Record number of voters signed up in Illinois

CHICAGO -- Illinois voter registration is at an all-time high this year, with more than 7.5 million residents eligible to cast ballots in Tuesday's election, state officials said Friday.

Although Illinois is not considered a battleground state for the presidential election, State Board of Elections executive director Dan White said the record number of eligible voters shows people are concerned about the outcome.

In 2000, the last presidential election, 7.13 million Illinois residents registered to vote in the general election. Statewide voter turnout for that election was 69 percent.

The state's record registration was set last spring, when nearly 7.14 million people registered to vote in the primary. The state's voting age population is about 9.1 million, according to the state board.

Requests for absentee ballots have been high as well.