Illinois 2020 ballot measures
- Election date: Nov. 3
- Registration deadline(s): Nov. 3 (in person); Oct. 6 (by mail); Oct. 18 (online)
- Online registration: Yes
- Same-day registration: Yes
- Recount laws
- Early voting starts: Sept. 24
- Absentee/mail voting deadline(s): Nov. 3 (postmarked); Nov. 17 (received)
- Processing, counting, and challenging absentee/mail-in ballots
- Voter ID: No ID
- Poll times: 6 a.m. to 7 p.m.
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One statewide ballot measure was certified for the ballot in Illinois for the election on November 3, 2020.
On the ballot
| Type | Title | Subject | Description | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LRCA | Allow for Graduated Income Tax Amendment | Taxes | Allows for a graduated income tax |
Summary of campaign contributions
- See also: Ballot measure campaign finance, 2020
The following chart illustrates how much support and opposition committees received in campaign contributions for each measure on the ballot:
| Ballot Measure | Support Contributions | Oppose Contributions | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago, Illinois, Public Question 1, Broadband Access Advisory Vote (November 2020) | $0.00 | $0.00 | |
| Chicago, Illinois, Public Question 2, City Plan Goals Advisory Vote (November 2020) | $0.00 | $0.00 | |
| Chicago, Illinois, Public Question 3, State Firearm Restrictions Advisory Vote (November 2020) | $0.00 | $0.00 | |
| DuPage County, Illinois, COVID-19 Personal Protective Equipment Stockpile Advisory Referendum (November 2020) | $0.00 | $0.00 | |
| DuPage County, Illinois, Law Enforcement Budget Advisory Referendum (November 2020) | $0.00 | $0.00 | |
| DuPage County, Illinois, Law Enforcement Injury Risk Training Advisory Referendum (November 2020) | $0.00 | $0.00 | |
| Illinois Allow for Graduated Income Tax Amendment (2020) | $62,273,502.14 | $61,307,716.16 | |
Getting measures on the ballot
Citizens
In Illinois, citizens have the power to initiate constitutional amendments, but not state statutes or veto referendums. Initiatives are restricted to amending Article IV of the Illinois Constitution, which addresses the structure of the Illinois State Legislature. Voters approved a state constitution, which included the power to initiate amendments, in 1970.
In 2020, 363,813 signatures were required for initiatives in Illinois. The signature requirement was based on 8 percent of the votes cast for governor in 2018. Signatures for initiatives that proponents intended for the election on November 3, 2020, needed to be filed on or before May 4, 2020.
Legislature
The Illinois State Legislature can refer statewide ballot measures, in the form of constitutional amendments and advisory questions, to the ballot. Illinois requires a 60 percent vote in each legislative chamber during one legislative session to refer a constitutional amendment to the ballot. That amounts to a minimum of 71 votes in the Illinois House of Representatives and 36 votes in the Illinois State Senate, assuming no vacancies. Amendments do not require the governor's signature to be referred to the ballot.
Advisory questions require a simple majority vote in each legislative chamber during one legislative session and the governor's signature to appear on the ballot.
Referral of 2020 constitutional amendment
The following table illustrates the vote requirements for the constitutional amendment certified for the ballot, the votes the amendment received, and how Democrats and Republicans voted on the amendment in each legislative chamber:
No measures to list
Historical facts
- See also: List of Illinois ballot measures
Between 1996 and 2018, the following occurred in Illinois:
- Ballots featured 10 ballot measures.
- An average of one measure appeared on statewide general election ballots.
- An average of between zero and one legislatively referred amendments appeared on statewide general election ballots.
- Voters approved 80 percent (8 of 10) and rejected 20 percent (2 of 10) of the ballot measures.
- Voters approved 83 percent (5 of 6) and rejected 17 percent (1 of 6) of referred amendments.
- Three advisory questions appeared on the ballot.
- Zero citizen-initiated measures appeared on the ballot.
| Ballot measures in Illinois, 1996-2018 | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Type | Total number | Approved | Percent approved | Defeated | Percent defeated | Average | Median | Minimum | Maximum | |
| All measures | 10 | 8 | 80.0% | 2 | 20.0% | 0.8 | 0.5 | 0 | 5 | |
| Initiatives | 0 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Legislative amendments | 6 | 5 | 83.3% | 1 | 16.7% | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0 | 2 | |
| Advisory questions | 3 | 3 | 100.0% | 0 | 0.00% | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0 | 3 | |
Local ballot measures
In 2020, Ballotpedia covered local measures that appeared on the ballot for voters within the top 100 largest cities in the U.S. and a selection of notable police-related and election-related measures outside of the top 100 largest cities. Ballotpedia also covered all local measures in California and all statewide ballot measures. Click here to see the scope of Ballotpedia local ballot measure coverage by year.
Click here for more information about local ballot measures on the November 2020 ballot in Illinois.
State profile
| Demographic data for Illinois | ||
|---|---|---|
| Illinois | U.S. | |
| Total population: | 12,839,047 | 316,515,021 |
| Land area (sq mi): | 55,519 | 3,531,905 |
| Race and ethnicity** | ||
| White: | 72.3% | 73.6% |
| Black/African American: | 14.3% | 12.6% |
| Asian: | 5% | 5.1% |
| Native American: | 0.2% | 0.8% |
| Pacific Islander: | 0% | 0.2% |
| Two or more: | 2.2% | 3% |
| Hispanic/Latino: | 16.5% | 17.1% |
| Education | ||
| High school graduation rate: | 87.9% | 86.7% |
| College graduation rate: | 32.3% | 29.8% |
| Income | ||
| Median household income: | $57,574 | $53,889 |
| Persons below poverty level: | 16.8% | 11.3% |
| Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015) Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in Illinois. **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here. | ||
Presidential voting pattern
- See also: Presidential voting trends in Illinois
Illinois voted for the Democratic candidate in all seven presidential elections between 2000 and 2024.
Pivot Counties (2016)
Ballotpedia identified 206 counties that voted for Donald Trump (R) in 2016 after voting for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012. Collectively, Trump won these Pivot Counties by more than 580,000 votes. Of these 206 counties, 11 are located in Illinois, accounting for 5.34 percent of the total pivot counties.[1]
Pivot Counties (2020)
In 2020, Ballotpedia re-examined the 206 Pivot Counties to view their voting patterns following that year's presidential election. Ballotpedia defined those won by Trump won as Retained Pivot Counties and those won by Joe Biden (D) as Boomerang Pivot Counties. Nationwide, there were 181 Retained Pivot Counties and 25 Boomerang Pivot Counties. Illinois had 11 Retained Pivot Counties, 6.08 percent of all Retained Pivot Counties.
More Illinois coverage on Ballotpedia
- Elections in Illinois
- United States congressional delegations from Illinois
- Public policy in Illinois
- Endorsers in Illinois
- Illinois fact checks
- More...
See also
- 2020 ballot measures
- List of Illinois ballot measures
- Campaign finance requirements for Illinois ballot measures
- Illinois State Legislature
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- ↑ The raw data for this study was provided by Dave Leip of Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections.