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.
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]
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]