Goethe Elementary School Polling Place Sees Long Waits and Equipment Failures

Two hours.

That is how long some residents waited to cast their ballots at Goethe Elementary School in Chicago’s Logan Square neighborhood on Election Day. The wait stemmed from a combination of mechanical failures and a temporary shortage of paper ballots.

The problems began around 8:30 a.m. when equipment at precinct five went down. By 11 a.m., officials reported that the site had run out of paper ballots. At the adjacent precinct four, all but one machine were non-functional as of 11 a.m., and that location also faced a shortage of paper ballots.

First Ward Committeewoman Laura Yepez described the situation at the school, located at 2236 N. Rockwell St. “Precinct 5 doesn’t have any equipment that’s fully functional, so voters that are here for their precinct are not able to vote. They’ve been waiting on paper ballots as well,” she said around 11 a.m. She added that precinct four had just one operational machine at that time.

Citywide issues with same-day registration also contributed to the delays. Officials said these issues prompted the need for machine resets across the city. The Chicago Board of Elections encouraged voters assigned to sites experiencing problems to go to early voting sites. These locations serve as universal vote centers on Election Day.

An update arrived around 1:45 p.m. First Ward Alderman Daniel La Spata said precincts four and five received additional paper ballots. An extra touch screen voting machine was also delivered to the site. La Spata said he plans to ask questions and hold the Chicago Board of Elections accountable for how these issues occurred.

Cheers erupted among voters when the new paper ballots arrived. The disruption affected a high-profile polling location during a critical time for the election. Statewide offices are up for vote, including governor, comptroller, attorney general, treasurer, and secretary of state. Five congressional districts will also vote for representatives after the sitting members opted not to run for reelection.

Polls in Illinois close at 7 p.m. CT. Any voter in line at that time is allowed to vote. Results are expected to begin populating in the first half-hour after polls close. Voters in Lake County, Indiana, should note that polls in Jasper, Lake, LaPorte, Porter, and Newton counties close at 6 p.m. CT.