and Capitol Avenue), Springfield, IL
Mailing address: The State Journal-Register, P.O. Box 219, Springfield, IL 62705-0219 ~ Do Not Sell My Personal Information ~ Cookie Policy ~ Do Not Sell My Personal Information ~ Privacy Policy ~ Terms Of Service ~ Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy