Election Live Blog: The results are in for Peoria, Tazewell and Woodford Counties

Former President Donald Trump will return to the White House, according to a race call by the Associated Press.

Trump won the key states of Wisconsin and Pennsylvania, with a combined 29 electoral votes to clinch the 270 necessary to win the presidency. As of 5:34am ET Wednesday, Trump had 277 electoral votes total.

Prior to the race call for Wisconsin, and before the Associated Press had called the race in his favor, Trump spoke at Palm Beach Convention Center in West Palm Beach, Fla., where he stood flanked by family and staff and spoke to a crowd of supporters.

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U.S. Rep. Eric Sorensen won a second term Tuesday over Republican challenger Joe McGraw, keeping one of Illinois' few competitive seats in Democratic hands.

Sorensen won 53.8% of the vote. The AP called the race in Sorensen's favor just before 4 a.m. Wednesday. Sorensen easily won McLean County [including Bloomington], with 61% of the vote.

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More than two-thirds of Peoria Township voters support a new method of electing political candidates in the state of Illinois.

A non-binding referendum on Tuesday’s general election ballot had 67% percent in favor of Illinois adopting ranked-choice voting in federal and statewide races with more than two candidates.

With ranked-choice voting, voters would put the candidates in order of preference. A candidate ranked as the “first choice” on 51% of ballots would win the election.

But if no candidate gets a majority of top-choice votes, the race is determined by an instant runoff.

Candidates with the fewest top spot votes are eliminated, and any voters who picked those candidates would instead have their “second vote” counted.

Proponents of the plan say it welcomes more women and people of color to run for office. Opponents say it would make elections more expensive and complex.

Since the referendum is non-binding, it would be up to the Illinois General Assembly to adopt a ranked-choice voting system.

Democrat Sharon Chung won reelection to a second term in the Illinois General Assembly with a victory over Republican Desi Anderson.

Chung, a Democrat from Bloomington, won 53% of the vote. She defeated Anderson by around 3,500 votes, according to unofficial totals compiled by WGLT and WCBU.

Chung narrowly defeated Normal Town Council member Scott Preston in 2022.

Chung, music instructor who previously served one term on the McLean County Board, touted her support for public education and women’s reproductive rights in the campaign, along with her efforts to provide relief to farm families, though that bill has not yet had a vote.

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Democrat Jodi Hoos has been elected to another term as Peoria County’s top prosecutor.

The incumbent State’s Attorney received 54% of the vote in Tuesday’s general election in her campaign against Republican challenger Robert Boucher.

“I’m very thankful for the Peoria County citizens and voters who have supported me through all of this,” said Hoos, who won by a margin of more than 6,000 votes.

“I’m anxious to continue my work in the office and continue to build and improve upon what we’ve already done, continue to stand for victims and for those without a voice and fight for them every day in court.”

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Democratic state Sen. Dave Koehler of Peoria is headed to a sixth term in Springfield after defeating Republican challenger Sally Owens, according to unofficial results late Tuesday.

Koehler was leading with 57.5% of the vote after 11 p.m. Tuesday, according to tallies from WGLT and WCBU. Koehler was leading Owens by over 13,000 votes, with all precincts reporting across the district.

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The race to fill the seat of the 10th Judicial Circuit Court judge in Peoria County is too close to call.

Results posted by the Peoria County Election Commission around 11 p.m. Tuesday night show Incumbent Republican Frank Ierulli and Democratic challenger John Spears neck and neck. In the initial count, both candidates sit at 50% with Spears leading by just seven votes.

John Spears, a public defender in Tazewell County, finishes with that slight lead, despite not receiving a recommendation from the Illinois State Bar Association. Ierulli and Spears have both worked prosecution and defense jobs, though only Ierulli has previous experience on the bench.

Ierulli most recently oversees large commercial disputes and medical malpractice cases in Peoria County. He is also one of the most vocal supporters of an ongoing project to create a juvenile treatment court in Peoria County. It’s unclear if being unseated as 10th District Circuit Court judge would have an impact on his role in the process.

