Lake County Vote Totals Released From Spring Election

LAKE COUNTY, IL — For the first time ever, Lake County voters could cast their ballots at any voting locations in the county this past spring election and were not required to go to a specific, assigned polling place.

And that freedom and flexibility could be the reason behind a higher-than-normal voter turnout for the local election, officials said. Last week, vote totals from the April 1 election were certified with the Lake County Clerk's Office and show the highest vote totals for a consolidated election since 2009.

During this spring election, more than 75,000 voters cast their ballot, which represented 17 percent of registered voters, Vega told Patch. This is the highest voter turnout for a consolidated election since 2009 when about 89,000 voters cast their ballot, which amounted to 22 percent of total registered voters.

Typically, the average voter turnout is around 14 percent for a consolidated election, Vega said.

During this past spring election cycle, the Lake County Clerk's Office switched to a "vote center model," meaning voters could cast their ballot at any voting site in the county and were not required to vote at a specified polling place. The switch was meant to increase "accessibility, convenience and efficiency for all voters in Lake County," clerk's office officials said prior to the election.

Vega said 15 percent of voters opted to vote outside their preferred voting site on Election Day, which amount to 5,000 total ballots.

"There are, obviously, multiple reasons people vote, but I do think when voters have convenient options, voters choose to vote. What was new this consolidated election was the vote center model and increased availability of early voting. I think those factors help voters turnout," he told Patch.

• Assigned Polling Places Swapped For 'Vote-Center Model' In Lake County

Vega said the "million dollar" question is whether those who voted outside their preferred site may have opted not vote at all if they were still required to go to their assigned polling place.

"While I do not have a tangible concrete data answer to this question, I can say that having the option to vote anywhere increases the likelihood of the voter actually voting by not imposing a logistical barrier to them that makes them decide that voting is inconvenient to their set of circumstances," he said.

Vote-by-mail participation also reached an all-time high for a consolidated election this past spring, which follows a "growing trend toward accessible and flexible voting options," according to a news release from the county clerk's office.

How Vote Center Model Came To Be

In the past two years, changes with the Lake County Clerk's Office have lead to the vote center model coming to be.

Since 2023, the office raised compensation for election judges and implemented the newest technology in electronic pollbooks and ballot on-demand printing capabilities. These modernization efforts allowed Lake County to move toward a vote center model which gives voters added choice in casting their ballot on Election Day, according to a news release from the clerk's office.

“We are proud of the strides we’ve made to modernize and simplify the voting process in Lake County,” Vega said. “This election was a testament to the power of centering the voters’ convenience along with modernizing our election infrastructure. This could not be accomplished without our scores of dedicated election judges, staff and the voters who participate in every election.”

These efforts have resulted in cost savings of around $42,383 in election worker compensation compared to the 2023 consolidated election under the previous election model.

In 2023, total election worker compensation was $174,189.79 and this year, election worker compensation was $131,907.25 — all while the pay rate has increase from $45 to $85 per judge (depending on the position).

“Modernization leads to improvements which results in efficient use of resources. My office has worked extremely hard to implement these improvements to strengthen our ability to conduct elections and save taxpayer dollars,” said Clerk Anthony Vega.