As seven people cast ballots in the first three hours of early voting in the Waukegan and North Chicago primary for municipal offices, candidates are aware they must utilize their campaign resources to push turnout above the 9% of registered voters who cast their ballots in the 2021 general election.
Though she declined to say who got her support in the 2025 Waukegan Democratic mayoral primary, Judith Marquez said it was important to cast her vote early. She said she would not miss an opportunity to have her say.
“It’s very important to have a voice and vote so your voice can be heard,” Marquez said.
Early voting for the Feb. 25 Democratic and Republican primary elections in Waukegan and North Chicago started Thursday at the Lake County Courthouse and Administration Building in Waukegan, giving voters a chance to begin casting ballots.
County Clerk Anthony Vega said turnout is generally lower in municipal elections a few months after a presidential contest, but 9% was very low. With the interest he already sees, he hopes to see the number of voters increase to 10% or 11%.
“The mayor’s race in Waukegan is generating a lot of interest,” he said. “There is a lot of energy there. There are two independent candidates,” he added, referring to the four-person race in the April 1 general election.
Former Waukegan Mayor Sam Cunningham and Miguel A. Rivera Sr. are seeking the Democratic nomination for mayor, while former Ald. Harold Beadling, 4th Ward, is unopposed in the Republican contest.
Rivera or Cunningham will join Beadling and two independent candidates — Mayor Ann Taylor and Ald. Keith Turner, 6th Ward — in the April 1 general election.
In the race for Waukegan city treasurer, incumbent John R. Schwab is facing Gene Decker in the Democratic primary. With no GOP nor independent candidates, the Democratic winner will be unopposed in April.
In North Chicago, Mayor Leon Rockingham Jr. is seeking his sixth term and is running against Ald. Kenneth Smith, 5th Ward, for the Democratic nomination. The winner will face independents Ald. Anthony Coleman, 2nd Ward, and David Hood to lead their city.
Seeking the Democratic nomination to replace Smith are Tabitha Ann Wray, Gerry L. Gray and Kingston Neal. No Republicans filed, and there are no independents.
Julien Lopez of Waukegan was another of the early voters Thursday. An entrepreneur, he said it is important for people like him go vote so the decision is not only made by people who are connected to government.
Both Cunningham and Rivera recognize the importance of reaching voters where the turnout is historically low. Cunningham said he is planning to use a lot of person-to-person contact to drive turnout to 15%.
“You don’t have all the money spent you did in November, with commercials every few minutes on television,” Cunningham said. “We’re contacting family and friends and asking them to talk to their friends in their neighborhoods to get to 15%.”
Rivera said he obtained a list of everyone who voted early in the November election from the clerk’s office. He plans to contact all of them in his effort to continue his campaign into the April 1 election.
“Some people just contact frequent voters,” Rivera said. “We’re contacting all of them, and giving them rides to vote.”
Ald. Lynn Florian, 8th Ward, was very vocal in her criticism of the 9% turnout four years ago. She said when she ran for reelection in 2023, she made an effort to reach out to all new residents. She also knocked on a lot of doors.
“I went out before the election and put sticky notes on every door,” Florian said. “My ward had the highest turnout.”
Daniel Thelen, the director of elections in the clerk’s office, said with the primary coming so quickly after the presidential election, there is often less excitement. But, local elections have a direct impact on people’s lives.
Thelen said early voting continues from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Fridays at the county building through Feb. 7. Starting Feb.10, Thelen said voters can cast ballots either at the county building or North Chicago City Hall from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays, and from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sundays through Feb. 16.
Hours expand at both locations on Feb. 17, from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays and between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. on weekends. There will be early voting on Feb. 24 from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., and between 6 a.m. and 7 p.m. Feb. 25 at voters’ regular polling place.