Voter turnout in Cook County during the primaries was 24.03%, with 644,701 ballots cast. Among these, 440,873 Democratic, 200,750 Republican, 112 Green, and 2,966 nonpartisan primary ballots were cast.[3][4] The city of Chicago saw 24.46% turnout, its lowest turnout for a presidential primary on record (with the records dating back to 1942).[3][4][5][6] Suburban Cook County saw 23.63% turnout.[3][4]
The general election saw 70.59% turnout, with 2,030,563 ballots cast. Chicago saw 73.01% turnout and suburban Cook County saw 70.70% turnout.[7][8]
In the 2012 Cook County Board of Review election, all three seats, two Democratic-held and one Republican-held, were up for election. All incumbents won reelection.
The Cook County Board of Review has its three seats rotate the length of terms. In a staggered fashion (in which no two seats have coinciding two-year terms), the seats rotate between two consecutive four-year terms and a two-year term.[11] This was the first year since 2002 that all three seats were coincidingly up for election.
As these were the first elections held following the 2010 United States Census, the seats faced redistricting before this election.
Incumbent member Michael Cabonargi, a Democrat appointed in 2011 after Joseph Berrios resigned to assume office as Cook County Assessor,[12] was reelected to a full term, running unopposed in both the Democratic primary and general election. This election was to a four-year term.
Primaries
Democratic
Cook County Board of Review 2nd district Democratic primary[2]
Incumbent second-term member Larry Rogers, Jr., a Democrat, was reelected, running unopposed in both the Democratic primary and general election. Rogers had last been reelected in 2008. This election was to a two-year term.
Primaries
Democratic
Cook County Board of Review 3rd district Democratic primary[2]
In the 2012 Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago election, three of the nine seats on the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago board were up for election in an at-large election.
Incumbent Democrats Debra Shore and Patricia Horton sought reelection.[13][14] Horton failed to garner renomination, thus losing reelection.
Shore won reelection. Joining Shore in winning the general election were Democrats Kari K. Steele[15] and Patrick Daley Thompson.
Primaries
Democratic
Water Reclamation District Board election Democratic primary[2]
12 judgeships on the Circuit Court of Cook County were up for partisan elections due to vacancies.[1] 56 Circuit Court judgeships were up for retention elections.[16]
23 subcircuit court judgeships were also up for partisan elections due to vacancies.[1] Multiple subcircuit court judgeships were also up for retention elections.[17]
Other elections
Coinciding with the primaries, elections were held to elect both the Democratic and Republican committeemen for the wards of Chicago.[18]