City elections in Chicago, Illinois (2019)
 |
Local ballot measures • School boards • Municipal • How to run for office |
 |
2023 →
← 2017
|
| 2019 Chicago elections |
|---|
 |
| Election dates |
| Filing deadline: November 26, 2018 |
| General election: February 26, 2019 Runoff election: April 2, 2019 |
| Election stats |
| Offices up: Mayor, City Council, City Clerk, & City Treasurer |
| Total seats up: 53 (click here for mayoral elections) |
| Election type: Nonpartisan |
| Chicago mayoral election |
| Runoff election overview |
| General election overview |
| Major issues |
| Candidates' key messages |
| Timeline of events |
| History of the office |
| Other Chicago elections |
| Chicago City Council |
| Chicago City Clerk & Treasurer |
| City elections in Chicago |
| Other municipal elections |
| U.S. municipal elections, 2019 |
The city of Chicago, Illinois, held general elections for mayor, city clerk, city treasurer, and all 50 seats on the city council on February 26, 2019. Runoff elections were held on April 2, 2019, for all races in which no candidate received more than 50 percent of the vote.[1]
Ballotpedia provided in-depth coverage of the 2019 mayoral and city council elections, including major issues discussed by candidates in the nation's third-largest city by population. This page provides a preview of each election and links to pages featuring full coverage.
Click here to see which candidates in these races responded to Ballotpedia's Chicago 2019 survey.
| Chicago voter? Dates you need to know. | |
|---|---|
| Candidate Filing Deadline | November 26, 2018 |
| Runoff Registration Deadline | April 2, 2019 |
| Absentee Application Deadline | March 28, 2019, at 5 p.m. |
| Early Voting Deadline | April 1, 2019 |
| General Election | February 26, 2019 |
| Runoff Election | April 2, 2019 |
| Voting information | |
| Polling place hours | 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. |
| Polling locations: Go to this page to find early voting locations and your assigned precinct for election day. | |
Mayoral election
Click here for full coverage of the 2019 mayoral race.
Former Chicago Police Board President Lori Lightfoot defeated Cook County Board of Commissioners President Toni Preckwinkle in the April 2, 2019, runoff election for mayor of Chicago, Illinois. They were the top two vote-getters among 14 candidates in the general election on Feb. 26.
The 2019 race was Chicago's fourth open mayoral race in 100 years. Incumbent Rahm Emanuel, first elected in 2011, announced in September 2018 he would not run for a third term as mayor of the nation's third-largest city.[2]
Lightfoot became Chicago's first female African-American mayor and first openly gay mayor.[3]
Both Lightfoot and Preckwinkle described themselves as the progressive in the race and called each other's progressive credentials into question based on their political and professional histories.
Lightfoot presented herself as the reform candidate in the race who was independent of corrupt machine-style politics. She noted her background as a senior equity partner for Mayer Brown and her past roles in city government, saying she had requisite experience managing teams and budgets. Lightfoot referred to Preckwinkle as a party boss due to her roles as Cook County Democratic Party chair and former party committeewoman.
Preckwinkle highlighted her experience as an alderman and Cook County Board of Commissioners president, saying she had the experience to run the city and a progressive record. She contrasted her experience in elected office with Lightfoot's previous appointments to positions by mayors, saying the latter connected Lightfoot to the political elite. Preckwinkle also described Lightfoot as a wealthy corporate lawyer.
A number of issues shaped the mayoral race, including the city's pension system shortfalls, crime rates, policies around K-12 school performance and under-enrollment, economic and racial divisions, policing, affordable housing, and government ethics.
City council elections
Click here for full coverage of the 2019 city council elections.
The city council is Chicago’s primary legislative body. The council is responsible for adopting the city budget; approving mayoral appointees; levying taxes; and making or amending city laws, policies, and ordinances.
