With Illinois in play for both major political parties, turnout is expected to be high election day in central Illinois.
McLean County Clerk Kathy Michael says turnout was 40% in the 2008 primary. Bloomington Election Commission Director Paul Shannon says the city also had 40% turnout in 2008. Four years ago it was 28% for the county and 24.4% for the City of Bloomington. "I would guess that we're gonna see 40, at least. I'm basing that on the early voting that has come through our office," Michael said. That's about the same level as the primary when President Obama sought his first term.
For the County there have been 2000 plus mail in ballots and early voters and another 2,300 in the city of Bloomington. This time, Michael says, there were three more weeks of early voting allowed.
"We started February fourth, almost three weeks earlier. So, there is that. So, are we seeing just more people who are taking advantage of that and not going to their polling place? And we'll find that out," Michael said.
Michael says there has been some last minute early voting and voter registration by college students returning from Spring Break. She says most of the early voting get out the vote effort for specific candidates has been done for Democrat Bernie Sanders.
