The Chicago mayoral election could be one of the most tightly-contested races in recent memory, and officials say that a large number of mail-in ballots could help to determine the final outcome.
According to the Chicago Board of Elections, more than 200,000 mail-in ballot applications have been received so far during the election season, with just under 140,000 ballots still yet to be turned in as Election Day nears on Feb. 28.
So when exactly will the CBOE be able to start counting those mail-in ballots?
According to an update from a spokesperson for the CBOE, any mail-in ballots that are received by Monday will be counted on Election Day, with those totals being included in the initial returns that will be put out by the board after polls close at 7 p.m.
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Even if those ballots are included in that initial tally, it could still be a long while until all of the votes are counted.
That is because voters have until midnight on Feb. 28 to ensure that their ballots have been turned into an election official or to a post office, with ballots postmarked on Election Day still eligible to be counted.
Under Chicago law, mail-in ballots that are postmarked by Feb. 28 that are received by March 14 will be counted in the election, and with a tightly-contested race for mayor anticipated, that two-week stretch could prove to be critical for a candidate’s hopes of getting into a potential runoff in April.
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The final certification of counts is scheduled for March 21, according to CBOE officials.
To cap things off, if a mayoral candidate finishes within 5% of second place in the Feb. 28 election, they could request a recount of ballots, which could cause the process to last even longer.
Polling data does show that former Chicago Public Schools CEO Paul Vallas has an edge in the run-up to Election Day, but Mayor Lori Lightfoot, Cook County Board Commissioner Brandon Johnson, Rep. Jesus “Chuy” Garcia and philanthropist Willie Wilson could all potentially figure into the race for the top two spots next week.
As of Wednesday night, there have been 76,521 vote-by-mail ballots returned to the CBOE. The total number of mail-in ballots requested so far is 213,473, meaning that nearly 140,000 ballots still need to be returned.
A total of 140,792 ballots have been cast via the mail or at early-bird locations.