Ierulli and Spears gave similar answers on issues like pretrial release, judicial values and preventing violent crime in October interviews with WCBU.

The Peoria County Democrats are expanding their majority on the county board.

Democratic incumbent Eden Blair defeated Brett Beachler in District 6, and Marcia McCann defeated Republican incumbent Nathan Hoerr in District 8.

The Democrats will now hold an 11 to 7 majority on the county board. Peoria County State's Attorney Jodi Hoos also won re-election on Tuesday.

Kamala Harris won the county 51-47% over Donald Trump, with third party candidates taking the remainder.

Voters in Woodford County have decided not to give the county board the power to pursue electrical aggregation in unincorporated areas.

A referendum failed to pass Tuesday night 52% to 47%, by a margin of around 1,700 votes.. The referendum would not have automatically started an aggregation program, but just opened up the option for Woodford County’s governing body. Electrical aggregation is the process by which local governments look for a cheaper supply for the power sent to distributors like Ameren.

The goal of an aggregation program is cost savings, though organizations like the Citizens Utility Board caution that those savings are not always guaranteed.

Peoria area communities like North Pekin, Washington and East Peoria already have electricity aggregation programs.

You can find more information about the details of the failed referendum from Woodford County here.

Two Republicans secured their seats representing District 1 on the Tazewell County Board, while a third claimed a slim advantage of the lone Democrat in the race.

With all precincts reporting, incumbent Jay Hall was selected on 51% of the 18,959 ballots cast with voters choosing three of the four candidates. Joe Woodrow came in second at 47%.

Ralph Deene Milam had 41.4% while Democrat Steven Sours was at 40.6%, with a margin of just 162 votes.

It's 9 p.m. in Illinois and results have begun to trickle in for Peoria-area races, but it's too early to call most. That includes the 17th congressional district.

Polls have closed in Nevada, Montana and Utah. We're still waiting for polls to close in six more states.

Republican nominee Donald Trump has 188 electoral votes, with AP calling Missouri and it's 10 electoral votes for the former president. Democratic nominee has 99 votes.

None of the battleground states have been called, but that is expected.

Election results are still trickling in. Democrats led in the early results from Peoria County, which includes only votes by mail and ballots cast early. Votes cast by those methods typically lean more Democratic than the electorate at large.

The first election day totals are now coming in, too. With about 42 percent of the vote counted, Democratic state's attorney Jodi Hoos is leading against her Republican challenger, Robert Boucher, by a 58-42 margin.

Democrat John Spears leads 53-46 against incumbent Judge Frank Ierulli for a seat on the 10th Judicial Circuit serving Peoria County.

Most precincts are now reporting in Tazewell County. Perhaps the most closely contested item on the ballot there is an advisory referendum calling for the state to create a new 3 percent tax on income over $1 million...and using that revenue to reduce the overall property tax burden across Illinois.

The statewide referendum is non-binding regardless of the result. But a win there could indicate there is some wider support for higher taxes on the wealthy.

It's unclear if such a measure would actually gain traction. A constitutional amendment that would have created a graduated income tax with higher rates for big earners failed in 2020. But Governor JB Pritzker has repeatedly indicated he isn't keen on bringing that specific concept back to voters after spending a lot of political capital (and cash) on the losing measure last time around.

Congressman Darin LaHood will serve another two years representing the 16th Congressional District. That's also according to the Associated Press. The Republican had only nominal opposition from a write-in candidate, Scott Summers.

LaHood first went to Washington in 2015 as the congressman for the 18th Congressional District, which was eliminated following the 2020 Census and subsequent remap.

The 17th Congressional District race between Democrat Eric Sorensen and Republican Joe McGraw hasn't been called yet.

The Associated Press has called Illinois for Democratic nominee Kamala Harris. It's not a surprising win.

Sixteen states have been called so far. Harris currently holds 71 electoral votes. Republican nominee Donald Trump has 101 electoral votes.

