POST-ELECTION REPORT Presidential Primary Election Suburban Cook County February 5, 2008 Table of Contents Highest Presidential Primary Turnout in 20 Years 1 Partisan Turnout by Township 2 Party Shift to Democratic Ballots Continues in Suburban Cook 3 Party Shift on Township Level Creates Near Democratic Sweep 4 Presidential Primary Results: • McCain Sweeps Suburban Townships 5 • Obama Takes 21 of 30 Townships 6 Results of Crowded Democratic State’s Attorney’s Race 7 Touch Screen v. Paper Ballot Voting 8 More Voters Agree: “Don’t Worry, Vote Early” 9 Township Turnout during Early Voting 10 Early Voting and Touch Screens: Survey Shows Wide Support 11 Early Voting and Touch Screens: Security, Accessibility and Flexibility 12 Suburban Cook County and Chicago Combined Summary Report • Ballots Cast 13 • Presidential Preference – DEM 13 • U.S. Senator – DEM 13 • Rep. in Congress – DEM 13-14 • Delegates National Nominating Convention – DEM 14-20 • State Senator – DEM 20-21, 60 • Rep. in Gen. Assembly – DEM 21-25, 60-62 • Water Reclamation Commissioner – DEM 25 • State’s Attorney – DEM 25 • Circuit Court Clerk – DEM 25 • Recorder of Deeds – DEM 25-26 • Board of Review – DEM 26 • Judges – DEM 26-29, 62-63 • Presidential Preference – REP 29-30 • U.S. Senator – REP 30 • Rep. in Congress – REP 30-31 • Delegates National Nominating Convention – REP 31-39 • State Senator – REP 39-40, 68 • Rep. in Gen. Assembly – REP 40-44, 69-70 • State’s Attorney – REP 44 • Judges – REP 44-47 • Presidential Preference – GRN 47 • Rep. in Congress – GRN 47-48 • Rep. in General Assembly – GRN 51 • Water Reclamation Commissioner – GRN 53 • Winnetka Village Trustee 56 • Countywide Referendum 56 • Referenda 57-60, 82-83 • Ward Committeeman – DEM 63-68 • Ward Committeeman – REP 70-76 • Ward Committeeman – GRN 78-82 HIGHEST PRESIDENTIAL PRIMARY TURNOUT IN 20 YEARS Turnout reached 43 percent in suburban Cook County for the Feb. 5, 2008 Presidential Primary, surpassing turnout levels for the last five Presidential Primary elections. A 40 percent turnout in 1992, when Bill Clinton was on the ballot, was the previous high in the last two decades until 585,449 voters showed up at the polls for the 2008 primary. PRESIDENTIAL PRIMARY TURNOUT: 1988-2008 Year Ballots Cast Turnout of Registered Voters 1988 411,984 33% 1992 476,517 40% 1996 309,772 25% 2000 282,041 23% 2004 402,751 31% 2008 585,449 43% Turnout in Presidential Primaries 50% 45% 40% 35% 30% 25% 20% 15% 10% 5% 0% 1988 1992 1996 2000 2004 2008 1 PARTISAN TURNOUT BY TOWNSHIP SUBURBAN COOK COUNTY FEBRUARY 2008 At 59 percent, Oak Park had the highest turnout, followed by Evanston with 55 percent. River Forest, Rich and New Trier townships each had 54 percent turnout. PERCENTAGE OF REGISTERED VOTERS WHO CAST BALLOTS BY TOWNSHIP Township Reg Vot Ballots Cast* % Dem % Repub Turnout Oak Park 32,612 19,346 89% 11% 59% Evanston 43,306 23,638 90% 10% 55% River Forest 7,146 3,890 75% 25% 54% Rich 47,200 25,689 91% 9% 54% New Trier 38,309 20,541 71% 29% 54% Calumet 9,729 4,701 96% 4% 48% Riverside 9,998 4,702 70% 30% 47% Proviso 84,118 38,723 86% 14% 46% Thornton 99,940 45,440 92% 8% 45% Northfield 55,192 24,878 70% 30% 45% Lyons 59,243 26,552 72% 28% 45% Wheeling 83,341 35,137 65% 35% 42% Worth 85,113 35,870 77% 23% 42% Bremen 64,068 26,723 82% 18% 42% Niles 59,845 24,956 82% 18% 42% Palatine 58,147 24,070 58% 42% 41% Bloom 52,510 21,704 86% 14% 41% Norwood Park 14,799 6,109 76% 24% 41% Palos 31,659 13,032 68% 32% 41% Elk Grove 42,387 17,394 64% 36% 41% Barrington 9,489 3,864 46% 54% 41% Maine 72,194 29,256 71% 29% 41% Lemont 12,623 4,970 58% 41% 39% Orland 63,707 24,283 67% 33% 38% Schaumburg 65,375 24,733 69% 31% 38% Leyden 41,438 15,645 67% 33% 38% Stickney 18,658 6,933 85% 15% 37% Cicero 25,207 9,301 76% 24% 37% Berwyn 24,406 8,956 84% 15% 37% Hanover 38,821 13,300 67% 33% 34% TOTAL: 1,350,580 584,336 77% 23% 43% *NOTE: Ballots Cast include Green Party, but not non-partisan ballots. 