Election officials say coding error affected few precincts, but high voter turnout also led to long lines

Chicagoans who voted on Election Day may have grown impatient in long lines, but only part of that can be attributed to a technical issue reported at some polling locations, the Chicago Board of Elections said.

A coding error the Chicago Board of Elections says is responsible for some polling places receiving a low amount of ballots affected less than 2% of precincts, but high voter registration and turnout contributed to long lines on Election Day, the Board of Elections said.

The board completed an audit Thursday that concluded the coding error miscalculated the number of ballot styles needed for some precincts only led to shortages at 24 precincts, or 1.86% of the board's total precincts. Board officials said its IT department has added validation checks and other precautions to hopefully identify and prevent similar issues in the future.

But high voter turnout and same-day voter registration rates also impacted lines on Election Day, the board said in a statement Thursday. More than 34,000 people registered to vote on Election Day and voter turnout was second only behind the 2024 presidential election. As a result, voting wait times and voter processing were slowed by those factors as well, the board said.