3,000 Ballots Keep Two Chicago School Board Races Unresolved
A delay in processing Election Day votes leaves the outcomes for Districts 5b and 7a in limbo as the Board of Elections works through 131,131 remaining ballots.
By Marco Alvarez ·
The Chicago Board of Elections is still counting votes from Tuesday's election, a delay that has left the results of two school board races undecided. While results from nearly all city precincts have been reported, 12 of the city's 1,291 precincts had not been counted as of Thursday evening.
The board reported that 686,000 Chicagoans cast ballots, representing 44.6% of registered voters. By Thursday evening, the board had processed an additional 12,000 votes, according to an analysis. There are currently 3,000 Election Day ballots left to count, plus 131,131 uncounted votes in total, which includes mail-in ballots. More than 4,000 provisional ballots also await tabulation.
A spokesperson for the board saidthat the delays are caused by ongoing transmissions to the central data intake and tabulating system. This technical holdup has prevented officials from calling the races in Districts 5b and 7a, which remain too close to determine a winner. Districts 3b and 6a also lack an official winner, though all precincts in those areas have reported results. In both of those districts, the top two candidates are separated by fewer than 240 votes.
In District 3b on the Near Northwest Side, Jason Dónes leads Carlos Rivas Jr. By 127 votes as of Thursday afternoon. Four of the 74 precincts in that district had not been counted, covering just over 4,000 registered voters. Data released by the board on Thursday evening showed Dónes increased his lead by 53 votes. Dónes described the situation as uncertain, noting that the lead could change within minutes. He said, "We’re in the lead, we’re not chasing, but it is sight. But call me in 30 minutes, and I might be down. Call again and I might be up. … It’s a scary few days. Everyone is lighting a candle."
In District 5b on the West Side, Michilla "Kyla" Blaise holds a 1,302-vote lead over Anthony Hargrove. One precinct in that district remained uncounted on Thursday evening. Blaise stated that the delay in her district stemmed from a discrepancy between an electronic ballot counter and a handwritten count by an election judge. Her lawyer indicated that the judges were reviewing the ballots, and Blaise expected a resolution by Thursday afternoon. She said, "My assumption is that, you know, those folks are there for like 13 or 14 hours, and somebody filled in a blank wrong. I don’t think it’s a crisis, but I appreciate that they’re being thorough."
The Board of Elections is also addressing a ballot shortage that contributed to long lines on Election Day. A news release issued Thursday evening attributed the issue partly to a computer error that miscalculated the number of ballots needed at each polling place. The board did not state whether this shortage is affecting the current reporting of race results. The release also noted a surge in same-day voter registrations, with more than 34,000 people registering at polling places, the second-highest total in the city's history.
Election officials must finish counting mail-in and provisional ballots by November 17. Final official results are due by November 24.