2 PARTY SHIFT TO DEMOCRATIC BALLOTS CONTINUES IN SUBURBAN COOK Democratic vs. Republican Ballots in Suburban Cook 1992-2008 500,000 450,000 400,000 350,000 300,000 250,000 200,000 150,000 100,000 50,000 0 6 92 94 98 00 02 04 8 9 9 9 0 0 0 00 00 ,1 ,1 ,1996 ,1 ,2 ,2 ,2 ,2 ,2 ch ch ch ch b ar ar r Fe March M March March M March Mar Ma Primary Election Date A growing majority of suburban Cook County voters this February cast Democratic ballots. About 76% of the 585,449 voters cast Democratic ballots and 23% voted Republican, greater than a 3-to-1 margin. This exceeded the record 69% Democratic ballots pulled in the March 2004 Presidential Primary. Another 570 voters – less than one percent – voted in the Green Party primary this February, the first time a Green Party ballot was offered statewide. Primary Total Ballots Cast Democratic Republican March 1992 476,517 63% 35% March 1994 355,620 60% 37% March 1996 310,915 47% 51% March 1998 322,970 56% 42% March 2000 282,041 53% 44% March 2002 438,844 64% 35% March 2004 406,115 69% 29% March 2006 345,970 66% 33% February 2008 585449 76% 23% 3 PARTY SHIFT ON TOWNSHIP LEVEL CREATES NEAR DEMOCRATIC SWEEP Voters in all but one of 30 suburban townships – Barrington – cast more Democratic than Republican ballots. This breaks the record set in the last presidential primary, in 2004, when 27 townships cast a majority of Democratic ballots. Township Registered Democrat Republican Green Ballots Cast Voters Barrington 9,489 1,781 2,080 3 3,864 Berwyn 24,406 7,560 1,374 22 8,956 Bloom 52,510 18,704 2,983 17 21,704 Bremen 64,068 21,982 4,714 27 26,723 Calumet 9,729 4,520 177 4 4,701 Cicero 25,207 7,027 2,270 4 9,301 Elk Grove 42,387 11,061 6,320 13 17,394 Evanston 43,306 21,194 2,398 46 23,638 Hanover 38,821 8,954 4,334 12 13,300 Lemont 12,623 2,907 2,060 3 4,970 Leyden 41,438 10,467 5,154 24 15,645 Lyons 59,243 19,048 7,482 22 26,552 Maine 72,194 20,709 8,522 25 29,256 New Trier 38,309 14,597 5,932 12 20,541 Niles 59,845 20,425 4,515 16 24,956 Northfield 55,192 17,293 7,567 18 24,878 Norwood Park 14,799 4,636 1,464 9 6,109 Oak Park 32,612 17,194 2,111 41 19,346 Orland 63,707 16,328 7,932 23 24,283 Palatine 58,147 13,989 10,062 19 24,070 Palos 31,659 8,919 4,107 6 13,032 Proviso 84,118 33,387 5,299 37 38,723 Rich 47,200 23,377 2,291 21 25,689 River Forest 7,146 2,925 962 3 3,890 Riverside 9,998 3,290 1,411 1 4,702 Schaumburg 65,375 17,002 7,699 32 24,733 Stickney 18,658 5,916 1,008 9 6,933 Thornton 99,940 41,801 3,613 26 45,440 Wheeling 83,341 22,714 12,395 28 35,137 Worth 85,113 27,466 8,357 47 35,870 TOTAL: 1,350,580 447,173 136,593 570 584,336* NOTE: An additional 1,113 non-partisan ballots were cast. 4 PRESIDENTIAL PRIMARY RESULTS: McCAIN SWEEPS SUBURBAN TOWNSHIPS Sen. John McCain “dropped out” nearly three weeks before Illinois’ 2000 primary, but he still won about one-fourth of Republican votes in suburban Cook County. Frontrunner George Bush won every township in that election. On Feb. 5, it was McCain who swept the townships, winning 52 percent of votes, or 70,644 votes, to Mitt Romney’s 29 percent. McCain’s top three townships in 2000 – New Trier, Northfield and Evanston – continued their strong support in 2008. March 21, 2000* Feb. 5, 2008* Bush McCain McCain Romney Barrington 66% 26% 51% 36% Berwyn 60% 21% 45% 26% Bloom 73% 17% 49% 28% Bremen 69% 17% 47% 29% Calumet 67% 14% 38% 27% Cicero 73% 20% 59% 20% Elk Grove 66% 23% 52% 30% Evanston 60% 31% 57% 26% Hanover 69% 19% 46% 31% Lemont 67% 21% 47% 34% Leyden 76% 17% 58% 23% Lyons 66% 21% 54% 29% Maine 64% 24% 53% 30% New Trier 58% 34% 63% 28% Niles 68% 22% 55% 28% Northfield 61% 32% 59% 30% Norwood Park 71% 16% 54% 28% Oak Park 60% 24% 51% 28% Orland 72% 18% 50% 32% Palatine 62% 24% 50% 32% Palos 69% 20% 52% 31% Proviso 67% 23% 54% 27% Rich 69% 21% 47% 28% River Forest 64% 21% 61% 27% Riverside 60% 31% 53% 30% Schaumburg 63% 24% 48% 31% Stickney 70% 15% 44% 29% Thornton 70% 14% 43% 27% Wheeling 62% 27% 52% 30% Worth 70% 17% 51% 29% Totals 66% 24%* 52% 29%* *NOTE: These are not complete results. The 2000 primary had three other candidates and there were seven other candidates in 2008.