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Early Voting to Expand Across Chicago, Suburban Cook County as Officials Unveil New Ballot-Tracking
Expanded early voting began Monday, October 19, 2026, across all 50 Chicago wards and 56 suburban Cook County locations, providing voters increased access ahead of the November 3 election.
"No Kings" rallies in Evanston and Chicago leveraged protest energy to mobilize citizens, urging them to channel frustration into action before the midterm elections.
Cook County Clerk Monica Gordon introduced "Election Lens," a new analytics platform allowing voters to track mail-in ballots via U.S. Postal Service scanning data from printing through return.
Residents have already requested more than 216,000 mail-in ballots, while early voters visited sites Monday to avoid potential Election Day lines and harsh winter weather.
Officials encourage voters to finalize plans now, as same-day registration remains available at all early voting sites and Election Day polling places through November 3.