Based on a new map implemented by the Chicago Board of Elections, your ward, precinct, and polling place may have just changed. The new map reflects the latest ward boundaries approved by City Council on May 19, 2022, after contentious negotiations between Black and Hispanic council members.
Under this new map, all fifty wards experience precinct losses, some more than others. For example, the smallest loss occurs in the predominantly Hispanic 12th, 36th, and 15th Wards, with 1, 3, and 4 precincts lost, respectively. However, the most significant losses occur in the predominantly Black 18th, 21st, and 34th Wards, wiping out potentially 24, 25, and 33 precincts, respectively. Alderwoman Michelle Harris (8th Ward), who chaired the committee for the new ward boundaries, lost 26 precincts. In total, the city loses a staggering 779 precincts.
Along with the precinct losses comes a possible change in polling places and a reduction in the number of required election judges. According to a Chicago Board of Elections press release, the new precinct map is mandated and a requirement “every ten years after the US census.”
Max Bever, Director of Public Information for the Chicago Board of Elections, stated in a phone interview that precinct consolidation is a part of the redistricting process. “The last time the US census and Ward map got redistricted, precinct consolidation was a part of that too. We went down 501 precincts, so in 2010, we had 2,570 and went down to 2,069 [precincts]. For this year, we got that 2,069 going down to 1,290 for a reduction of 779 precincts … We’re also responding to a recent state law that was passed that gave the Board the authority to create new precincts by containing up to 1,800 registered voters. We didn’t go that far; we’re far under that state law requirement. The average number of voters per precinct now is 1,165.”
When questioned which polling places would be moved or eliminated by the redistricting, Bever stated: “While precincts are getting reduced, the amount of actual physical polling places is not going to change very much from the last election. So the June 28 primary had 1,043 polling places, and they were serving the 2,069 precincts.” With the reduction in precincts, Bever says, “most of the polling places will be serving a single precinct instead of two or three.”
Also, according to the press release, election judges will be reduced from 10,345 to 6,450, saving the city up to a reported 2M.
What could possibly go wrong?
When asked about the recent changes, 2022 Chicago mayoral candidate Dr. Willie Wilson stated: “I think it will have a devastating effect … I didn’t really know until it was brought to my attention by attorney [Richard] Boykin. If I didn’t know, other people out there surely do not know themselves,” referring to voters who may be surprised on election day about the changes.
Dr. Wilson’s concerns center around voter suppression and compare the recent changes to Republican tactics to suppress the Black vote. “If they (voters) go to the wrong poll … they tell you ‘you can’t vote, you got to go to another one.’ Then once you get over there, there’s going to be a line,” possibly leading to voters being discouraged from voting.
“This is devastating, very devastating,” he asserts, “because of the morale of the citizens now, not only in Chicago, but the whole state has been way, way down.” Dr. Wilson continues: “If they were going to do something like that, in my opinion … they should do it after the election … and consult with the voters too.”
In a December 2021 interview with Alderwoman Michelle Harris in SuburbanChicagoland.com, it was stated: “this map came from months of collaborative work among members of the City Council, informed by citizen input given at prior hearings, offered in writing, shared at local meetings held by aldermen, and submitted through a free, online redistricting tool.”
Alderwoman Harris said: “Redistricting is, and must be, a democratic process, and we must honor that by listening to all points of view on how to craft and tweak a map.”
A different approach happens at the Board of Elections; according to Bever, before making any changes, public engagement “Is not a legal requirement of this process. The Board has the authority to change precincts responding to state law the Illinois General Assembly passed.”
Dr. Wilson shared that his attorney Andy Finko intends to file an injunction to halt the proposed changes: “People are always talking about the Republicans down in Georgia suppressing the vote. Now, this is Chicago; democratic … looks like to me they are suppressing the voters themselves. And it’s wrong.”
Final confirmation of polling places is scheduled to be announced in early October, according to the Chicago Board of Elections press release. Click here to verify any changes to your ward, precinct, or polling place, and enter your information.
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