A coding error left split precincts short of ballots on Tuesday. The Board of Elections faces the Council's budget committee Monday

The Board says 491 of the city's 1,291 precincts needed more than one ballot style, and some got the quantities transposed. Last year, members used the Board's budget hearing to ask about long lines and rising contract costs.

By Chicago PoliticsUpdated Nov 5, 2026

Some Chicago voters waited hours on Tuesday because their polling places ran out of the right paper ballot. The Chicago Board of Election Commissioners now says a coding error in the system it uses to calculate ballot quantities caused the shortages, Block Club Chicago reported. Each precinct got the right total number of ballots, the Board said, but some got too few of one ballot style and too many of another.

Why it matters: the next election is the one that picks Chicago's mayor and all 50 alderpersons, on Feb. 23. The Board's budget comes largely from the City, and its leaders testify before the City Council's budget committee on Monday.

What the Board has said

The problem hit "split precincts," which need more than one ballot style because they straddle district lines. Chicago had 491 of them out of 1,291 precincts, Block Club reported. Board spokesperson Julie Metea told Block Club that in some cases the quantities for different styles were transposed, and that the Board had never seen this kind of error before.

In a Wednesday statement, the Board apologized "for the error that slowed the lines at certain precincts," the Sun-Times reported. The Board would not say how many precincts ran out. It said it learned of the problem around 10 a.m. Tuesday, printed and delivered more ballots, sent extra touchscreen machines and let everyone in line at closing vote.

Where: the Board first looked at shortages in the 1st, 25th and 32nd wards. Voters and election judges also reported them in Uptown, Pilsen, Logan Square, Albany Park and the Near West Side, Block Club reported.
How long: at one Logan Square precinct, about 100 extra ballots arrived around noon and ran out within a couple of hours, and the next delivery came at 7:05 p.m., the president of the League of Women Voters of Chicago told Block Club.
The downtown supersite: two-hour waits at 137 S. State St. were not caused by the error, the Board said, but by heavy turnout and voters redirected from affected precincts.
What changes: the Board said it will add automated checks before ballot quantities go to its printing vendor.

State law requires election authorities to deliver at least 10% more ballots than registered voters to each precinct, Block Club noted. A spokesperson for Mayor Brandon Johnson called the reports "concerning."

What our records add

Last year's hearing. At the Board's 2026 budget hearing on Nov. 13, 2025 (meeting notes), several members raised the same kinds of problems:

Ald. Leni Manaa-Hoppenworth (48th), whose ward includes part of Uptown, said her ward has long Election Day lines and asked how alderpersons should work with the Board on them (watch).
Ald. Daniel La Spata (1st) asked why the Board's contractual services were rising from $10.4 million in 2024 to $17.8 million in 2026, including software (watch). Ald. William Conway (34th) said the explanation he got, a one-time electronic poll book purchase, made sense (watch).
Ald. Lamont Robinson (4th) said the Council wasn't told when the previous executive director left, and that because the City funds the Board, members should hear about leadership changes (watch).
Ald. Marty Quinn (13th) suggested an additional early voting site in every ward (watch).

The voting-access council. The Mayor's office pointed to the Fair Access to Democracy Ordinance. Our record shows the Council passed it 42 to 8 on May 20 (SO2026-0024036). It protects election workers' personal information and creates a 10-member advisory council on access to voting, appointed by the Mayor and confirmed by the Council.

How each ward voted

42 yea, 8 nay · May 20, 2026 · Passed

Yea Nay

SO2026-0024036: the roll call, the timeline and the documents

The eight no votes were Quinn, Raymond Lopez (15th), Matthew O'Shea (19th), Silvana Tabares (23rd), Felix Cardona Jr. (31st), Nicholas Sposato (38th), Anthony Napolitano (41st) and James Gardiner (45th).

What's next

Mon., Nov. 9: the Board of Elections testifies at the budget hearing, alongside the Treasurer, Human Resources, Administrative Hearings and Procurement. It's the same day the Board begins hearing objections to 2027 candidates, as we reported.
Nov. 20: the advisory council's first meeting, open to the public, the Mayor's office told Block Club.
Within 21 days of the election: results become official, CBS Chicago reported.
Feb. 23: the municipal election.