Illinois Early Voting Increased by 113,943 votes from this day in 2012

According to the Illinois State Board of Elections, voter registration has hit an all time high, with over 8 million active registered voters in the state. Illinois early voting has also increased significantly, from 227,805 early votes cast by October 27th in the 2012 Presidential Election to 341,748 early votes cast in the state as of yesterday evening. This is a statewide increase of 113,943 early votes.

Changes to early voting laws extended the length of early voting availability, the hours of early voting sites, and provided voters with the opportunity to cast an early ballot without an “excuse” or “reason” to do so. This Chicago Tribune article from the 2014 election includes more specific examples of how legal changes created new opportunities for early voting in the state.

The State Board of Elections also notes that some ballots that would now be considered “early votes” were marked as “in-person absentee” votes in 2012. The total number of absentee ballots requested by October 27th in 2012 was 250,537, compared with 419,789 absentee ballots requested today. Changes to the law in 2014 also made it much easier to request and receive an absentee ballot with the state. So far, 134,501 absentee ballots have been returned for the Illinois General Election on November 8th.