Chicago voters will elect a new mayor Tuesday in the city’s runoff election, following current Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s re-election loss in February to Democrats Paul Vallas and Brandon Johnson. File Photo by Brian Kersey/UPI | License Photo
April 4 (UPI) — Chicago voters are hitting the polls today in the city’s runoff municipal election, which includes the race for mayor between Democrats Paul Vallas and Brandon Johnson.
Polls in Chicago opened Tuesday at 6 a.m. and will remain open until 7 p.m., as voters choose a new mayor following Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s re-election loss in February. Lightfoot’s office issued a statement, saying it stands ready to help with the leadership transition.
“We have communicated to both teams that we stand ready to support the transition, including a meeting between the mayor and the mayor-elect at a mutually agreed upon time,” the mayor’s office wrote.
Both Vallas and Johnson finished ahead of the incumbent mayor in the Feb. 28 election. Johnson finished second behind Vallas. It is not clear if a winner will be known by Tuesday night. Mail-in ballots postmarked by Election Day and arriving the following days will still need to be counted.
On Tuesday, voters going to the polls encountered a number of obstacles as they tried to cast their ballots, including tight security and locked polling locations. Voting was stopped at several school and community voting sites in Lake County after Highland Park schools went into a temporary lockdown following a report of a student “potentially in possession of a gun.” There were also reports of severe thunderstorms in some areas.
Vallas, 69, who served in the Illinois state legislature for 10 years before becoming Chicago’s budget director and later Chicago Public Schools’ chief executive officer, has campaigned on a law-and-order message, repeatedly calling public safety a “fundamental right” and pledging to “make Chicago the safest city in America.”
“So many leaders and trailblazers in the Democratic Party are supporting our campaign because they know that our vision for a safer and more prosperous Chicago is possible if we can come together,” Vallas tweeted Monday before the election.
So many leaders and trailblazers in the Democratic Party are supporting our campaign because they know that our vision for a safer and more prosperous Chicago is possible if we can come together. pic.twitter.com/u5bwvOdiGe— Paul Vallas (@PaulVallas) April 3, 2023
“We need a strong, experienced voice in the mayor’s office. Someone who will draw his leadership team from the community and will bring people to the table who will unite the city,” Vallas said.
Johnson, 46, has campaigned on his background as a public school teacher, union organizer and Cook County commissioner, saying he will fight for fully funded public schools, affordable housing, good jobs and access to mental health care.
On Tuesday, Johnson urged everyone to get out and vote.
“Our canvassing crew hit the streets early today to get out the vote!” Johnson wrote in a tweet.
“We’re knocking doors, we’re making calls and we’re telling everyone we know: this is our moment. This is our time. Let’s seize it, and let’s win a better, safer, stronger Chicago.”
Our canvassing crew hit the streets early today to get out the vote!
We’re knocking doors, we’re making calls, and we’re telling everyone we know: this is our moment. This is our time. Let’s seize it, and let’s win a better, safer, stronger Chicago. ✊ pic.twitter.com/Ea1FUM2cKH— Brandon Johnson (@Brandon4Chicago) April 4, 2023
“We are uniting this city,” Johnson told reporters after casting his vote Tuesday.
“Our promises get to be as large as this city… voting for fully funded neighborhood schools, voting for mental health services, voting for affordability. We are voting for a better, stronger, safer Chicago.”