By Kevin Haas
Rock River Current
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ROCKFORD — Voter turnout dipped in both the city and county compared to the last time voters here went to the polls for the midterms.
Turnout inside the city of Rockford was less than 42%, compared to nearly 50% in the last midterm in 2018 and nearly 63% in the 2020 presidential election.
It was the lowest turnout for a midterm in records we have going back to 1996.
That percentage could still change because there are a potential 1,160 mail-in ballots in the city of Rockford that could be counted if they’re post marked Nov. 8 and returned before the election is certified in two weeks. However, even if each of those ballots is returned turnout would only increase to a little more than 43%.
Related: Election roundup: Here’s a look at key races in the Rockford area
A similar story played out in Winnebago County outside the city of Rockford, where voter turnout was about 54% compared to the last midterms in 2018 when nearly 59% of registered voters cast ballots.
The county has 1,069 mail-in ballots yet to be returned. Similarly, even if all are received turnout would only increase to less than 56%.
While turnout dipped from the 2018 midterm, it was higher than the roughly 51% turnout in 2014.
Despite the smaller numbers, election officials said they saw steady streams of traffic on Election Day. Rosie Shelman, who has been an election judge for about 10 years, said Tuesday that voter traffic was steady, even if down slightly from the last midterm.
“It’s been very busy,” Shelman said around 1 p.m. at the Rockford Public Library Nordlof Center polling place. “It has been full today several times now.”
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Voters in Rockford still showed passion for making their voice heard.
“It’s up to us to try to shape our country and decide what we want to happen, and try to push the people into office that we think should be there,” said Nicole Jackson, a barber stylist.
Jackson said she had waited an hour and a half to cast her ballot at the Rockford Board of Elections during the 2020 presidential election. This year, she waited about 15 to 20 minutes.
“If we don’t show up, then they just get to decide for us, and I don’t think that we should just allow them to decide for us. It’s up to us to decide what we want to have,” she said. “If we don’t show up, then we can’t be mad about what happens.”
Robert Raleigh Jr., 76, said his voting experience was similar to other midterms. He said record high inflation and issues in the schools were top-of-mind concerns, and he wanted to see Republicans regain control of Congress.
“I’m a conservative so I vote basically Republican all the time,” he said.
Related: Young people make up a fraction of all voters in Rockford. There’s an effort to change that
Can mail-in votes swing any races in Winnebago County?
The final election results won’t be certified until Nov. 22, and mail-in ballots can still be counted up until then provided they are postmarked on or before the Nov. 8 Election Day.
The Rockford Board of Elections said 8,782 mail-in ballots were requested this year. However, it’s not clear which precincts the outstanding 1,160 ballots are in. Election officials had not yet determined that on Wednesday.
The closest local race was in Winnebago County Board District 15, which was separated by 52 votes at the end of election night. However, Democrat Christopher Scrol’s lead grew to 78 Wednesday over incumbent Burt Gerl.
There were 7,783 mail-in ballots requested in Winnebago County, and it was not clear Wednesday how many of the 1,069 outstanding where in that district
This article is by Kevin Haas. Email him at khaas@rockrivercurrent.com or follow him on Twitter at @KevinMHaas.