A clearer picture of the April 1 mayoral contests in Waukegan and North Chicago will form as voters choose the Democratic candidate for those cities’ chief executives in Tuesday’s primary election, where turnout was less than 5% four years ago in Waukegan.
If the pace of early voting and direct-mail ballots returned is any indication of how many people will take the opportunity to help choose their party’s nominee, there may be scant improvement over the last primary election.
“Early voting has been less than steady,” Lake County Clerk Anthony Vega said. “It’s been picking up the last few days.”
Voters will pick the Democratic nominee for mayor in Waukegan and North Chicago when they go to the polls Tuesday in those cities, establishing the field for the April 1 general election. Polling places will be open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m.
“These off-year elections are the ones which most directly affect people,” Vega said. “These mayors choose the vision for their cities. They decide which roads will be fixed, and which lead pipes will be replaced over the next four years. Voters should have a choice in this vision.”
As of Monday morning, Vega said 774 people voted early and, of approximately 2,100 vote-by-mail ballots sent to voters, 921 had been returned to his office.
For the first time, Vega said people can vote at any of the 10 election day sites in Waukegan or North Chicago, rather than their assigned preferred location. That same procedure will also be used in the April 1 contest, as well as the 2026 federal, state and local elections.
“If somebody lives in North Chicago and works in the north part of Waukegan, they can vote anywhere where they see a sign for a polling place,” Vega said. “We want to increase access to the ballot box. We are increasing voter convenience.”
Former Waukegan Mayor Sam Cunningham is seeking the Democratic nod to regain the job he lost four years ago to current Mayor Ann Taylor. His opponent is Miguel A. Rivera Sr. The two ran against one another four years ago when Cunningham received 65.35% of 2,192 votes cast, a 4.89% turnout.
The winner will compete against independents Taylor, Ald. Keith Turner, 6th Ward, and former Ald. Harold Beadling, 4th Ward. Beadling is unopposed in the Republican primary.
In North Chicago, five-term incumbent Mayor Leon Rockingham Jr. is seeking a sixth term against one-term Ald. Kenneth Smith, 5th Ward. The winner will face independent Ald. Anthony D. Coleman, 2nd Ward, and David Hood.
Primary contests for Waukegan treasurer and the member of the North Chicago City Council representing the 5th Ward will determine who will hold those offices. The winners will be unopposed in the general election.
Incumbent Waukegan Treasurer John R. Schwab and retired Waukegan Fire Department Assistant Chief Gene M. Decker are competing for the Democratic nomination in the primary.
Seeking Smith’s North Chicago City Council position and the Democratic nomination are Jerry L. Gray, Kingston I. Neal and Tabitha Ann Gray.
Municipal primary elections in Waukegan and North Chicago have had historically low turnouts. In 2021, 2,192 people voted in Waukegan for a 4.89% turnout, and two years later 2,224 individuals in six of the city’s nine wards representing 7.57% of voters citywide cast ballots.
In the North Chicago mayoral primary four years ago, 621 people cast ballots — 6.56% of the registered voters. Two years later in a primary for the 2nd Ward seat, 179 votes — 13.47% — were cast.