Vanishing polling places: Some states are seeing a decline in the number of polling places ahead of the 2024 elections

CHICAGO (WLS) — With less than a week before voters head to the polls, some may find their polling places are gone.

More than one in five polling places have closed in the past decade, according to an analysis of data from the Office of Elections and Voting, the Center for New Data and the Center for Public Integrity.

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The United States lost 27,000 polling places between 2012 and 2022, with the number of Election Day polling places falling from about 116,000 in 2012 to fewer than 89,000 in 2022.

Cook County is one of the few U.S. jurisdictions where the number of polling places has more than doubled over the same 10-year period. In 2012, there were 1,082 polling stations on Election Day, and in 2022 the number will increase to 2,655.

In Chicago, many voters started voting earlier this month, perhaps made easier by the number of polling places around the city. However, such an upward trajectory is not observed everywhere.

In Illinois, Kendall and Lake counties are among the areas where the number of polling places has declined over this 10-year period.

Lake County Clerk Anthony Vega said it has to do with voter habits.

“The biggest change that impacted the number of sites was actually in voter behavior,” Vega told the I-Team. “With the rise in popularity of voting by mail and the rise in popularity of in-person early voting… We are now seeing that the majority of voters—more than 50% of voters—are voting before Election Day. And it’s true. even more so now, especially in the 2024 primaries.”

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Across the state line, in Lake County, Indiana, the I-Team found that nearly 40% of polling places closed over a 10-year period. In 2012, there were 323 polling stations on Election Day, but in 2022 the number has dropped to 196.

Election officials in Lake County, Indiana, did not respond to questions from the I-Team about reducing the number of polling places.

Voter rights groups said the cuts disenfranchise voters.

“We’re seeing what appears to be a concerted effort to, frankly, practice voter suppression by eliminating polling places in some places,” said Julia Vaughn, executive director of Common Cause Indiana. “The main reason for this here in Indiana has been the move in many counties to vote centers… The trade-off is that any voter can go to any location. So, you know, this could be good. This might work. well, when it’s done right, and it may not work so well if it’s done incorrectly.”

Indiana moved from separate polling places to single voting centers 20 years ago, Vaughn said.

“It’s always a budget crisis for districts,” Vaughn said. “And in Indiana (districts) those who pay for elections. So, trying to save money, and the obvious way to do that with your election budget, is to reduce the number of places where you hold elections.”

This can be seen in the statewide numbers.

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The I Team found that the total number of polling places on Election Day in Indiana was cut by more than half. There were 3,812 polling places statewide in 2012, but that number will drop to 1,660 in 2022.

Indiana ranks 35th in the nation, with an average of 33 Election Day polling places for every 100,000 eligible voters.

Wisconsin ranks 12th with about 57 Election Day polling places for every 100,000 eligible voters. There were 3,541 registered polling places in the state in 2012, up from 2,537 in 2022.

In Kenosha County, Wisconsin, the number of polling places has been reduced from 42 polling places in 2012 to 32 in 2022. However, election officials told the I-Team they will return to 42 polling places for the 2024 general election.

Illinois ranks 8th in the nation with approximately 67 Election Day polling places for every 100,000 eligible voters. The number of polling stations has increased from 6,110 polling stations in 2012 to 6,145 in 2022.

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