Election 2024: La Salle County primary turnout lowest in more than a decade

Turnout for La Salle County’s general primary election Tuesday was the lowest in more than a decade.

Of 71,557 registered voters countywide, 12,669 took ballots, or 17.75%. There were 7,258 Republican ballots requested compared to 5,441 Democratic ballots.

In 2022, the general primary election drew a turnout of 19.28% registered voters as 9,317 Republican ballots were taken versus 4,306 Democratic ballots. That election was conducted in June during the pandemic.

In 2020, the general primary drew a turnout of 22.7% of registered voters in La Salle County, with 10,594 Democratic ballots taken versus 5,308 Republican ballots. In that election, Donald Trump was the incumbent president and Democratic voters were selecting his challenger.

Dating back to 2008, the next lowest turnout was 18.3% in 2014.

Mother Nature didn’t do any favors for the primary election voter turnout.

Early Tuesday, daytime temperatures hovered just north of freezing and election judges in La Salle-Peru and Oglesby all reported little foot traffic, even in Utica where high turnout is common.

However, turnout improved later in the day after temperatures topped out at 58 degrees under sunny skies. At Utica precinct 1, election judge Sue Calkins said turnout stood about 120 shortly after 3 p.m.

“And we will pick up as soon as people get off work,” Calkins said in an estimation.

Other election judges were less sure of a late-day stampede. Turnout at the La Salle VFW Hall, home to four La Salle precincts, was poor early and showed only modest improvement by late afternoon.

Countywide election turnout were released later Tuesday as results are shared by the County Clerk’s Office. Judges were unsure how the turnout would compare with previous years.

[ Here are La Salle and Bureau counties’ unofficial election results for the 2024 primary ]

“There’s really no mad dash yet,” election judge Julie Bleck said.

In addition to the chilling effect of the morning weather, election judges said voters seemed to lack urgency with the top of the ballot settled. Joe Biden and Donald Trump both locked up the nominations for president, leaving only a handful of down-ballot races to be settled in La Salle County, among them Democratic and Republican nominations for La Salle County Board chair and Democratic and Republican nominations in some state representative and senate races.

One judge said voters seemed unusually reluctant to declare a party.

At Peru precinct 8, located in St. John’s Lutheran Church (3 p.m. turnout: 48 voters), election judge Mary Landsiedel said several voters expressed displeasure about the ballots.

“They all declared,” Landsiedel said, “but they’re not happy about it.”

Voters have the option to take a nonpartisan ballot in the primary, but there were no referenda on Tuesday’s ballot, meaning the ballot would be blank.