COOK COUNTY, Ill. (WLS) — Expanded early voting begins Monday at dozens of suburban Cook County locations and in all 50 Chicago wards. County officials are also introducing new technology intended to make voting more efficient and give voters greater transparency.
More than 10% of registered voters in suburban Cook County are expected to cast ballots by mail this year. Although email ballot tracking is not new, officials said the updated system will provide more detailed information about each ballot’s progress.
Starting Monday, expanded early voting will be offered at 56 suburban Cook County locations. Voters will also find smart ballot drop boxes that, through the new technology, can track ballots throughout the process and provide detailed U.S. Postal Service updates.
“There are more than 200,000 mail ballots sent out, and we track six categories of that,” said Dheeraj Patri, chief technology officer at KNOWiNK.
Cook County Deputy Clerk for Elections Ed Michalowski said the system is designed to show voters where their ballots are at each stage of the process.
“What’s good for the public is they have confidence where that mail ballot is going, all the way down to our carrier route and back to our office,” Michalowski said.
Enhanced mail ballot tracking is one of several election upgrades in Cook County this year. Officials also unveiled software that can show when voters check in, monitor activity at polling places and identify locations that may require attention.
Officials said the technology could also help counter misinformation circulating online.
“There will be misinformation and disinformation, but we are tackling it one step at a time,” Cook County Clerk Monica Gordon said.
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