Illinois Voting Mishap: Chicago’s Back of the Yards Faces Ballot Errors and Voter Turnaways

State Representative LaShawn Ford, currently a candidate for Congress, encountered a voting hiccup when he was mistakenly denied a ballot.

CHICAGO (WLS) — The I-Team has maintained close communication with local election authorities throughout the day, staying alert for any voting irregularities.

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Overall, the election process has proceeded without significant issues, marking a crucial primary that signals a potential generational change in representation for the Chicago area.

The most significant incident involved State Rep. LaShawn Ford, who is campaigning to succeed Danny Davis in the 7th Congressional District.

Initially, Ford faced a ballot denial at his polling station because records incorrectly indicated he had already voted. He declined a provisional ballot, but ultimately was able to cast his vote using a regular ballot.

Chicago Board of Elections Spokesperson Max Bever told the I-Team that ballots were rushed to that location, and voters were directed to use a touch screen voting machine in the interim. However, he said there have been no systemic election irregularities so far on Tuesday, with somewhat middling turnout.

“The issue with candidate LaShawn Ford was resolved in about 40 minutes,” Bever said. “Mistakes can crop up, but thankfully, we have not seen anything that’s systemic across the city, really kind of minor issues… Ultimately, it’s been smooth. It’s been safe and a little bit boring, but that’s been good for voters in Chicago.”

Cook County Clerk Monica Gordon also debuted new election analytics platform Election Lens to see real-time voter turnout aggregating election data across suburban Cook County.

Meanwhile, DuPage County is on track for its highest midterm primary turnout ever. The I-Team will be standing by in the event any election security issues need to be addressed.