Results are coming in for battleground states Georgia, North Carolina and Pennsylvania. Both candidates view Pennsylvania as essential for their respective wins. Results have also started to come in for Michigan, though polls don't close in the state until 8 p.m.

As a reminder, candidates need 270 electoral votes to win.

Peoria County voters made their way out to the polls in the waning hours of Election Day 2025.

There was a very short line at First English Lutheran Church in Peoria around 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, just an hour and a half before polls in Illinois close. Voters WCBU spoke with had both broad and specific policy concerns on their mind.

“The health of my children, the lack of government oversight, I think that there’s a lot of corruption on the blue side of things and I just think that the red side is where our country needs to be headed,” said voter Breitanya Laux.

Laux specified that she is anti-vaccination and believes Republicans will do more to give her the choice of not vaccinating her children. She says she hadn’t voted in the last few elections.

“I thought that the red really needed my support this time,” Laux said.

Voter Jeffrey Nickson also voted broadly Republican, though his concerns were focused on the economy.

“I look back at previous presidents and what they have done, and when Trump was in, it just made things feel a lot easier and better, and it was a lot lighter on my pockets,” he said.

Nickson told WCBU he had actually voted early, but kept receiving automated messages to come vote, so he came to the polls on election day to make sure everything was in order.

“I think [the election judges] are doing a real good job,” he said. “I had just never done it on paper before, it’s always been a computer. But I think they’re doing a really good job.”

Gabriel Eaton is a first-time voter who cast his ballot at First English Lutheran Tuesday night. He says he voted for Democratic candidate Kamala Harris and the process of registering as a first-time voter went smoothly.

“I just think that she’s not the best candidate we’ve ever seen, but she’s marginally better than Donald Trump,” said Eaton.

Eaton listed a few policies of Harris’ that helped earn the vote, including child tax credits, women’s reproductive healthcare and loans for first time homebuyers.

Polls across Illinois closed at 7 p.m.

Polls in Illinois have closed but if you're in line, stay in line. Voters in line by 7 p.m. still get to cast their vote.

Polls also closed in 15 other states and the District of Columbia. Results have already begun to roll in. Unsurprisingly, Republican nominee Donald Trump won Kentucky, Indiana and West Virginia. Democratic nominee Kamala Harris won Vermont.

With an hour to go until polls close, Peoria and Tazewell County election officials are standing by turnout projections they provided Monday.

Peoria County Election Commission Executive Director Elizabeth Gannon tells WCBU she believes turnout will approach 70%. She says they do have a bit of a line at the Election Commission office, and that some people may still be in line by 7 p.m.

She says county wide, they believe all in-person votes will be submitted by 7:45 p.m.

Tazewell County Clerk John Ackerman tells WCBU he believes turnout there will surpass the 74% mark from 2020 and may reach as high as 80%.

He says the county has experienced unprecedented same-day registration of first-time voters throughout the county's polling locations.

Voting closes at 7 p.m. in Illinois. As long as you're in line to vote by then, you will get to vote.

Polls have closed in six states, including in Georgia — a closely watched battleground state. Special Coverage from NPR with local updates starts now at 89.9 FM, WCBU.org and the NPR App.

The Associated Press has been calling races since 1848 and has kept the calls relatively simple.

The AP explains this process:

"Race calls are based on provable facts, primarily from the AP’s vote count, which is compiled from state and local election offices around the nation.

As more and more ballots are tabulated starting on election night, the AP will monitor the incoming vote at the county level and analyze who is in the lead and what areas the votes are coming from.

At the same time, the AP tries to determine throughout the night how many ballots are uncounted and from what areas."

When the AP has called a race, NPR will alert broadcast audiences. You can listen to that special coverage on WCBU tonight at 89.9 FM, WCBU.org or on the NPR App. We'll also post results through this live blog.

The AP won't call any races before polls have closed in that state. You can find poll closure times here.

NPR will not make a race call because a candidate has declared victory or made a concession speech. Neither will the AP.

Read more on how NPR will call races.

WCBU will be tracking results from local election commissions and the AP. We will post national, state and local results to this live blog as the night progresses.