The Chicago City Council gained 12 newcomers as a result of the 2019 elections, between five open races and seven incumbents defeated. Forty-five incumbents sought re-election, for an incumbency success rate of 84 percent. The city saw about the same incumbency success rate in 2015, when 44 council members sought re-election and seven were defeated.
Fifteen council races went to runoffs. Three incumbent aldermen lost elections outright on Feb. 26: 1st Ward Ald. Joe Moreno, 45th Ward Ald. John Arena, and 49th Ward Ald. Joseph Moore. Four incumbents lost in runoffs: Toni Foulkes (16th), Milagros "Milly" Santiago (31st), Deb Mell (33rd), and Pat O'Connor (40th).
As a result of the 2019 elections, the number of Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) members on the council increased from one to six. Five newly elected aldermen were DSA members at the time of the election: Daniel La Spata (1st Ward), Jeanette Taylor (20th), Byron Sigcho-Lopez (25th), Rossana Rodriguez Sanchez (33rd), and André Vasquez (40th). They joined incumbent Ald. Carlos Ramirez-Rosa (35th), DSA member since 2015.[4]
Average turnout by ward was 32.3 percent for the 2019 runoff and 34.9 percent for the February general election. Average turnout by ward was up 0.9 percentage points from the 2015 general election, but runoff turnout was 8.8 percentage points lower than in 2015. See more on turnout by ward going back to 2003 below.
City council members serve four-year terms. Each city council member, known as an alderman, represents one of Chicago's 50 wards. On average, 54,000 people lived in each ward as of the 2010 census.[5]
The city council shaped by this election faced a number of issues, including the availability of affordable housing, crime rates, economic and racial divisions, policing, and government ethics. Ballotpedia included coverage of major issues in the races.
City treasurer and clerk elections
Click here for full coverage of the 2019 city treasurer and clerk elections.
In the treasurer's race, Melissa Conyears-Ervin defeated Ameya Pawar in a runoff election on April 2, 2019. Incumbent City Clerk Anna Valencia won the clerk's race on Feb. 26.
The city treasurer manages Chicago's cash, investments, four public employee pension funds, and the Chicago Teachers' Pension Fund.[6][7]
City Treasurer Kurt Summers did not seek re-election. Emanuel appointed Summers in October 2014, and he was elected to a full four-year term in 2015.[8] Three candidates ran for the open seat.
The city clerk is the official keeper of city records and documents. City Clerk Anna Valencia ran for her first full four-year term. Emanuel appointed Valencia to the post in December 2016, replacing Susana Mendoza, who won a special election to become state comptroller.
Past elections
2017
City Council Ward 4
Incumbent Sophia King defeated Ebony Lucas, Gregory Livingston, Marcellus Moore Jr., and Gerald McCarthy in the special election for the Ward 4 seat on the Chicago City Council.[9]
| Chicago City Council, Ward 4 Special Election, 2017 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Sophia King Incumbent |
63.77% | 4,286 |
| Ebony Lucas | 17.54% | 1,179 |
| Gregory Livingston | 6.55% | 440 |
| Marcellus Moore Jr. | 6.10% | 410 |
| Gerald McCarthy | 6.04% | 406 |
| Total Votes | 6,721 | |
| Source: Chicago Board of Election Commissioners, "Election Results," accessed February 28, 2017 | ||
2015
Additional elections on the ballot
- See also: Illinois elections, 2019
About the city
- See also: Chicago, Illinois
Chicago is a city in Illinois. It is the seat of Cook County and the center of the Chicago Metropolitan Area. As of 2010, its population was 2,695,598.
City government
- See also: Mayor-council government
The city of Chicago uses a strong mayor and city council system. In this form of municipal government, the city council serves as the city's primary legislative body and the mayor serves as the city's chief executive.[10] The mayor and city council each serve four-year terms.
Demographics
The following table displays demographic data provided by the United States Census Bureau.
| Demographic Data for Chicago, Illinois | ||
|---|---|---|
| Chicago | Illinois | |
| Population | 2,695,598 | 12,830,632 |
| Land area (sq mi) | 227 | 55,512 |
| Race and ethnicity** | ||
| White | 50% | 71.5% |
| Black/African American | 29.6% | 14.2% |
| Asian | 6.6% | 5.5% |
| Native American | 0.3% | 0.3% |
| Pacific Islander | 0% | 0% |
| Two or more | 2.8% | 2.6% |
| Hispanic/Latino | 28.8% | 17.1% |
| Education | ||
| High school graduation rate | 85.1% | 89.2% |
| College graduation rate | 39.5% | 34.7% |
| Income | ||
| Median household income | $58,247 | $65,886 |
| Persons below poverty level | 18.4% | 12.5% |
| Source: population provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "Decennial Census" (2010). Other figures provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2014-2019). | ||
| **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. | ||
State profile
- See also: Illinois and Illinois elections, 2019
Partisan data
The information in this section was current as of May 7, 2019
Presidential voting pattern
- Illinois voted for the Democratic candidate in all seven presidential elections between 2000 and 2024.
Congressional delegation
- Following the 2018 elections, the two U.S. senators from Illinois were Democrats.
- Illinois had 13 Democratic and five Republican U.S. representatives.
State executives
- Democrats held six of 13 state executive offices. The Illinois Commerce Commission was composed of individuals with different affiliations. Elections for the other six offices were nonpartisan.
- Illinois' governor was Democrat J.B. Pritzker.
State legislature
- Democrats had a veto-proof majority in the Illinois State Senate of 40 members to Republicans' 19 members.
- Democrats had a veto-proof majority in the Illinois House of Representatives of 74 members to Republicans' 44 members.
Illinois Party Control: 1992-2025
Nineteen years of Democratic trifectas • Two years of Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.
| Year | 92 | 93 | 94 | 95 | 96 | 97 | 98 | 99 | 00 | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Governor | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | D | D | D |
| Senate | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D |
| House | D | D | D | R | R | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D |
|
|
| 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. | ||
See also
| Chicago, Illinois | Illinois | Municipal government | Other local coverage |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Chicago Board of Election Commissioners, "2019 Election Information Pamphlet & Calendar," April 10, 2018
- ↑ Chicago Sun-Times, "Officials hope early voting sites opening in all 50 wards will boost low numbers," February 11, 2019
- ↑ NBC News, "Lori Lightfoot elected Chicago mayor, will be 1st black woman and 1st openly gay person to hold post," April 2, 2019
- ↑ The Daily Line, "Five new Democratic Socialists were elected alderman this year, raising DSA's ranks to six at City Hall," May 1, 2019
- ↑ Regional Transportation Authority Mapping and Statistics, "Chicago Wards," accessed November 28, 2018
- ↑ Office of the City Treasurer, City of Chicago, "About the Office," accessed November 27, 2018
- ↑ The city of Chicago contributes to the four public employee funds. Funding for the teachers' fund comes from employee contributions, employer contributions, and the state of Illinois. Chicago Teachers' Pension Fund, "Pension Funding," March 28, 2018
- ↑ Chicago Tribune, "City Treasurer Kurt Summers won't seek re-election or run for mayor," October 16, 2018
- ↑ Chicago Board of Election Commissioners, "Candidate Filings for the February 28, 2017 Municipal Election," January 3, 2017
- ↑ City of Chicago, "Chicago Government," accessed August 29, 2014
- ↑ Encyclopedia.com, "Illinois," accessed May 7, 2019
| |||||||||
| |||||||||||
 |
State of Illinois Springfield (capital) |
|---|---|
| Elections |
What's on my ballot? | Elections in 2025 | How to vote | How to run for office | Ballot measures |
| Government |
Who represents me? | U.S. President | U.S. Congress | Federal courts | State executives | State legislature | State and local courts | Counties | Cities | School districts | Public policy |