Polls for early midterm voting in McLean County have been open for two weeks and officials have been unexpectedly busy so far.
The number of people voting early in 2026 is the highest since 2010. A big factor was the turnout of 95 people on the first day of open polling.
“Early voting has been a big surprise this year,” said County Clerk Kathy Micheal, “We’ve had a bigger turnout than I can remember in 16 years.”
These increased voting numbers coming as a surprise to most people. Illinois State University professor Eric Rankin thinks otherwise citing many changes that have been made in McLean County since 2014.
“Because we’ve had now years and years in election cycles behind this, I think voters are getting more comfortable with mailing and early voting,” he said, “that’s why I think we’re seeing numbers continuing to go up, because people are finding it to be a very good way to cast a ballot.”
Voters can go to the McLean County government office to cast their vote early starting at 8:30 am on most days. Hours may vary leading up to election day November 3rd.
To learn more about early voting, visit the McLean County website.