Politics & Government

Election Judge: 'Lowest Turnout I've Ever Seen'

Election judge Elizabeth Dirksen has lived in Oak Forest for 30 years and been an election judge for 28, says turnout at her station in precinct 74 is shockingly low.

Updated: 6:17 p.m.

Some voters might say they weren't aware of the local election until the last minute. Others just might not have made the time to head to the polls.

Either way, many election judges in Oak Forest were shocked at how few voters turned out throughout the day Tuesday, April 5.

Find out what's happening in Oak Forestwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

One judge, Elizabeth Dirksen, said it's been the lowest turnout she's seen in 28 years as an election judge. By 5 p.m., 26 out of 778 registered voters in her precinct 78 had stopped into Don Gorman Fieldhouse to vote.

"It's terrible," Dirksen said. "Awful."

Find out what's happening in Oak Forestwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Across the room from her at the fieldhouse, election judge Joe Jones agreed. In Jones' precinct,  he saw 14 of 1,100 registered vote at the fieldhouse.

"The issues are not reaching everyone," Jones said. "There are no big names trying to get elected."

Resident Janelle Mitzner came out to vote after her husband, Oak Forest Crime Prevention Commissioner Dennis Mitzner, returned home around 3 p.m., and told Janelle he had been number 13 to vote—at 2:30 p.m.

"I think it's a sad reflection of people who do not care," Janelle Mitzner said.

Two hours earlier at the Oak Forest Park District, election judges echoed their sentiments, as just 66 of 1,134 registered voters in Precinct 62 had voted.

The numbers weren't any better in Precinct 10, where since 6 a.m., just 41 of 622 had voted, or in Precinct 66, where 48 of 761 visited the polls.

One judge noted that some voters said they knew little of the election because of a lack of signage from candidates.

"We had very low turnout this morning," said election judge Amy Gorss. "I don't think we're going to meet our goal."

Patch visited other precincts, with totals as follows:

Precinct 20 at Lee Foster School
26 out of 600 registered

Precinct 2 at Morton-Gingerwood School
112 out of 1,114

Precinct 58 at Lee Foster School
48 out of 525

Precinct 48 at Lee Foster School
100 of 584

Precinct 93 at Lee Foster School
57 of 661

Precinct 18 at Oak Forest Community Center
54 of 965

Precinct 65 at Oak Forest Community Center
50 out of 643

Precinct 4 at Oak Forest Community Center
91 out of 1,014

Stay tuned to Patch, as polls close and results become available.


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