DOWNTOWN — Oh, those lucky voters in a certain precinct in the 40th Ward: They once again get to cast their votes Tuesday at Let Them Eat Chocolate, 5306 N. Damen Ave.
Yet even luckier are the voters in the 32nd Ward who get to vote at Club Lucky, 1824 W. Wabansia Ave. Talk about one-stop shopping: You can vote and then either celebrate or drown your political sorrows, depending on which side wins or loses.
Ted Cox says saloons and billiard halls aren't technically allowed by the state, but the rules appear to be lax:
Obviously, we've come a long way since bars were routinely closed on Election Day. And maybe not so far since Ald. Michael "Hinky Dink" Kenna had bums sleeping on the floor of his Downtown bar the Workingman's Exchange, 426 S. Clark St., named perhaps for Kenna's standard operating procedure of serving free food and drink to men in exchange for their favorable votes at the polls in the old 1st Ward 100 years ago, before Prohibition — and women's suffrage.
Illinois still has a standing statute stating that "in no case shall an election be held in any room used or occupied as a saloon, dramshop, bowling alley or as a place of resort for idlers and disreputable persons, billiard hall or in any room connected therewith by doors or hallways," but to judge from the polling places listed by the Chicago Board of Election Commissioners, the city has clearly found a way around that.
In addition to Club Lucky, voters in certain precincts can also cast votes at the Gingerman, 3740 N. Clark St., in the 44th Ward; Silvie's, 1900 W. Irving Park Road, in the 47th Ward (where you can no doubt mount candidate photos on the dart boards); Guide's Sports Bar, 5544 S. Archer Ave., in the 14th Ward; City Works Sports Lounge, 3456 N. Pulaski Road, in the 30th Ward; Marie's Golden Cue, 3241 W. Montrose Ave., in the 33rd Ward; Lawn Lane Bowl, 6750 S. Pulaski Road, in the 13th Ward; Bluebird Lanes, 3900 W. Columbus Ave., in the 18th Ward; and at Pressure Billiards and Cafe, 6318 N. Clark St., in the 40th Ward.
"At the Gingerman, the room used for a polling place has an entrance on Grace. The entrance to the bar is on Clark," said Jim Allen, spokesman for the Election Board. "At Lawn Lane Bowl, the voting room is closed off and down a hallway and separate from the bar area. We have used that site for many years without incident."
The state allows the local election body some leeway in the designation of polling places.
Other unconventional polling places may be on firmer legal footing, but they're no less offbeat.
Although the dead supposedly litter Chicago's voting rolls, the living can vote while passing through the Donnellan Funeral Home, 10525 S. Western Ave.
Interested in voting the bums out of office? Vote at the U-Haul at 4100 W. Fullerton Ave. in the 31st Ward. Or put their political hopes in stir at Life Storage, 3245 W. 30th St., in the 12th Ward, or at the old Marshall Field's warehouse at 4000 W. Diversey Ave. in the 31st Ward.
Or give them a ride out of town from any of several auto dealerships serving as polling places, from Napleton Northwestern Chrysler, 5950 N. Western Ave., in the 40th Ward, to Sam's Auto Sales, 6815 S. Western Ave., in the 17th Ward. Or soup up your own ride while voting at Rim City and VIP Auto Sounds, 4253 W. Grand Ave., in the 26th Ward.
With apologies to Let Them Eat Cake, restaurants are so plentiful as polling places they're almost not worth mentioning. Voters can do their civic duty at Marcello's, 645 W. North Ave., in the 2nd Ward; Ricobene's, 252 W. 26th St., in the 11th Ward; the Original Pancake House, 10437 S. Western Ave., in the 19th Ward; Jimmie G's Restaurant, 307 S. Kedzie Ave., in the 28th Ward; Reza's, 432 W. Ontario St., in the 42nd Ward; Metropolis Coffee, 1039 W. Granville Ave., in the 48th Ward; and at either Leona's, 6935 N. Sheridan Road, or the Kizin Creole Restaurant, 2311 W. Howard St., in the 49th Ward.
Look good while you vote at Delia's Beauty Salon, 2810 W. 55th St., in the 14th Ward; at the First Class Barber Shop, 3424 N. Cicero Ave., in the 31st Ward; or at Lena's Beauty College, 1140 W. 87th St., in the 21st Ward. Or get your eyes checked while voting at Gary Rubin, M.D., opthamologist, 7001 W. Archer Ave., in the 23rd Ward.
You can even pick up a ballot with your groceries at Treasure Island, 1526 E. 55th St., in the 5th Ward. Or vote and then blog about it at the Internet Cafe at 5311 S. Kedzie Ave. in the 14th Ward.
Talk about a bankrupt political system, you can vote at empty storefronts at 5334 S. Archer Ave., in the 14th Ward; at 4339 W. Cermak Road, in the 22nd Ward; at 339 E. Grand Ave., in the 42nd Ward; or at 2821 W. Howard St., in the 50th Ward.
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