Chicago Mayoral Election Kicks Off, Winner Might Not Be Known For Months

 Election day in Chicago has arrived.

Chicagoans are heading to the polls this morning to cast their vote for Chicago mayor and for members of Chicago’s City Council.

Before the polls even opened a large number of ballots had already been cast in the election

Chicago 5 News reported, “As of Monday night, 244,580 ballots had been cast, with 131,806 ballots from in-person early voting and another 112,774 from residents who opted to vote by mail.”

Due to the high volume of mail-in ballots and early voters, news outlet Chicago Business has reported the election results will take several days to tabulate.

The winner of the election however may not be decided in days.  It may take several months.

Currently, there are nine candidates running in the mayoral race but in order to be elected outright a candidate must have 50% of the vote.

The incumbent Mayor Lori Lightfoot is not expected to hit that 50% mark due to turning a blind eye to the city’s crime rates.

Per ABC 7 News

In the race for mayor, incumbent Lori Lightfoot has eight challengers — and it’s likely this contest will not be settled until a runoff.

In the mayoral and aldermanic races, if no candidate receives more than 50% of the vote, the top two candidates will face off again in a runoff on April 4.

Here’s a look at the candidates:

 

The Mayoral race has already had its fair share of controversy.