Election Day For Alderman/Mayor, 2011

Good morning, everyone, it's 5:19am. Today is Election Day, and it is time to vote, my friends. If you already haven't done so, go out and VOTE! I usually don't keep pestering everyone about the elections, but today's is VERY important. Mayor Daley is not seeking re-election, and half the alderman aren't seeking re-election either (all of them in Avondale/Logan Square are though). Elections today are also for City Clerk and City Treasurer.

All polls will open today at 6:00am, and will close at 7:00pm. Having said that, here is some advice for all of you going out to vote this morning and afternoon, and here are some important numbers:
- If you see anything suspicious at the polls, like voter fraud, harassment, etc., be sure to call the Board of Elections at (312)-269-7870. All activities need to be reported.
- To verify registration and for proper Precinct Polling Place, call (312)-269-1604.
- For the Chicago Board of Elections Main Line, call (312)-269-7900.
- PLEASE be patient with the election judges, election volunteers, poll watchers, etc. They're people just like us, but more importantly, this is probably going to be one of the biggest local elections in a really long time, since we're switching over to a bunch of new politics.

If you can, please bring a camera with you to your polling place to take pictures of any funny business, and send them to me at weatherboy58@hotmail.com, or on the Facebook page if you are a fan.

I need your help today. Please. Kindly be sure to tell me how voting went at your polling place. I will need your Precinct number, Ward, and a basic summary of what you saw.

This post will be updated throughout the day.

Update #1, 6:00am - The polls are now open. Again, please be sure to go out and vote. Oh, and just a reminder, but the following people are running for mayor:
> Rahm Emmanuel
> Gery Chico
> Miguel Del Valle
> Carol Moseley-Braun
> William "Doc" Walls
> Patrica Van Pelt-Watkins

Update #2. 6:04am - Lisa Madigan's office is announcing that there will be zero tolerance for fraud and other incidents today, according to ABC7 News Chicago. There will be over 200 investigators on the street.

Update #3, 10:14am - I have received a few comments on my Facebook fan page about the polls already. One person had a good experience, the other did not. I will now share the responses with you:

• "I was there [a]t 6:05 haha... Ward 1 Precint 31 (Bucktown-Wicker Park Library, 1701 N. Milwaukee)...Hardly anyone was there and yet I still got into a shouting match with one of the polling people. She kept screaming at me for my address and I had to politely inform her that I was in ward 1 and thus had no reason to speak to her, as my registration table was on the other side of the room..."
• "i was there 10 minutes before 8. was in and out in 5 mins. no lines. i'm in ward 35 / precinct 30 (Sacramento Elderly Apartments, 2451 N. Sacramento)"

Update #4, 3:20pm - I see there is a lack of interest in voting, it seems. I've hardly got any reports all day. That's not good, especially with a historical race like this one. People, if you want a good change in this city, you must vote. It's your right, and quite frankly, it's your obligation.

Update #5, 4:25pm - Here's a report I received from the 4th Precinct in the 33rd Ward (Linne School, 3221 N. Sacramento) - "I arrived at Linee [Linne] at about 1:45, hoping to get in before school let out. Poll personnel indicated that the day had been quiet with only approximately 100 people voting so far. I had my choice of machines, as I was the only one going in to vote. I hope that when school dismissed, parents who pick up their kids would stop by to vote. Our alderman had sent out emails to us reminding that even though he was running unopposed, that it was important for each person to vote anyway. Many ask what good does one vote do, but quite frankly, votes tend to travel in families and friends. Because you vote, it is likely that someone from your household or someone you know will vote, too. Every vote does indeed count!"

Update #6, 4:55pm - Here is a video I grabbed off of YouTube of the current 30th Ward Alderman, Ariel Reboyras. In this video, he talks about what he has done for the community and most importantly, what he will continue to do as your alderman.

Update #7, 4:56pm - Here is a video I grabbed off of YouTube of the current 1st Ward Alderman, Proco "Joe" Moreno. In this video, he talks about what he has done for the community and most importantly, what he will continue to do as your alderman. Also, here is a video of candidate Deborah Lopez, and she talks about she will do as alderman if elected.

Update #8, 4:57pm - Here is a video I grabbed off of ABC7 News of the current 26th Ward Alderman, Roberto Maldonado. In this video, he talks about what he has done for the community and most importantly, what he will continue to do as your alderman.

