>>> WE ARE ONE WEEK AWAY FROM ELECTION DAY.

ELECTION OFFICIALS SAY EARLY VOTING TURNOUT THIS TIME AROUND IS HIGH.

IT IS FAR OUTPACING CITY WHAT ELECTIONS.

FOR THOSE STILL PLANNING ON CASTING THE BALLOT, HERE IS A RUNDOWN ON WHAT TO KEEP IN MIND.

JOINING US NOW IS MAX, DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC EDUCATION AT THE DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION.

WHAT IS THE STATUS OF EARLY VOTING?

HOW MANY PEOPLE HAVE YOU SEEN CASTING THEIR BALLOTS?

>> WE HAVE ENCOURAGING NUMBERS.

AS OF LAST NIGHT, WE HAVE HAD OVER 48,000 EARLY VOTING BALLOTS COME BACK SO FAR.

OVER 61,000 BY MAIL.

OVER 117,000 BALLOTS CAST SO FAR WITHIN THE CITY.

COMPARE THAT TO 2019, 2015, THE TWO LESS MUNICIPAL, THAT IS MORE THAN DOUBLE, ALMOST GETTING TO TRIPLE.

THAT MEANS PEOPLE HAVE MADE UP THEIR MIND, THEY ARE VOTING ALREADY, AND THEY ARE DOING IT QUICKER.

THE STEADY AMOUNT OF VOTING THAT WE HAVE SEEN OVER THE LAST THREE WEEKS, IT REALLY SUGGEST THAT WE WILL HAVE A HIGH TURNOUT.

>> HOW CAN YOU TELL THAT FOCUSES ON CHANGING THEIR HABIT?

CASTING IT EARLY RATHER THAN A ELECTION DAY ITSELF.

>> THIS WAS THE LAST WEEK OF EARLY VOTING.

THIS IS GENERALLY WHEN WE SEE THE BIGGEST AMOUNT OF PEOPLE COMING UP TO VOTE.

THOSE NUMBERS HAVE BEEN ENCOURAGING.

WE HAD JUST OVER 6000 LAST NIGHT.

WHERE WE ARE THINKING THAT THIS MEANS IT WOULD BE HEADING TOWARD ELECTION DAY, RATHER THAN BY CAPTURING THE EVIL BY MEL VOTERS.

BY MONDAY, WE MIGHT HAVE OVER 200,000.

THE WEIGHTY LAST NOVEMBER ELECTION, AS WELL AS JUNE PLAYED OUT, WE HAD ABOUT 25% VOTE BY MAIL.

15% OF VOTERS VOTE ON ELECTION DAY.

WE DON'T THINK THAT WILL CHANGE MUCH.

MORE PEOPLE WILL PROBABLY STAY HOME.

MORE VOTING BY MAIL THAN EVER.

WE DO EXPECT THAT A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE STILL WAITING FOR ELECTION DAY.

MUNICIPAL ELECTION, PEOPLE MAKE UP THEIR MIND MUCH LATER IN THE PROCESS.

THERE IS STILL A LOT THAT CAN HAPPEN IN A WEEK FOR A CANDIDATE SAYING SOMETHING, COMING DOWN ON A PARTICULAR ISSUE.

WE DO KNOW A LOT OF PEOPLE HAVE MADE UP THEIR MINDS.

>> AND A LOT OF CANDIDATES TO CHOOSE BETWEEN.

WHAT DO YOU THINK IS DRIVING THIS HIGHER TURNOUT?

>> THAT COULD BE ONE OF THE REASONS, TOO.

WE HAVE THE MOST AMOUNT OF CANDIDATES RUNNING IN THE MUNICIPAL ELECTION EVER.

NEARLY 300.

WE CAN SAY FOR SURE THAT VOTERS ARE PRETTY AWARE THERE IS AN ELECTION COMING UP NEXT TUESDAY.

GIVEN THAT THERE ARE THAT MANY CAMPAIGNS, WE HAVE MANY MAYORAL CANDIDATES.

THIS IS DRIVING A LOT OF INTEREST IN THE RACE AND A LOT OF VOTERS OF THE POLLS.

>> LET'S TALK ABOUT THAT.

ON THE BALLOT, WE HAVE MAYOR, CITY CLERK, CITY COUNCIL.

AND A NEW ONE, AS YOU SAID, POLICE DISTRICT COUNCIL.

TELL US HOW THOSE WILL WORK.

>> FOR THE FIRST TIME IN OVER A CENTURY, A NEW MUNICIPAL BALLOT HAS BEEN ADDED.

THEY ARE USED FOR VOTING FOR MAYOR, TREASURER, BUT FOR THE FIRST TIME, THEY WILL FROM BEYOND IT.

UP TO THREE CANDIDATES FOR POLICE DISTRICT COUNCIL.

IT WAS CREATED BY THE CITY COUNCIL RECENTLY.

IT WILL SUPPORT CITY COMMISSION ON PULLEY SAFETY -- ACCOUNTABILITY.

THESE OFFICERS ARE NOT GOING TO THE NEXT ROUND OR TO A RUNOFF ELECTION.

THOSE TOP THREE VOTE GETTERS .

>> TELL ME HOW SAME-DAY WORKS?

>> WE ARE LUCKY TO HAVE THE SAFETY NET OF SAME-DAY REGISTRATION.

THERE IS NO DEADLINE.

IF YOU ARE ELIGIBLE TO VOTE, YOU CAN VOTE IN CHICAGO AND IN ILLINOIS.

YOU NEED TWO FORMS OF I.D.

WITH YOUR CURRENT ADDRESS.

EVEN IF YOU HAVE NEVER BEEN REGISTERED TO VOTE, OR IF YOU RECENTLY CHANGED YOUR NAME RECENTLY MOVED.

AND IF YOU HAVEN'T UPDATED YOUR VOTER REGISTRATION, YOU CAN DO SO AT ANY EARLY VOTING SITE.

THAT WILL GET YOU REGISTER, THE CAN VOTE.

YOU CAN ALSO DO IT ON ELECTION DAY.

WITH YOUR ASSIGNED PRECINCT POLLING PLACE, YOU CAN GET REGISTERED TO VOTE.

50 CENTERS OPEN, AS WELL AS -- WE APPRECIATE THAT THE LEGISLATURE HAS ALLOWED THIS.

WE WILL CERTAINLY LIKE TO HAVE THEM MAKE IT PERMANENT.

6:00 A.M. TO 7:00 P.M.

ULTIMATELY, THEY CAN VOTE AT ANY LOCATION THAT THEY WANT.

IF YOU LIVE IN THE FIRST WARD YOU WANT TO VOTE IN THE 50th, YOU CAN DO SO.

>> WE HAVE 30 SECONDS, WHAT IS THE LIKELIHOOD THAT THERE COULD BE I DETERMINE RACES?

>> UNFORTUNATELY, IT IS QUITE LIKELY.

WE HAVE OVER 205,000 VOTE BY MAIL APPLICATIONS OUT THERE .

THE VOTE BY MAIL BALLOTS ON THE ACCOUNT UNTIL ELECTION DAY AT 7:00.

THEY WILL START TO BE COUNTED ON ELECTION NIGHT.

A LOT OF THESE RACES, ESPECIALLY ALL THE PEOPLE -- THEY WILL BE CLOSE.

WE DO ASK FOR PATIENTS AS ALL OF THE VOTES ARE COUNTED.

>> IT WILL BE A LONG NIGHT, ESPECIALLY FOR YOU.

THANK YOU, BRANDON.