Illinois Really Not That Great About Voting

A historic election looms, but will you bother to vote? If you live in Illinois, the answer is: Probably, yeah, but there’s a good chance you won’t.

Illinois ranked 31st among the 50 states in voter turnout, according to the website 24/7 Wall St., which determined this by examining each state’s voter turnout rate in the last four presidential cycles.

Still, it remains unclear if Illinois’ past performance at getting to the polls will carry through for this election.

“One of the main predictors of voter turnout is whether the election is closely contested,” 24/7 Wall St. explained. “When a candidate appears poised to run away with an election, turnout tends to be much lower. When polls appear to be heavily favoring one candidate, voters may feel they cannot make much of a difference.”

As for Illinois’ mediocre past showing, it was even below the national average in the 2008 and 2012 presidential elections, despite Chicago’s own Barack Obama’s place on the ticket both times.

“This might be surprising to some, given President Obama’s political history in the state,” 24/7 Wall St. said. “He served in the Illinois State Senate from 1997 through 2004, and then in the U.S. Congress as an Illinois senator from 2004 until his presidency.”

But Obama’s place on the ballot may have actually kept the turnout down, as more than a fifth of those who shunned the polls “said they did not think their vote would matter,” the site speculated.

Minnesota had the highest voter turnout at 74.5 percent. Hawaii was the lowest with a rate of 50 percent. Illinois came in at 63 percent.

According to 24/7 Wall St., an eligible voter’s level of education also factors into whether or not they will actually vote.

“While there are a number of exceptions, states with higher college attainment rates tend to have greater voter participation,” the site said. "Of the 20 states with the lowest voter turnout, 16 have a bachelor’s attainment rate below the national share of 30.6 (percent) of adults.”

In Illinois, 32.9 percent of eligible voters hold a bachelor’s degree, according to the 24/7 Wall St. survey.

Photo via Patch