Tazewell County voters weathered the election day rain to head out to the polling location at Folepi’s Market Place in East Peoria.

Voters reported moving in and out of the polling place fairly quickly, waiting in line for just a few minutes before casting their ballot. The parking lot at Folepi’s was over three quarters full shortly after noon Tuesday.

“The process was very smooth,” said voter Richard Messer. “I took five minutes to get in there, vote and get out.”

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In presidential races, Peoria County has consistently voted for the Democratic candidate since Bill Clinton ran in 1992, though the Democrat rarely wins by a landslide. Joe Biden carried Peoria County by just under 52% in 2020, for instance.

A strong showing for Kamala Harris this year could be advantageous for downballot Democrats in this purple county. That will be needed if the party hopes to maintain firm control of the county board. A loss for incumbent Democrat Eden Blair in District 6 could mean a 9-9 partisan split if the status quo is otherwise maintained. Democrats are also making a play for District 8, where Republican Nathan Hoerr won only narrowly in 2022.

Alternatively, a strong showing for Trump could play in the favor of the Peoria County Republicans, who have drummed out a consistent message of "turning Peoria County red" the past couple of years. The party has brought in big national GOP figures like former vice president Mike Pence, House Speaker Mike Johnson, and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to galvanize the base.

Tazewell County last voted for a Democratic presidential candidate when Clinton was on the ballot in 1992. The county has only grown more conservative since then, with Trump pulling in more than 61% of the vote in 2020. That was the best showing for a GOP candidate in Tazewell since Ronald Reagan's 1980 landslide victory.

Woodford County is one of the most Republican counties in the state of Illinois. It hasn't voted for a Democratic presidential candidate since FDR in 1936. Nearly 69% of voters cast a ballot for Trump in this conservative stronghold in 2020.

The Tazewell and Woodford County Democratic parties are running a few candidates for county board in their respective areas, but Republicans in those counties have mounted full slates for those races. A number of Trump voters would likely need to be willing to split their tickets downballot for those Democratic candidates to gain traction.

Voter turnout in the Tri-County area has consistenly increased since Republican Donald Trump first entered politics in 2016.

Here's the percentages of the turnout of registered voters in Peoria, Tazewell, and Woodford counties for the past three presidential elections:

2020

Peoria – 72.56%

Tazewell – 74.11%

Woodford – 79.5%

2016

Peoria – 68.6%

Tazewell – 72.17%

Woodford – 75.24%

2012

Peoria – 67.63%

Tazewell – 68.96%

Woodford – 66.14%

We'll see if those trends continue in 2024, with Trump on the ballot for the third consecutive presidential election.

Election Day is finally upon us, and the polls are open in Illinois.

Lines were moving smoothly in Tazewell County this morning, with one WCBU reporter in and out in about five minutes despite more than a hundred people about casting their ballots.

Election workers were keeping traffic flowing smoothly, helping people find the correct precinct line and moving them through the whole process with assembly line efficiency.

As WCBU's Joe Deacon reported Monday, about 35% of registered voters in Peoria and Tazewell counties cast their ballots early this year. Turnout is expected to hit 70% in Peoria County this election day, and could reach 80% in Tazewell, per county clerk John Ackerman.

Polls close at 7 p.m. But if you cut it close, fear not. You can still cast a ballot after 7 p.m., as long as you're in line by then.

Polls will be open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Nov. 5.

Peoria County voters can now vote at any of the county’s 55 voting sites, instead of an assigned polling place. You can find a list of all 55 sites here.

Tazewell and Woodford County voters can find their precinct through the Illinois State Board of Education’s Polling Place Locator.

Illinois allows same-day voter registration. Voters registering day of must bring two forms of identification, with at least one showing your current address.

Mail-in ballots must be postmarked or returned on Election Day. Election commission's will count ballots that arrive up to 14 days after the election. Mail-in ballots can also be returned in-person.

All information is according to the Illinois State Board of Elections, Peoria County Elections Commission, Tazewell County Clerk's Office and Woodford County.