Cook County Clerk launches election tool to monitor real-time activity
The platform allows the clerk, which oversees elections, to track turnout, mail-in ballot activity, and aggregated data across the suburbs, promoting voter confidence.
A new interactive tool will allow the Cook County Clerk’s Office to monitor election activity and make critical decisions around where to deploy resources.
Election Lens will allow the county to ensure election integrity and voter confidence, said Cook County Clerk Monica Gordon as officials previewed the tool Tuesday.
Currently, data are delineated by three areas: voter turnout, mail-in ballots, and polling locations. The platform was developed in partnership with Missouri-based KNOWiNK, known for its electronic Poll Pad that has been used at polling stations across the county since 2021.
Election Lens integrates with polling pads. Data updates as voters check-in. If a pad is running low on power or a location needs additional staffing, the county could troubleshoot immediately.
“The key to this is to get ahead of any problems and know that before it happens,” said Dheeraj Patri, KNOWiK’s Chief Technology Officer.
The dashboard is also integrated with the United States Postal Service scan data. That allows the county to monitor movement across the nation. To her knowledge, Cook County is the first of its kind to launch such a product, Gordon said.
“If we see ballots slowing down or falling behind schedule in the mail stream, we can identify the issue quickly and take action to keep ballots moving,” Gordon said.
The data will help operationalize the office, said Deputy Clerk Edmund Michalowski. The power of Election Lens could even unlock abilities to alert voters about power outages, weather conditions, and other factors ahead and during voting periods, Michaelowski said.
The product, which is still in beta mode, is available for internal use only. It could be fully operational before the November general elections.
A record number of open Congressional House seats and a Senate seat due to the retirement of Sen. Dick Durbin likely spurred increased turnout.
Suburban voters broke the record for ballots cast in a gubernatorial primary during the early voting period, surpassing the 2018 record, county data show. In 2018, voters cast 107,608 ballots. In 2026, voters cast 122,583 ballots.
The general election is November 3.
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