The number of suburban Cook County voters who headed to the polls in advance of Election Day has surpassed the number of early voters in the area in 2010.
As of Thursday morning, about 91,000 residents cast their early votes, compared to about 83,000 in 2010, according to the Cook County Clerk's Office.
Numbers were not available midday for the City of Chicago.
[[279761232, C]]
[[279717052, C]]
Officials from a group called "Raise Illinois," focused on increasing the state's minimum wage, credit their massive get-out-the-vote effort for what they say is a boost across Illinois.
[[280784432, C]]
Illinois' minimum wage currently sits at $8.25/hour. A non-binding ballot question asks voters if the minimum wage should be increased to $10.
Incumbent Gov. Pat Quinn is in full support of raising the minimum wage and has made it a campaign issue. His Republican challenger, Bruce Rauner, initially said he supported bringing Illinois' $8.25 rate down to the $7.25 federal level in order to keep the state competitive, but later, and faced with the possibility of voter backlash, he "clarified" his stance and said he would support a minimum wage hike if there were other business concessions.
Early voting is available until Nov. 1
Early Voting in Suburban Cook County Surpasses 2010 Numbers
10/20/14: President Barack Obama took advantage of Early Voting on Monday and cast his ballot at the Martin Luther King Center in Chicago’s Grand Boulevard neighborhood.
