Nov 9, 2024 Story by: Editor
As Vice President Kamala Harris campaigned to make history in her presidential bid, less than half of registered voters in Chicago’s predominantly Black wards participated in the November 5 election, according to data from the Chicago Board of Elections.
The majority of registered Illinois voters cast their ballots for Vice President Harris. However, Donald Trump ultimately won the general election, securing 277 electoral votes to Harris’s 224, though Illinois’ 19 electoral votes were not among those he captured.
In Chicago’s 17 Black wards, voter turnout reached only 49.75 percent, with 519,743 registered voters casting ballots. This turnout was significantly lower than in the 2020 presidential election, where 66.87 percent of Black ward voters participated, totaling 258,573 ballots.
Before Election Day, election officials were hopeful about turnout rates as long lines formed at polling places across the city during Early Voting. On November 4, the final day of Early Voting, about 200 voters waited up to three hours at the South Side YMCA in the 5th Ward, with some arriving as early as 4 a.m. for the 6 a.m. poll opening on Election Day.
Monique O’Neill-Strode, a voter at the South Side YMCA, shared that the previous day she attempted to vote at the Whitney Young Chicago Public Library branch in Chatham but found the lines too long to wait.
In 11 of the 17 Black wards, voter turnout fell below 50 percent. The 16th Ward reported the city’s lowest turnout, with only 35 percent of its 24,660 registered voters casting ballots—just 8,784 in total.
Despite the relatively low turnout, Black voter participation in these wards exceeded the citywide rate, where only 63 percent of Chicago’s 1.5 million registered voters cast ballots. Among Black wards, the 5th Ward led with over 70 percent voter turnout, followed by the 4th Ward with more than 63 percent, and the 27th Ward, where nearly 57 percent of its 35,822 voters participated. The 8th, 18th, and 29th wards also saw turnout rates above 50 percent.
Citywide, the 44th Ward on Chicago’s North Side recorded the highest voter turnout, with over 81 percent of its 32,459 registered voters casting ballots.
Young voters in Chicago turned out in record numbers, with the 25-34 age group leading the way at 206,704 ballots cast. They were followed by voters aged 35-44, who cast 169,946 ballots, and those aged 55-64 with 145,234 ballots. Voters aged 45-54 contributed 142,111 ballots, while the 65-74 age group cast 125,273 ballots. The lowest turnout was among 18-24-year-olds, with about 75,730 voters participating on November 5. Source: Chicago Crusader
