As Illinois gears up for its 2024 primary elections on March 19, voters have a broad range of ways to hit the polls: from early voting already underway in numerous counties to the traditional casting of votes on Election Day itself. Chicago residents have the option to utilize one of the many ward-based early voting locations or the supersite at 191 North Clark, according to city officials, as reported by NBC Chicago.
Yet despite the logistics of where and when to vote being laid out, there's an underlying issue this election cycle, per ABC 7 Chicago; nearly 90% of the state's judicial and legislative primaries face a lack of competition, with 55% of primaries having just one candidate running and 33 percent with no candidates at all, this being the highest level of uncontested races in over two decades.
In a political climate where the notion of candidates reaching across the aisle has diminished, parties are becoming ideologically entrenched and often don’t bother fielding candidates in districts gerrymandered against them, ABC 7 Chicago explains. For many Illinois districts, particularly in Chicago, the primary essentially functions as the election, with no Republican candidates stepping up to challenge Democratic incumbents, whereas in rural areas Democrats are scarcely represented.
The few sparks of competition include the 76th House District where both parties are actively fielding candidates and the 20th Senate District in Chicago, currently held by Sen. Natalie Toro, facing her first Senate race, according to ABC 7 Chicago.
