With Tight Races Tuesday, Will Tinley Voters Head To The Polls?

TINLEY PARK, IL — Tinley Park is home to one of the region's hottest local races. But will you head to the ballot box Tuesday or shrug your shoulders and walk away?

Voter turnout across the region is on track to hit near-record lows, county clerks are saying, much like what happened in Chicago's February mayoral challenge. It's not just a local issue — the United States trails other developed countries in the number of people who cast ballots on election day. In the 2016 presidential election, only about 56% of Americans voted. The Illinois record mirrors those patterns.

Maybe you don't vote because you're satisfied with how things are going in Tinley. Maybe you're not, but believe your vote will have no impact on the races.

Or — maybe — you're just busy. You wouldn't be alone.

"American are human beings and human beings aren't all that interested in politics in general —they're busy thinking about their car problems, their family, their boss is an [expletive] and all the things that are regular, basic, time-consuming things," said Christopher Mooney, a political science professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago."Then all of a sudden, this election thing pops up and it just doesn't matter that much when you have to get your kid to school on time and make it to work today and so forth."

In Tinley's case, voters will be electing three trustees and will be voting on a Park District proposal designed to pay off debt and raise money for building and maintenance projects. The two parties and independents have campaigned hard to get voter's attentions, and at times, their messages turned nasty.

Voting advocates argue that people should go to the ballot box to choose candidates who take action they support and to participate in and support a vibrant democracy.

The numbers, however, show that voters are choosing to stay home.

In 2015, the last time the same seats were up for grabs, Michael Pannitto, Jacob Vandenberg and Brian Younker eked out the win with just under 15% of registered voters heading to the polls. The graphics show Cook County totals only. A small section of Tinley also includes Will County.

In 2017, Vandenberg handily took the mayor's chair with only 22% of registered voters electing him to office.

Unlike in neighboring Oak Forest, where no major race is contested, Tinley voters have a choice. That could prove to be a good thing with the major issues government officials face this year, including a major downtown redevelopment project and the rebuilding of the former mental health center site.

Candidates in heated races such as Tinley's tend to spend more and get their messages out more and it creates a cycle where voters start to take notice and think maybe their vote will count, Mooney said. People will vote when they believe their action will affect outcomes — and this year voters could do just that if results turn out to be tight like those in 2015.

But the questions remains: Will they let daily routines and worries keep them in or will they go out Tuesday and vote?