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Illinois primary elections updates: Here's who won in Peoria and Tazewell

Illinois attorney general works to highlight voting rights and ensure accessibility

Journal Star

Today, voters will cast their ballots for national, statewide and local candidates running in the 2022 Illinois primary election. The candidates who are nominated will move on to the general election, which will take place Nov. 8.

Click here for statewide races, including governor and Illinois representatives

Click here for Peoria County local races, including sheriff and school board

Click here for Tazewell County local races, including county board and treasurer

11:15 p.m.: Paris McConnell and Greg Wilson win spots on Peoria School Board

Voters on Tuesday gave newcomer Paris McConnell a seat on the Peoria School Board and reelected Gregory Wilson to a second term.

Three candidates were running for two seats in District 2. Dan Walther took a close third, receiving 32.45% of the vote compared to McConnell's 32.79%. Wilson received the most votes with 34.76%.

10:45 p.m.: Chris Watkins wins Peoria County Sheriff primary

An 18-year veteran of the Peoria County Sheriff's Office has won the Republican primary to be the county's top cop.

According to the Peoria County Election Commission, Chris Watkins had 7,413 votes to Jason Buckley's 4,636 votes with all precincts reporting as well as all early voting ballots.

And given that no Democrat has thrown a hat into the ring for the general election in November, it appears Watkins will run unopposed this fall.

More:Chris Watkins wins Peoria County sheriff primary, now unopposed for post in November

10:30 p.m.: Travis Weaver defeats Rep. Mark Luft in 93rd District

Travis Weaver, a 29-year-old former strategy manager at Caterpillar and resident of Edwards, defeated sitting representative Mark Luft in the GOP primary for Illinois’s 93rd House district.

Luft conceded the race in a Facebook post. Weaver will likely run unopposed in the general election, as no Democrats have declared their candidacy for the office.

More:Travis Weaver tops incumbent Mark Luft to win GOP primary for 93rd Illinois House District

10:15 p.m.: Sorensen and King win their respective 17th Congressional District primaries

Former Rockford and Quad Cities meteorologist Eric Sorensen beat former state Rep. Litesa Wallace for the Democratic party nomination.

Esther Joy King of East Moline won the Republican nomination in the 17th Congressional District on Tuesday. That seat was long held by Democrat Cheri Bustos.

More:Sorensen, King win in 17th Congressional District primary elections

9:15 p.m.: Darin LaHood wins 16th Congressional District primary

U.S. Rep. Darin LaHood, R-Dunlap, on Tuesday easily captured the Republican nomination in the 16th Congressional District. With 49% of the total estimated votes counted, LaHood had amassed more than 65% according to unofficial election totals and was declared the winner by The Associated Press. 

More:Darin LaHood wins 16th Congressional District Republican primary

9 p.m.: Where we currently stand in statewide races

With Gov. JB Pritzker and Sen. Darren Bailey winning their respective nominations in the governor's race, attention now moves to a series of statewide races that could determine much of state policy beyond the governorship and the General Assembly. Here's how those results stand right now:

Attorney General: Right-wing firebrand Thomas DeVore currently leads Steve Kim statewide in the Republican primary by 13,724 votes with 29.1% of the estimated vote in. Kim has the edge in Sangamon County, with nearly a quarter of the estimated vote in. He leads by 472 votes, having 47.7% of the vote.

Incumbent Kwame Raoul ran unopposed in the Democratic primary.

Secretary of State: Former state Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias currently leads Chicago City Clerk Anna Valencia for the Democratic nomination by 99,494 votes with 48.4% of the expected vote. Giannoulias leads in every county reporting, including Sangamon County, where he leads by 929 votes with nearly a quarter of the estimated vote counted.

On the Republican side, State Rep. Dan Brady of Bloomington leads former U.S. Attorney John Milhiser of Springfield by 160,135 votes with 31.1% of the expected vote counted. Brady leads in each county reporting except Sangamon County, where Milhiser leads his home county by 1,629 votes with nearly a quarter of the estimated vote in.

The winner will be the first Secretary of State not named Jesse White since 1998. White, ubiquitous to a generation of Illinoisans, will retire after 24 years in his current role.

8:27 p.m.: Bailey to face Pritzker in governor's race

Sen. Darren Bailey, R-Xenia, has won the Republican nomination to face Gov. JB Pritzker in the governor's race in November.

Bailey, a right-wing firebrand who became famous in Illinois for his fight against COVID-19 restrictions, had exactly 51% of the vote (129,213 votes) with 26.93% of the estimated vote counted. He beat out a group of five others that included former Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin, businessmen Jesse Sullivan and Gary Rabine, former State Sen. Paul Schimpf, and attorney Max Solomon.

Bailey leads currently in all but two counties, with Schimpf leading in Clark and Randolph counties. Sullivan currently has a 695-vote lead over Irvin for second, a massive embarrassment for the state's Republican establishment, which rushed to endorse Irvin over Bailey and the others.