Update #9, 4:58pm - Here is a video I grabbed off of ABC7 News of the current 35th Ward Alderman, Rey Colon. In this video, he talks about what he has done for the community and most importantly, what he will continue to do as your alderman.

Update #10, 5:00pm - ABC7 News reports that voting has been significantly low for this race. Tsk, tsk...

Update #11, 5:29pm - Here is a video I grabbed off of YouTube of a candidate, Brian P. Lynch, for the 32nd Ward Alderman. In this video, he talks what he will do as your alderman if elected.

Update #12, 5:41pm - Just so everyone knows, I removed the 31st and 33rd Ward Candidates section off the blog. Ray Suarez (31st) and Richard Mell (33rd) have no one running against them, so they will win their election. I still have to watch the 1st, 26th, 30th, 32nd and 35th Ward races very closely.

Update #13, 7:00pm - The polls are officially CLOSED as of now. If you didn't go out to vote, it's your loss. Now don't complain if you have a bad alderman and we have a bad mayor for the next four years. Results from this election should start coming in at 7:30. And, ABC7 News is reporting that voter turn-out was 10% lower than it was excepted.

Update #14, 8:11pm - Looks like all of you Rahm voters out there got your wish. He's currently leading 55% of the race. Gery Chico is at 25%. The other four candidates are in the 10 percent range. Now, let's look into the aldermanic races:

Alderman 1st Ward

38 out of 50 precincts (76.00 %)

PROCO ''JOE'' MORENO	5,573	73.05 %
RONALD J. BALTIERRA	366	4.80 %
DEBORAH LOPEZ	1,690	22.15 %

Alderman 26th Ward

53 out of 63 precincts (84.13 %)

ROBERTO MALDONADO	5,151	82.04 %
DEVON REID	1,128	17.96 %

Alderman 30th Ward

34 out of 41 precincts (82.93 %)

STELLA NICPON	531	10.24 %
ARIEL E. REBOYRAS	3,865	74.50 %
DOUG CANNON	313	6.03 %
CHESTER R. HORNOWSKI	479	9.23 %

Alderman 32nd Ward

43 out of 52 precincts (82.69 %)

DAVID M. PAVLIK	1,886	16.88 %
SCOTT WAGUESPACK	7,388	66.11 %
BRIAN GORMAN	685	6.13 %
BRYAN P. LYNCH	1,217	10.89 %

Alderman 35th Ward

34 out of 36 precincts (94.44 %)

MIGUEL SOTOMAYOR	2,055	25.05 %
REY COLÓN	4,155	50.64 %
NANCY SCHIAVONE	1,995	24.31 %

Update #15, 9:21pm - It looks like Rahm Emmanuel has won the seat to be the next Chicago Mayor, leading the race with 55%. Gery Chico is at 24%, and the rest are under 10 percent. As for aldermen, Proco "Joe" Moreno has won in the 1st Ward, leading over Deborah Lopez and Ronald J. Balterria with 73.58% (7075 votes). In the 26th Ward, Roberto Maldonado has won with 82.22% of the vote (5646 votes). In the 30th Ward, Ariel Reboyras has definitely defeated his opponents with 75.16% of the vote (4506 votes). In the 32nd Ward, Scott Waguespack has won with 65.79% of the vote (8704 votes). Lastly, but not least, is the 35th Ward. While a candidate is not declared at this moment, it looks as if Rey Colon will be winning. He's currently got 50.92% of the vote (4451 votes), with Miguel Sotomayor following with 24.87% (2174 votes). Last in that race is Nancy Schiavone, with 24.22% of the vote (2117 votes). But like I said, that race is kind of close, and I will monitor it for a little while more.

Update #16, 9:42pm - As I said, Rahm Emmanuel is our new mayor. And the following people are our alderman still, for another four years: Proco "Joe" Moreno (1st), Roberto Maldonado (26th), Ariel Reboyras (30th), Ray Suarez (31st), Scott Waguespack (32nd) and Richard Mell (33rd). But as I said, the race in the 35th is still close. I will make one last update at 10pm to let all of you know if it's still close.

Update #17, 9:48pm - Here is the video of Rahm Emmanuel's acceptance speech tonight. Also, here's video on Gery Chico's conceding speech to Rahm.

Update #18, 10:02pm - Ok, this is my last update tonight. I'm off to bed. What a day. Goodnight all, and stick around for my personal insights on today's activities tomorrow morning.