Low turnout predicted for Rockford-area primary elections

ROCKFORD — With plenty of voters thinking more of summer vacations than politics, election officials and party leaders feared low turnout for Tuesday's primary election.

Primary elections in Illinois — when voters choose their party's nominees for office — typically have low turnout. But this election is coming in June which is unusually late in the year for Illinois.

That could make turnout even lower. Primaries in Illinois are typically held in February or March. It was delayed this year because of late arriving census results and redistricting.

But the primary will set the stage for a November showdown for the governor's mansion and most statewide offices.

There are contested races and referendum questions on the ballot that are likely to be decided by a handful of voters, said Winnebago County Clerk and Recorder Lori Gummow. 

On the ballot:A look at who and what will be before voters in the 2022 primary election

"I think people have the Wisconsin Dells on their mind at this time of year," Gummow said. "Everybody is thinking about being on vacation and with the warm weather, they are thinking about BBQs and mowing their lawn. It’s unfortunate because there are quite a few questions that are hanging in the balance."

In Winnebago County, where there are more than 96,000 registered voters, just 855 had cast early ballots as of early Monday afternoon and 707 had asked for vote-by-mail ballots.

With about 84,000 registered voters in Rockford, 1,897 voters had cast early ballots and 1,003 had voted by mail. In contrast, a total of 3,615 had voted early and 783 cast votes by mail in 2018, the last time there was a gubernatorial primary.

Early voting was a bit stronger in Stephenson County and Freeport where there are about 28,000 registered voters. As of Monday afternoon, 1,428 had voted early and 139 had cast a mail-in ballot. A total of 990 voted early in 2018.

Primary elections can be unpopular because they offer few races and referendum questions to those who choose a non-partisan ballot. And a lot of people don't like pulling a specific party's ballot, said Stacey Bixby, executive director for the Rockford Board of Elections.

Turnout can depend on if there is a compelling race. There aren't many compelling races for Democratic voters this election, said Charles Laskonis, chairman of the Winnebago County Democratic Party Central Committee.

Recent decisions by the U.S. Supreme Court on gun control and abortion are likely to fire up Democratic voters, Laskonis said.

Related:Are you ready to vote in the Illinois primary elections? Check out this guide

But those voters are more likely to turn out in November when there will be a clearer choice between conservative and progressive candidates. Although there is an interesting race among six Democrats for the 17th Congressional District, little separates them on issues around guns and abortion rights, Laskonis said.

Six Republican candidates for governor could be compelling for GOP voters but the race for the Democratic nomination isn't expected to be a big draw.

"On the Democratic side, there is technically an opponent (Beverly Miles of Chicago), but I would guess maybe two out of 100 people know who is running against (Gov.) JB Pritzker, so that’s not even on the radar with people," Laskonis said.

Winnebago County Republican Central Committee Chairman Eli Nicolosi was optimistic that GOP voters will turn out for the primary. With high inflation and gas prices among other factors, Nicolosi said he expects "establishment candidates" to take a beating.

"I have talked to a ton of people and I really do think we are going to have a higher than usual turn out in this primary," Nicolosi said. "We have a pretty exciting primary for the governor’s race, and I think everyone has their favorite candidates. I do think that is going to drive out some voters."

Jeff Kolkey: (815) 987-1374; jkolkey@rrstar.com; @jeffkolkey