Quick Hits: Illinois News In Brief For Nov. 3

From The Center Square:

Early voting breaks records in Illinois

Before the polls even opened in Illinois, more than 42 percent of registered voters already cast their ballot.

That approaches the nearly 50 percent total voter turnout of the non-presidential 2014 General Election.

The total voter turnout for the 2016 presidential General Primary was 70.6 percent.

Pritzker warns more restrictions coming in positivity rates continue to increase

Gov. J.B. Pritzker is warning more restrictions could be coming to regions that don’t see decreases in the COVID-19 positivity rate.

By Wednesday, the entire state will be under increased mitigation. The Rockford region is under Tier II, which could prohibit indoor shopping at businesses the governor deems nonessential, but that option hasn’t been implemented.

Tier III could prohibit elective medical procedures. Regions must be below a 6.5 percent positivity rate to see restrictions relaxed.

Illinois' unemployment rate higher than neighboring states

Illinois is mostly surrounded by states that have among the lowest unemployment rates. In September, Iowa’s unemployment rate was 4.7 percent.

Missouri’s was 4.9 percent. Wisconsin was at 5.4 percent. Kentucky was at 5.6 percent unemployment, and Indiana was at 6.2 percent.

Illinois’ unemployment rate in September was the fifth-worst in the country at 10.2 percent.

Polls open through 7 p.m. Tuesday

Polls are open across the state through 7 p.m. In Illinois, unregistered voters can still register to vote on the day of the election.

Eligible residents can contact their local election authority for details where they can register and vote in-person.

For those with vote-by-mail ballots that haven’t mailed them, some election jurisdictions have secure vote drop boxes available.

Pritzker calls for patience, tells people not to election news from social media

Gov. J.B. Pritzker recommends people don’t get election news from social media, warning of foreign actors intent on spreading misinformation.

During Monday’s COVID-19 update, the governor urged people to vote, but with the increased number of mail-in ballots, and the processing that takes, he also encouraged voters to be patient for the outcome.

Pritzker said it’s not likely the presidential outcome will be clear Tuesday night or even Wednesday.

Economic index shows tax receipts for Illinois lower than last year

While the rest of the nation grew at a record 33.1 percent in the previous quarter, Illinois’ recovery has barely nudged upward.

The U.S. Commerce Department reported the nation’s historic growth last week, months into the pandemic.

An economic index from the University of Illinois on Monday reported individual income tax receipts for Illinois were lower than they were last year.

The focus of the work of The Center Square Illinois is state- and local-level government and economic reporting that approaches stories with a taxpayer sensibility. For more stories from The Center Square, visit TheCenterSquare.com.