Chicagoans have voted early in droves this year, casting more than three times as many early mail-in votes as in the 2019 election.

• Voters also beat 2019's early in-person voting by almost 1,000 votes.

Why it matters: Early voting data can offer clues about electoral trends. And this data portends high overall turnout in largely white, lakefront wards, as well as Northwest and Southwest Side neighborhoods occupied heavily by city workers.

By the numbers: Chicago officials registered a total of 244,580 early votes Monday, as opposed to 165,025 counted the day before the election in 2019.

• This year's early votes already total more than a third (44%) of all ballots cast in 2019.

What's more: Early voting was dominated by older voters — with more than 73% of all early votes coming from people 55 and older as of Monday morning.

The intrigue: With so many voters (214,183) opting for mail-in ballots this year and only about half returned so far, we could be waiting for days and even weeks for full results.

• Mail-in votes will be counted, as long as they are postmarked by today.

What they're saying: "Delayed results are a sincere possibility — for the citywide mayoral race, but especially for the ward alderperson races, which sometimes come down to double-digit or even single-digit votes," Chicago Board of Elections spokesperson Max Bever tells Axios.

• "If races are very close, it’s likely that the campaigns will wait to concede until perhaps the weekend," he says.

Be smart: The Board of Elections has until March 14 to count all provisional and properly postmarked mail-in ballots. And election officials aren't expected to issue their Official Proclamation of Results until March 15 or 16.

The bottom line: Tight races and the surging popularity of mail-in ballots this year could leave results unsettled for quite a while.

Congratulations, you have successfully made it to Election Day without being buried alive in shiny cardboard mailers.

Why it matters: Even if many municipal races will advance to runoffs, votes cast today will have huge effects on Chicago and the surrounding area for the next four years.

Be smart: If you still haven't made up your mind, or even glanced at who's running, we've got you covered.

• Axios' mayoral questionnaires
• Axios' guide to the 50 ward races
• Axios' guide to police district councils
• Axios' livestream of our mayoral madness interviews

Where: Find the list of local voting locations here.

When: Polls open at 6am and close at 7pm.

• If you are voting by mail, your ballot must be postmarked by today.

Who: All Chicago residents 18 and older can vote, and same-day provisional registration and voting is allowed with proper ID.

What's next: We will have all the available results of the mayoral and aldermanic races bright and early tomorrow in this newsletter.

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Today, we're conducting our own exit poll of Axios Chicago readers.

• Picture us standing outside your polling place with clipboards trying to pry information from you — virtually, of course.

How it works: We're asking who you voted for and what issues mattered most in this election.

• Anonymously, of course.

What's next: Tomorrow we'll share the results of the real election AND how the city would look if Axios readers had their way.

Take the 5-question survey here.

🌪 The severe storms yesterday produced two tornadoes, both near Joliet and Naperville. (NBC 5)

🏢 The city released six proposals for a reimagined LaSalle Street. They will be presented at a virtual hearing on Thursday. (Block Club)

💸 A new report shows that about a third of the applicants for the city's guaranteed income program have cited issues with their mental health. (Sun-Times)

Black History Month ends today, but the Illinois Holocaust Museum's "The Negro Motorist Green Book" continues through April. The exhibit highlights places like restaurants, hotels and beaches featured in the guide serving Black people traveling segregated America from 1936-1967.

Why it matters: Though some might think segregated businesses were a Southern thing, mid-century visitors to Chicago still needed the Green Book to find out which businesses were friendly to Black travelers.

Context: If you were traveling to Chicago, you most likely found friendly businesses in Bronzeville. The South Side neighborhood was the epicenter for the bustling Black middle class for most of the 20th century.

Green Book locations included:

• Palm Tavern at 466 E. 47th St.
• Manor House Hotel at 4635 S. Park Way (now King Drive)
• Parkway Ballroom, 420 E. 45th St.

Yes, but: The reason Bronzeville had so many locations was not only because of the Black middle class, but also because surrounding white communities prohibited Black people from living in their neighborhoods and cut them off from other economic opportunities.

State of play: A few places listed in the book are still around, but some didn't welcome Black guests until the '60s. They include:

• The Drake hotel
• The Field Museum
• Wrigley Field
• Pilgrim Baptist Church
• Shedd Aquarium

💼 Check out who's hiring on our Job Board.

1. Global Account Director at Morning Consult.
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3. Associate Director of Financial Planning & Analysis at Erie.

Want more opportunities? Check out our Job Board.

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Tonight, election parties will kick off citywide to celebrate (or mourn) results from the municipal election.

• Here are a few choice photos from the Getty Image archive of mayors celebrating throughout the years.