Tim Shelley / Peoria Public Radio
Early voting for next month’s consolidated primary elections began Thursday, and Peoria County Election Commission Executive Director Tom Bride believes turnout may be higher than usual this year.
With five candidates on the ballot to replace Peoria Mayor Jim Ardis and four City Council district races with more than two candidates, Bride thinks the crowded fields may generate greater voter interest.
“It’s been a while since we ve had a really heavily contested mayoral race and this many heavily contested city council races. We typically haven t had a big turnout in these primaries, but I think we ll be higher because of that,” said Bride, noting the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic could counteract any increased interest and potentially suppress voting.