Progress Illinois

Halfway through Election Day, a greater than average numbers of voters turned out to some of the polls in President Barack Obama’s home neighborhood of Hyde Park.

There, voters overwhelmingly expressed support or copped to casting their ballots in favor of the President over his opponent former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney. Many voters told Progress Illinois their main concerns were gay rights, women’s issues and social program issues.

“Obama, he’s a neighbor. I think he’s more intelligent, more rational. He just represents my values better than Romney does,” said Rosalie Guttman, an England native who emigrated to Hyde Park 45 years ago.

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Despite a federal indictment on bribery charges and being kicked out of the Illinois General Assembly in August, former state Rep. Derrick Smith may be elected to his old seat today in Illinois’ 10th House district.

Across the 10th state House district today, which loosely includes the Garfield Park and West Town neighborhoods on Chicago’s West Side but also stretches near the lakefront, ripped apart signs can be found that state Derrick Smith is “Wanted” for “Disgracing the Democratic Party” and “Crimes Against the Residents of the 10th District” and “Federal Bribery.”

Yet support appears lukewarm for Lance Tyson, the 10th District Unity Party candidate and former chief of staff for Cook County President Todd Stroger. Tyson has billed himself as the “real Democrat”

For example, PI caught up with Ald. Robert Fioretti (2nd) at a polling place in the Ukrainian Village neighborhood. Fioretti is also the 2nd Ward Democratic Committeeman and part of a coterie of West Side Democrats, including Secretary of State Jesse White, who agreed to “unify” their support behind Tyson.

But Fioretti said Tyson’s get out the vote efforts left something to be desired. Read more »

Voter enthusiasm among young people has appeared to have gone up since summer, according to the findings of a recent analysis that showed Pres. Barack Obama with a significant advantage over Republican challenger Mitt Romney among voters under the age of 30.

In a survey of more than 1,000 individuals between ages 18 and 29, 54 percent said in mid-October they were “extremely likely” to vote, up from 44 percent when the same group was asked in July, according to The Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement, which conducted the study.

The number of young people that said they were either “extremely likely” or “very likely” to vote also increased, from 60 percent in July to 67 percent last month.

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