Voter registration efforts in Chicago are struggling in the face of rapidly approaching deadlines for the special aldermanic elections in March.
Although minorities have targeted their efforts toward the elections in the seven wards that were redrawn in the city`s new ward map, little activity has been visible on the official rolls of the Chicago Board of Election Commissioners.
Thomas Leach, board spokesman, said that slightly more than 5,000 voters have been registered since Nov. 1, when the total citywide voter registration figure was 1.5 million.
”So far registration is minimal, and we do not expect a big jump citywide,” Leach said. ”But in those seven wards, we expect substantially more than in the rest of the city.”
Special elections will be held March 18 in the Southwest Side`s 15th, 18th, 22d and 25th Wards; the Northwest Side`s 26th and 31st Wards; and the West Side`s 37th Ward.
Leach said there were about 3,000 deputy registrars, mostly in the seven wards, signing up voters, but their last day to do so will be Monday. Monday also will be the last day for potential voters to register at the board`s offices and in Chicago Public Library branches.
”There is not the same level of activity there was in `82 and `83,”
said James Hill, chairman of public relations for the Citywide Voter Coalition, an umbrella group of civic organizations. ”It`s a lot lower, but at least the response is people are registering to vote when contacted by the registrars.
The final day to register for the March 18 primary and the special elections, held the same day, will be Feb. 18 at precinct polling places.
Many of the candidates in the seven races have deputies in their camps signing up voters.
”We have 50 deputy registrars,” said Ald. Miguel Santiago, who is running for re-election in the 31st Ward. ”We go door to door in each precinct to register them.”
Santiago, a member of the Regular Democratic Organization, said there will be 200 workers taking people to the polls to register on Feb. 18.
WSNS-TV (Channel 44), the only full-time Spanish language television station in the city, recently kicked off a yearlong voter registration drive with various community groups.
