According to 44th Ward Election Judge and former Chicago Police Officer, Jim Himel, 66, of Lakeview said many people are confused about where to vote ever since the district boundary lines have changed.
But despite that, “We are having a good turn out. We are getting all these people off of Sheffield Avenue who used to vote at the firehouse and now they are voting here.”
Himel said he noticed, generally, a lack of young voters: “Most of the residents in this area are young kids, and in their mid-twenties we have not seen many young voters out here today.”
Brian Kohl, 27, sales representative and Lakeview resident, said he votes every year on Election Day because he cares about the future of the United States and he knows that his vote counts.
“I got a notice in the mail a few weeks ago, so I had no trouble finding where to vote,” Kohl said when asked if there was any confusion about where to cast his ballot.
The majority of voters walking through the doors of 3807 N. Clark St., a building currently unoccupied and up for rent, rushed in out of the rain and exited with a “I Voted” sticker in one hand and a cookie in the other.
Himel estimated about 50 percent voter turnout, “and it is looking like this year people are less scurried and more aware.”
The 44th ward covers Lakeview area on the north side of Chicago and is a very diverse neighborhood. From Wrigleyville to Boystown, the precinct ranges from college students to middle income families and the elderly, many of whom consider themselves to be a proud part of the ward’s growing LGBT community.