Pritzker Urges Illinoisans To 'Be Patient' Awaiting Election Results

Gov. J.B. Pritzker is urging Illinois residents to be patient, predicting that it could be as late as Friday (November 6) before election results are in.

That’s because mail-in ballots are “hitting all-time records” this year, as the highly-anticipated presidential election falls during a global pandemic.

“With vote by mail hitting all-time records, that means that we have to be patient about the results of all our races this year,” Pritzker said in a thread on Twitter on Monday evening (November 2). “It will possibly take until Wednesday or Thursday or Friday to get results for some races in Illinois and in states across the country.”

He stressed a “heavy emphasis” that in the coming days, “it’s very important that you NOT get your election news on social media. We know there are foreign actors — specifically Russia, Iran & others— who intend to promote misinformation throughout Election Day & the days after.”

Pritzker encouraged citizens to look to local election office’s websites “or a reputable national news outlet” for information on vote counts, even suggesting a break from social media during the week.

Chicagoans already set a new early voting turnout record, which the Chicago Board of Elections confirmed last week (October 27). Officials said Chicago was on track to hit nearly double the number of early ballots cast in 2016.

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