In February's mayoral primary, Chicago saw near-record lows for voter turnout. Only 33.5 percent of registered voters turned up to the ballots to vote. For clarity, that's not 33 percent of residents or eligible adults. It is 33 percent of those that are already registered in Chicago. Roughly 500k residents showed up to cast a ballot, of the 2.7 million residents. In April 2nd's runoff election, there was only a 31 percent turnout, which is expected to grow a few percents from mail-in ballots. The current record low was made in 2007, where only 33.08 percent of voters participated. The numbers seem shockingly low, but Chicago's election system is complex and many residents are overwhelmed by the complicated process and political corruption.
If any group of people should be equipped with the skills and knowledge to vote, it would be someone with a degree in Political Science. Even though I graduated magna cum laude in 2017, I have no clue how voting in Chicago works. I must admit that I am part of the large population of Chicago transplants, which intensifies the confusion. However, the confusion appears to be universal between other transplants and Chicago natives.
I have voted once. I voted in the 2016 Presidential election. My grandparents mailed me the ballot, told me to fill in the bubbles, and mail it back, for them to turn in. They sent me a voting guide and I honestly filled in whichever candidates they voted for, for smaller positions. During the 2012 Presidential Election, I was in the midst of training with the Army. I distinctly remember them asking us on Election Day if anyone wanted to go and vote. Out of a company of over a hundred soldiers, only one soldier raised his hand to go and vote.
During the midterm elections, I tried to tackle voting on my own. I did not know where to start, but luckily Facebook sent me a list of polling locations near me. Next, I tried to research candidates. It was easy to pick which candidate to vote for bigger positions like Governor. They are separated by political party and let's be honest with ourselves, that is how must of us vote. The ballot does not end there though. There is what seems to be a hundred names that follow the well-known candidates. There is a long list of candidates for different judge positions. For example, the appellate, circuit judges, and subcircuit judges. I asked my boyfriend who he was voting for and he said he picks whatever surnames are Hispanic.
Well, that is against everything I learned in my Political Science coursework.
I showed up to one of the polling places that had hours and a location which accommodated my schedule during that day. I waited in line, handed the man my ID, and he tells me I can't vote there. I am in the wrong ward. He asked me which ward I live in and I have absolutely no idea. This confusion continued beyond that election round.
When it was time to vote for Alderman and Mayor, I was overwhelmed by the number of signs that lined the streets. On top of not knowing which of the 50 wards I live in (each of the 50 wards has about 50 precincts within that ward) or what an Alderman even is, I didn't know which candidates to trust. When Hillary Clinton was running, I googled her political platform. I was so confused as to why so many Democrats disliked her when all the things she was running on seemed so good. It took many hours of research, an entire year of smear campaigns, and talking to others to understand why she rubbed so many people the wrong way.
I have a similar distrust for local candidates and it is very overwhelming. Chicago has a reputation for corrupt politicians. How do I know that this person is not another Ed Burke? How do I know that they have community members' best interests? How am I supposed to get to know candidates when there are fourteen candidates running for mayor? Being aware of the political corruption makes it hard to even feel comfortable voting.
It seems that the only way to vote for the right candidate would be to heavily research a ward, its needs, and get to know all the candidates that come through. Then you would basically need to never move out of the ward or risk losing decades of research. This potentially explains the higher voter turn out for residents over 60.
Voting is a powerful tool. So powerful that I need to know a candidate well before I give them my endorsement with a vote. It is not just about my candidate winning. If they do win, I feel somewhat responsible for their actions and have no one else to blame but myself. When a complex system is met with political corruption it is not surprising how many people are deterred from voting in Chicago.
