Good afternoon, Chicago.
Polling places for Illinois’ primary elections opened early this morning, and despite contested congressional races, an expensive Cook County state’s attorney’s matchup and a rare referendum, officials are expecting low voter turnout with the presidential nominees for the November general election virtually locked in.
As of last night, the city had recorded more than 157,000 early votes through in-person or mail-in ballots. That figure compares with about 244,000 votes that were cast in the city by the day before the 2020 primary. Roughly 109,000 mail-in ballots had yet to be returned, Chicago Board of Elections Chair Marisel Hernandez told reporters this morning when polls opened. Despite a slow start in early voting, which increased in the 2016 and 2020 presidential election years, officials expect roughly 50% of votes to be cast on Election Day and remain hopeful for higher turnout numbers.
After the polls close at 7 p.m., we will have live reporting as votes are counted. Follow along here.
And here’s what else is happening today. And remember, for the latest breaking news in Chicago, visit chicagotribune.com/latest-headlines and sign up to get our alerts on all your devices.
Subscribe to more newsletters | Puzzles & Games | Daily horoscope | Ask Amy
The city of Chicago has sued Glock, one of the largest firearms manufacturers in the world, accusing the gunmaker of willfully ignoring design flaws in its handguns that allow for them to be easily turned to fire automatic rounds. Read more here.
More top news stories:
The project is expected to include overhauling the concourse to improve the way passengers move through the area, renovating and expanding station platforms — including those on the south concourse used primarily by Metra’s BNSF line — and bringing platforms into compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Read more here.
More top business stories:
If Caleb Williams has done any sort of extensive homework on the 104 seasons of Chicago Bears quarterback history, it wasn’t apparent when he met with a massive media horde at the NFL scouting combine earlier this month. Read more here.
More top sports stories:
Lollapalooza has announced its lineup for summer 2024, with headliners including SZA, Tyler, The Creator, blink-182, The Killers, Future X Metro Boomin, Hozier, Stray Kids, Melanie Martinez and Skrillex. The four-day Lollapalooza music festival will be held Aug. 1-4 in Chicago’s Grant Park, with some 170 bands on eight stages. Read more here.
More top Eat. Watch. Do. stories:
Explosions and shootings shook the Gaza Strip’s biggest hospital and surrounding neighborhoods as Israeli forces stormed through the facility for a second day Tuesday. The military said it had killed 50 Hamas militants in the hospital, but it could not be independently confirmed that the dead were combatants. Read more here.
More top stories from around the world:
