Illinois Comptroller special election, 2016
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← 2014
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March 15, 2016 |
November 8, 2016 |
Susana Mendoza (D) |
Leslie Munger (R) |
None Down Ballot Comptroller |
November 30, 2015 |
March 15, 2016 |
June 27, 2016 |
September 8, 2016 |
November 8, 2016 |
TBD |
TBD |
A special election for the office of Illinois comptroller took place on November 8, 2016. Democrat Susana Mendoza won election to the office, which had previously been controlled by Republicans.
Overview
Leslie Munger, the current officeholder, was appointed in January 2015 by Gov. Bruce Rauner (R) to replace interim Comptroller Jerry Stermer, who was appointed following the death of Judy Baar Topinka in December 2014.[1]
Munger ran unopposed in the Republican primary and competed with Democrat Susana Mendoza, who also ran unopposed; Green Party candidate Tim Curtin; and Libertarian Claire Ball in the November 8 general election. Mendoza won the general election on November 8, 2016.
Candidates
 Most recent position: Outreach director, Chicago Dept. of Planning and Development Past experience: State rep., 2001 to 2011[2] |
 Most recent position: Comptroller since 2015[3] Past experience: Candidate for the Illinois House of Representatives in 2014[3] |
 Most recent position: Accountant since 2006; member, College of DuPage Budget Committee Past experience: Unknown |
 Most recent position: Union organizer, international representative Past experience: Teacher |
Results
Susana Mendoza defeated Leslie Munger, Claire Ball, and Tim Curtin in the Illinois comptroller election.
| Illinois Comptroller, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic |  Susana Mendoza |
49.45% | 2,676,244 | |
| Republican | Leslie Munger | 44.43% | 2,404,723 | |
| Libertarian | Claire Ball | 3.46% | 187,017 | |
| Green | Tim Curtin | 2.67% | 144,559 | |
| Total Votes | 5,412,543 | |||
| Source: Illinois Secretary of State | ||||
Context of the 2016 election
Incumbent
The current officeholder is Leslie Munger (R), who was appointed on January 12, 2015, by Gov. Bruce Rauner (R). Munger replaced interim Comptroller Jerry Stermer, who was appointed on December 19, 2014.[1] The office was vacant for 10 days prior to Stermer's appointment following the death of former state Controller Judy Baar Topinka. Topinka was first elected in November 2010 and served until December 9, 2014, when she passed away due to complications from a stroke suffered the previous day. Topinka won a new term in the 2014 elections.[4]
Special session called to fill vacancy
The process of filling the vacant comptroller's office generated discussion about how to fulfill appointment requirements in the Illinois Constitution. The governor is tasked with filling vacancies in state executive offices, though the length of the appointment is up for debate. A scenario that gained support from legislative leaders and analysts involved the appointment of an interim comptroller by outgoing Gov. Pat Quinn (D) through the remainder of Topinka's previous term ending in January 2015. State Senate President John Cullerton (D) called for a special election in 2016 to prevent Munger from serving a full term intended for an elected official.[5]
Quinn called for a special session of the Illinois State Legislature to convene on January 8, 2015, to address the possibility of a special election for the remainder of Topinka's new term. Quinn and Attorney General Lisa Madigan (D) advocated for a 2016 special election in order to give the public a chance to replace Topinka. Rauner and Republican state legislators countered that a constitutional amendment was the only legal path to a special election.[6] On the first day of the special session, legislators approved a bill requiring a special election in 2016 for the comptroller's office. This bill, signed by Quinn prior to leaving office, requires special elections for vacancies in the offices of attorney general, secretary of state, comptroller, and treasurer.[7]
Voter registration
For full information about voting in Illinois, contact the state election agency.
Registration
Illinois utilizes a mixed primary system. Voters do not have to register with a party, but they do have to choose, publicly, which party's ballot they will vote on in the primary election.[8]
To vote in Illinois, you must meet the following requirements:[9]
| “ |
☐ Must be a US citizen; |
” |
| —Illinois State Board of Elections | ||
Online registration
- See also: Online voter registration
Illinois has implemented an online voter registration system. Residents can register to vote by visiting this website.
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.[11]
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...
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms 'Illinois comptroller election' 2016. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Chicago Tribune, "Quinn names longtime aide Stermer to succeed Topinka as comptroller," December 19, 2014
- ↑ Project Vote Smart, "Rep. Mendoza," archived December 5, 2010
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 WGN TV, "Rauner to appoint Leslie Munger as next Illinois comptroller," January 5, 2015
- ↑ Chicago Tribune, "Illinois Comptroller Judy Baar Topinka dies at age 70," December 10, 2014
- ↑ Chicago Tribune, "Speaker Madigan rules out special session on Topinka successor," December 11, 2014
- ↑ Chicago Sun-Times, "Gov. Quinn calls special session on comptroller vacancy," December 18, 2014
- ↑ Fox 2 Now, "Quinn signs 2016 comptroller special election bill," January 10, 2015
- ↑ Fair Vote, "Congressional and Presidential Primaries: Open, Closed, Semi-Closed, and 'Top Two,'" accessed January 22, 2015
- ↑ Illinois State Board of Elections, "Registering to Vote in Illinois," accessed January 3, 2014
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ The raw data for this study was provided by Dave Leip of Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections.
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