Feb 2, 2010 12:15 pm US/Central
Voters Stay Away In Droves For Primary
Voters Cast Ballots For Governor, U.S. Senator, Cook County Board President
CHICAGO (CBS) ―
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Voter turnout was low Tuesday morning at Old St. Mary's Church, at 1500 S. Michigan Ave.
CBS
Election officials say voter turnout is near historic lows for today's primary election.
Some downstate precincts are reporting turnout as low as 15 percent, while sources predict turnout around Chicago is hovering just above 20 percent. Turnout for a non-presidential election primary is typically low--around 25 percent to 30 percent.
As CBS 2's Susan Carlson reports, there have been no lines to vote at Old St. Mary's Catholic Church, at 1500 S. Michigan Ave. in the South Loop. The election judges say it's been quiet all morning. But those who did cast ballots came with a purpose and they were well-informed.
"I feel it's not only my right but my privilege in this country that we can make decisions about who runs our government," said voter Derrick Carpenter. "I did take some time to go through the web sites and see some of the candidates and what they were standing for."
"If you don't vote, you have no right to complain about who represents you and things like that," said voter Michelle Murphy.
But the Cook County Board of Elections says traditionally only about 25 to 30 percent of registered voters come out for a primary like this one and with the dismal weather, Tuesday's turnout will likely be even lower.
Some of the people we talked to who were not casting ballots said they have no time, no interest, or are not registered.
"I'm actually in school right now," said Crystal Partida. "I haven't had time to catch up on the candidates."
"I've just become a citizen so I haven't registered to vote," said Muhammed Ishaq. "Not this time. Maybe next time."
"It's not that I don't have an interest," said Kelley Fitzpatrick. "I didn't realize I wasn't registered and I didn't follow up on figuring out how to get registered."
The weather was also a factor in the turnout of election judges. The Cook County Board of Elections says some of their judges couldn't make it to their polling places on time Tuesday morning because of the snow.
But some people who did come out to vote said they weren't happy, and it wasn't because of the snow.
A steady snow didn't stop 62-year-old salesman John Rogers from voting downtown Tuesday. But the Democrat said he wasn't happy with the candidates. He says he didn't trust anyone running and that it's a matter of voting for lesser evils.
Another Democratic voter, 58-year-old Rich Hammer, said he wasn't excited about either of the Democratic gubernatorial candidates, Gov. Pat Quinn or Comptroller Dan Hynes.
But the unemployed Chicagoan says he cast his vote for Hynes because of Quinn's role as lieutenant governor when disgraced former Gov. Rod Blagojevich was in power. He says Quinn's role was innocent but that the association still turned him off.
If you are voting in Cook County and don't vote for all candidates on the ballot, you might get an "undervote alert" when you turn in your ballot. But contrary to some reports, your ballot will be counted whether you vote for every candidate or not.
Polls opened across the State of Illinois at 6 a.m. and close at 7 p.m.
Polling Places and Voter Information:
Chicago
Suburban Cook County
DuPage County
Lake County
Kane County
McHenry County
Will County
CBS 2 Voter Guide
THE RACES:
Illinois Governor
A year ago, the office of Illinois governor was linked in the popular mind with the Rod Blagojevich scandal. In the primary contests this year, the candidates have moved on to other issues, but the campaign has still been especially nasty.
On the Democratic side, incumbent Pat Quinn is up against Illinois Comptroller Dan Hynes. Quinn has emphasized a goal of putting people back to work, but has been taken to task for proposing income tax hikes to help balance the state budget. Hynes is also proposing an income tax increase, but only for people making over $200,000.
But taxes were not the subject of the barbs traded in the campaign. Quinn was taken to task for the MGT Push prisoner release program, which set free hundreds of potentially violent inmates by accelerating inmate awards of good-conduct credit. Quinn in turn blamed Hynes for failing to take action as comptroller when evidence surfaced of a grave reselling scandal at Burr Oak Cemetery.
Most notoriously, Hynes took out an ad showing late Mayor Harold Washington talking about firing Quinn as his Revenue Director. In the 1987 interview used in the campaign ad, Washington called Quinn a "completely undisciplined individual." But in response, Quinn pointed out that Hynes' father had left the Democratic Party to run against Washington in 1987.
On the Republican side, it's a crowded field of six candidates, and there has been no shortage of attack ads.
