(Above) Polling place with a view. Voting booths overlook State Street Tuesday evening from the 20th floor of Marina City’s east tower. Officials who spent the day traveling to numerous precincts agreed that Marina City’s polling place was probably the highest, certainly in the 42nd Ward and perhaps in the city as well. (Click on image to view larger version.)

February 22, 2011 – Voters in the tiny 27th precinct of Chicago’s 42nd Ward picked winners on Tuesday. While mayoral candidate Rahm Emanuel had 54.9 percent of the vote with 96 percent of the precincts counted by Tuesday night, he had 60.9 percent of the vote at Marina City.

Gery Chico received 26.8 percent of the vote in the 27th precinct, a bigger share than the 24.4 percent he got citywide. 8.6 percent of the Marina City vote went to Miguel del Valle and 2.8 percent went to Carol Moseley Braun.

Also running in the municipal general election were candidates for city clerk. In the 27th precinct, Susana Mendoza received 69.6 percent of the vote and Patricia Horton got 29.5 percent.

Out of 614 registered voters, 281 voted on Tuesday. 46 people “early voted” and six voted by absentee ballot. That represents a 54 percent voter turnout for the precinct. The busiest hours were 6-7 p.m. and 5-6 p.m.

Election judges reported no problems. Election results for the precinct were generated 28 minutes after the polls closed. When judges delivered election documents to a receiving station for 128 precincts in two wards, they were told they were approximately the 23rd precinct to arrive.

Most voters left the polling place within four minutes of arriving. For many voters, the process took no more than three minutes.

In the election on November 2, 2010, 338 residents of Marina City voted, 16 percent more than on February 22, 2011, achieving a 60 percent turnout. Voting at the 27th precinct, however, was marred by numerous complaints about the polling place – in the residential lobby of the west tower – being too small and too dark.

(Above) An election judge demonstrates use of a “touchscreen” voting unit. (Below) Most of the work for election judges happens in the hour after the polls close.

 Related story:Good turnout at Marina City despite polling place problems