CHICAGO — On Thursday, early voting kicks off in Chicago with the unveiling of a new voting supersite at State and Adams, which is set to replace the previous location at Clark and Lake.
“As you can see, we still have that new car smell,” remarked Max Bever, the director of public information for the Chicago Board of Elections. “This facility has been specifically built for this purpose.”
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The new site, slightly larger than the former Clark & Lake Supersite, is equipped with 80 voting machines, offering a few more than its predecessor.
Max Bever explained that the move was prompted by the expiration of their lease with the Secretary of State, and a desire to provide more space for the public.
“In terms of our voting machines, there aren’t any significant changes,” Bever noted. “It’s business as usual. We have the same touch screen machines and the same ballot scanners. No new machines are being tested. What you’re seeing is our tried and true machines going through rigorous testing, adhering to numerous laws ahead of Election Day.”
The new Supersite at State & Adams, along with the location at 69 W. Washington St., will open on Thursday, allowing voters to cast their ballots ahead of the March 17th primary election.
The rest of the 50 ward polling locations open March 2.
Over in the suburbs, early voting began Tuesday in DuPage County, while Kendall, Kane, McHenry, Will and Lake counties already started last week.
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Back in Chicago, staff are completing their pre-election equipment testing, checking every machine and testing ballots.
Once those tests are complete, the machines are then locked up and sealed for protection.
“So every single touch screen voting machine has many multiple layers of tests and checks that happen before it goes into a live voting mode. So that’s what you’re seeing happen today,” Bever said.
This Supersite location opens at 9 a.m. Thursday. Early voting opens in Cook County next Wednesday, February 18.
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