More:In no surprise, Pritzker wins Democratic primary for governor, Bailey gets GOP nod

8:20 p.m.: Here comes Peoria County

We finally have our first wave of returns from Peoria County. Click here for those results

8:12 p.m.: Tazewell results have arrived

The first local returns of the night are here, with Tazewell County besting Peoria County in the race to post to their respective website. Click here for those results

8 p.m.: No local results as of yet

For those who keep checking for results from Peoria and Tazewell counties, neither entity has released vote totals an hour after polls have closed. Keep refreshing.

– Adam Gerik

7:30 p.m.: Pritzker wins Democratic gubernatorial nomination

Gov. JB Pritzker made the first step toward a potential second term Tuesday, winning the Democratic nomination for governor of Illinois.

Pritzker beat Beverly Miles, a Chicago-based Army veteran and registered nurse who had never held political office. With just below 6% of the estimated vote counted, Pritzker had a massive lead, with 59,495 votes, just under 94% of the vote, compared to Miles' 3,863 votes.

Pritzker was never in trouble in the primary, even taking time out to go to New Hampshire, testing the waters for a possible presidential run. He is a heavy favorite for a second term, even in what is expected to be a tough year for Democrats nationwide, with an unpopular president — Joe Biden — rampant inflation and high gas prices.

7:02 p.m.: Duckworth wins Democratic Senate nomination

Sen. Tammy Duckworth is the winner in the Democratic primary for Illinois' Class III U.S. Senate seat.

Duckworth ran unopposed.  Republicans put most of their statewide focus on the gubernatorial race.

The Republican primary remains too close to call.

7:00 p.m.: Polls have closed in Illinois and returns are arriving

Click here for statewide races, including governor and Illinois representatives

Click here for Peoria County local races, including sheriff and school board

Click here for Tazewell County local races, including county board and treasurer

4:30 p.m.: Despite new voting system, Peoria County's primary proceeding smoothly

Voting in Peoria County hasn't hit any significant snags, according to Tom Bride, executive director of the Peoria County Election Commission. 

“We’ve got a new voting system,” he said, “but actually it’s going very smooth for a brand new system.” 

Peoria County recently switched to the paper-based Hart InterCivic voting system after previously conducting elections digitally. 

Bride said that voter turnout had reached 12% by the late afternoon, and was on track to fall short of the 20.4% figure seen in 2018. He added that around 65% of the day’s voters voted in Republican primaries, likely spurred to the polls by the higher number of contentious races in that party.

– Alex Dalton

8:30 a.m.: Here's what to know about voting rights in Illinois

Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul issued a press release today highlighting voter's rights when going to the polls and casting their ballots.

  • It is illegal to use threats, intimidation and deception to attempt to keep someone from voting or from registering to vote.
  • If voters are in line to vote when the polls close, they have the right to cast their ballot. Polls close at 7 p.m. today.
  • Voters who are working on election day have the right to take two hours of unpaid time off from work so they can go vote. 
  • Voters who make a mistake on their ballot and have not cast the ballot, have the right to obtain a new ballot as a replacement.

The attorney general will also work with investigators and assistant attorneys general to "[monitor] the primary election throughout Illinois on Tuesday, June 28, to ensure that voters' rights are protected and polling places are accessible."

Those who believe they are facing illegal activity at the polls are encouraged to call 1-866-559-6812. Voters who witness irregularities in the voting process can also reach out to the election commission at 309-324-2300 or the state's attorney's office at 309-672-6900.

– Cassidy Waigand

Where is my polling place in Peoria, Illinois? 

Are you unsure of where your polling place is located? Here are a couple of websites to help you identify your polling place. 

What time do polls close in Illinois?

Polling places will be open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. today.

Am I registered to vote in Illinois? 

If you are unsure of whether you are registered to vote, you can check on the state of Illinois registration lookup. 

More:What you need to know about Peoria-area races

What's on the Illinois primary ballot? 

On the national level, republican voters will have an opportunity to select a nominee for the U.S. Senate. The nominee will run against Democratic Sen. Tammy Duckworth of Hoffman Estates in the Nov. 8 general election. There are also primary races for the 16th District and 17th District of the U.S. Congress. 

Voters will also be asked to select nominees for governor and the secretary of state. Races for the attorney general, comptroller and treasurer will also appear on the ballot. However, the democratic incumbents for each of these positions are running unopposed.

Illinois primary sample ballots

To find a sample ballot for Peoria County, click here. Those in Tazewell County can find sample ballots here. 

What if I run into an issue on Election Day in Illinois? 

You are encouraged to contact the election commission at 309-324-2300 or the state's attorney's office at 309-672-6900 if you notice an irregularity or potential election law violation. 

If you want to let us know what you are experiencing at the polls, reach out by emailing news@pjstar.com.

Return to pjstar.com this evening after the polls close for live results of local and state races.