Businessman Adam Andrzejewski, state senators Bill Brady and Kirk Dillard, former Illinois Republican Party Chairman Andy McKenna, political commentator and former Cicero town spokesman Dan Proft, and former Illinois Attorney General and past gubernatorial candidate Jim Ryan are all fighting for the nomination.
A pledge not to raise taxes has been a common theme for most of the candidates.
McKenna has gained attention for comparing state elected officials to Blagojevich using the metaphor of "the hair," and more recently, attacking Dillard and Ryan for refusing to rule out a tax hike, and attacking Dillard further for running an ad supporting President Barack Obama two years ago.
But Dillard and Ryan ripped McKenna when the state GOP said he used party money for a poll with his own name, and didn't tell the party the poll could benefit him.
Carbondale attorney Rich Whitney is running unopposed for the Green Party nomination for governor. Whitney was also the candidate in 2006.
U.S. Senator
President Barack Obama's old Senate seat is now up for grabs.
Democrats are fighting to hold onto the seat. Current U.S. Sen. Roland Burris, whom Blagojevich appointed after being arrested on corruption charges for allegedly trying to sell the seat, is not running again. Despite being courted by President Obama, Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan decided not to run either.
Instead, the field is divided between three front-runners – Illinois Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias, former city Inspector General David Hoffman, and former Chicago Urban League President Cheryle Jackson.
Giannoulias was initially expected to have an easy time, but opponents took him to task for his office's handling of the Bright Start college savings program, which lost about $150 million because manager Oppenheimer Funds invested it in high-risk securities. Giannoulias was also criticized for his family's troubled Broadway Bank.
Both of these controversies became the subject of attack ads by Hoffman. Giannoulias fired back by saying Hoffman had been forced to apologize for a "false attack" involving an association between the Broadway Bank and convicted political fundraiser Tony Rezko.
Jackson, meanwhile, has been working to shirk her past association with Blagojevich, for whom she served as press secretary for four years.
Suburban doctor Robert Marshall is also running in the primary. A fifth candidate, attorney Jacob Meister dropped out of the race on Sunday and threw his support to Giannoulias.
Meanwhile on the Republican side, Mark Kirk has come out as the decisive frontrunner, with his five challengers rarely polling above 10 percent. But perennial candidate Andy Martin gained attention in December when he ran a radio ad claiming Kirk is gay and closeted.
Martin, who has a checkered past and was denied admission to the Illinois bar for a "moderately severe character defect," lost official recognition by the state Republican Party over the ads.
Real estate developer Patrick Hughes, meanwhile, has been seeking the vote of the disaffected "tea party" protesters, and has criticized Kirk for supporting cap and trade energy policies. Former Harvey city alderman John Arrington, retired Judge Donald Lowery, and historical researcher and former university teacher Kathleen Thomas are also in the contest.
Journalist and coach LeAlan Jones is running unopposed for the Green Party nomination.
Cook County Board President
Four years after replacing his ailing father on the ballot, Cook County Board President Todd Stroger is running to hold onto his seat, and is fighting against opponents trying to capitalize on anger about the 1 percent county sales tax hike Stroger pushed through the board in 2008.
In December, the board voted to roll back 0.5 percent of the tax hike, and their vote withstood a veto by Stroger. But Stroger foes have called for rolling back the whole sales tax, and his opponents have made that part of their campaign platform.
Ald. Toni Preckwinkle (4th) was recently shown with a "significant" lead. In calling for a sales tax rollback, she has used an ad portraying Benjamin Franklin in her ads along with Franklin's maxim, "A penny saved is a penny earned."
Opponent Terry O'Brien has also called for rolling back the whole sales tax increase. The Metropolitan Water Reclamation District board president has touted that he cleaned up waste in his government body, but O'Brien has taken heat for a $600 million bond deal by the MWRD that critics say could have saved as much as $8 million.
Cook County Circuit Court Clerk Dorothy Brown is also in the race, but has lately been described as "ethically challenged." She recently generated heat after employees said she pressured them for contributions in exchange for "jeans days" at work.
On the Republican side, the contest is between former state Sen. Roger Keats, and Chicago Police Officer John Garrido.
Tom Tresser, founder of the No Games Chicago group that fought against the Chicago 2016 Olympic bid, is unopposed for the Green Party nomination.
CBS 2's Susan Carlson and Political Producer Ed Marshall, and the Associated Press, contributed to this report.
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