Lines of voters awaited election judges at 6 a.m. Tuesday when they opened their polling sites in Highland Park, Lake Forest and other locations around Lake County on Election Day.
Despite most experts forecasting an easy win of Illinois’ 19 electoral votes for Vice President Kamala Harris over former President Donald Trump for president, people were eager to cast their presidential ballot.
Sukha Kalra is a Highland Park resident who came to the United States from India. She is now an American citizen who voted in her first presidential election.
“I’m very happy to be able to vote for president,” Kalra said. “It’s important for all of us to be able to use our voice. The president runs the country for all of us even if (Harris and Trump) did not come to Illinois.”
Tens of Thousands of voters cast their ballots within less than six hours of the polls opening Tuesday across Lake County marking their choice for president, Congress, the Illinois General Assembly, a variety of county offices and nine referendums.
“Democracy is in the air,” Lake County Clerk Anthony Vega said just after 10 a.m. “We had a big morning rush, and things are now steady. It will pick up again after work.”
As of 1 p.m., Vega said 128,795 people had voted. After early voting ended at 7 p.m. Monday, 131,926 had voted and 61,338 mail ballots were received. He expected 70% of the county’s 460,000 registered voters would vote by the time the polls closed at 7 p.m.
Jessi Swiech, the site manager at the Trinity Episcopal Church in Highland Park polling place, said there was a line of about two dozen people waiting to vote at 6 a.m. Karen Brush, the site manager at the Gorton Community Center in Lake Forest, said the first hour was very busy.
“Everyone was very polite and courteous,” Brush said. “We have extra staff here helping all the judges.”
Though there was a light drizzle through much of the morning, Vega said unless there were heavy storms he did not expect the weather to play a role in turnout.
U.S. Rep. Brad Schneider, D-Highland Park, was among the elected officials and volunteers greeting voters outside the Trinity church. He said this election is historic, and each time a vote is cast the voter is making history.
“Every election is important because it builds on what has come before,” Schneider said. “This election is the most consequential election of our lifetime, if not in our history. Democracy itself hangs in the balance. I’m confident the voters will put the country first, and we’ll celebrate a historic election of the first woman president.”
Barbara Fried of Lake Forest said after voting at the Gorton Center that regardless of the strong Democratic leanings of Illinois with the state’s 19 electoral votes going to Harris, it was important for her to use her voice as she has all her life.
“I voted for Kamala,” Fried said. “I don’t think we need an autocrat for president,” added the woman who has voted in every election since she became eligible. She cast her first vote when the legal age was still 21.
While Vega said presidential elections always bring the most people to the polls, others like Fred Johnston of Highland Park, who was standing outside the Trinity church encouraging people to vote for Mary Cole for Lake County state’s attorney, have additional priorities.
Though Johnston said he is a Republican, his reasons for supporting Cole go deeper than partisan politics. He was critical of incumbent State’s Attorney Eric Rinehart’s decision to let Bob Crimo Jr. plead to a misdemeanor for helping Crimo’s son, Robert Crimo III, get a FOID card.
“He was charged with a felony. We have to keep guns out of the hands of the wrong people,” Johnston said. “He helped arm the Highland Park shooter,” he added, referring to the man who, authorities say, killed seven people and wounded dozens more on July 4, 2022.
Ajit Kalra, Sukha Kalra’s husband, said along with voting for president and his member of Congress, he was excited about voting for a Highland Park advisory referendum to change the city’s liquor ordinance to allow holders of liquor licenses to be elected officials.
“The law was made during prohibition,” said Ajit Kalra, who owns Indus restaurant in Highland Park and holds a liquor license. “It keeps a class of citizens from holding office. (Cannabis) dispensary owners can hold office, but restaurant owners who sell liquor can’t.”
