Despite a dismal turnout, Mayor Rahm Emanuel was forced into an April 7 runoff against Cook County Commissioner Jesus "Chuy" Garcia in Tuesday's election.
Garcia carved out a substantial base en route to receiving nearly 34 percent of the vote. Not surprisingly, he was able to win by big majorities in wards on the Southwest and Northwest Sides.
Here's a breakdown of the mayoral election results in each ward. The blue areas represent a win by Garcia, and the red areas show an Emanuel win.
Less than a third of registered voters in Chicago showed up to the polls this time around, which is one of the worst turnouts in the city's mayoral election history. Chicagoans do not usually come out in droves for municipal elections, though. In 2008, when Chicago voted on a new president, nearly 75 percent of registered voters cast ballots. In 2011, when Chicago voted on a new mayor, that figure was at just 42 percent.
Here's a breakdown of voter turnout by ward. Notice that the South Side 19th Ward was the only one in which more than 50 percent of the registered voters cast ballots.
Maybe Chicago's first mayoral runoff since the policy was instituted will motivate voters to participate in the democratic process come April.