CHICAGO (WLS) – With just five days until the election, early voting is making a strong impression in Chicago.

David Fletcher said it was his civic duty as he cast his vote.

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“The day is going to be crazy and of course I can do it. I’m pretty passionate about it. So it feels right to do it right away,” Fletcher said.

The Chicago resident was among those who voted early across the city.

“Just the urgency, I think of all the elections, this one was the most important in terms of women’s rights and other issues,” Lawanna Marshall said.

Voters will make their choices for Cook County’s district attorney and congressional races, but the catalyst for many was the presidential election.

“This election is important. I wanted to make sure my vote counted and there were no problems with rain, weather and all the queues. “I wanted to make sure I was there as quickly as possible,” said Jennifer Nolan.

Early voting this year could match the results of the pre-pandemic presidential election in 2016, according to the Chicago Board of Elections.

Their data shows that more than 320,000 ballots were received and reported as of October 30.

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This is from previous voters and from people who mailed their ballots.

In comparison, nearly 240,000 ballots were received and reported in the 2016 presidential election.

Max Bever of the Chicago Board of Elections said early voting could be a deciding factor in turnout on Election Day.

“The high voter turnout we saw in early voting and absentee voting also suggests that we will see high voter turnout on Election Day,” Bever said.

Election officials say early voting rates are also high in other counties as more people vote early each year.

The Chicago Board of Elections expects about 1.1 million registered voters to show up at the polls in Chicago.

That’s about 70% of the city’s registered voters.

There were already lines on Thursday, but the Monday before Election Day is traditionally the busiest day for early voting.

Mail-in ballots must be postmarked by November 5, Election Day, to count.

When asked about security, the Chicago Police Department said in a statement: “The Chicago Police Department will adjust its resources as necessary leading up to and on Election Day. Additionally, even if there is no actionable information available at this time, we will pay particular attention to polling stations throughout the city on Election Day.”