2020 Illinois elections
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| Turnout | 72.92% | |||
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The Illinois general election was held on November 3, 2020.[1] Primary elections, held using an open primary system, took place on March 17, 2020.[1][2]
Election information
Impact of COVID-19
Illinois held its primary elections as scheduled despite concerns over the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States.[3] State election officials believed that this depressed voter turnout.[3]
On June 16, 2020, Governor J. B. Pritzker signed a bill aimed at making it safer to vote in the November election. To encourage voting by mail, citizens who voted in the primary election, the 2019 local elections, or the 2018 general election were to be sent applications for mail-in ballots by August 1, 2020. The bill also made November 3 a state holiday for schools and government offices to reduce the number of people present at voting sites.[4]
Turnout
Primary election
For the primary election, turnout was 28.36%, with 2,279,439 votes cast.[5] Democratic ballots accounted for 74.80% of ballots, while Republican ballots accounted for 24.72%.[6] Data shows that mail-in ballots likely accounted for roughly 10% of votes cast.[6] Over 636,000 of votes cast were done so as early votes.[7][8]
Primary election voting occurred amid concerns over the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, and election officials in Illinois acknowledged that they believed the turnout was unusually low.[3] The turnout rate was an 18.20 percentage point decrease from the turnout in 2016 primaries.[5] However, the turnout was not extraordinarily low, as four out of the past ten Illinois primaries in presidential election years had seen turnout under 30%, with 2000 having seen an even lower primary election turnout than 2020.[6][8]
- Primary election turnout by county[5]
| County | Registration | Votes cast | Turnout |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adams | 44,360 | 13,640 | 30.75% |
| Alexander | 5,296 | 885 | 16.71% |
| Bond | 10,614 | 2,692 | 25.36% |
| Boone | 33,736 | 7,525 | 22.31% |
| Brown | 3,546 | 1,164 | 32.83% |
| Bureau | 23,217 | 4,650 | 20.03% |
| Calhoun | 3,390 | 688 | 20.29% |
| Carroll | 10,480 | 2,304 | 21.98% |
| Cass | 7,738 | 1,506 | 19.46% |
| Champaign | 119,538 | 34,497 | 28.86% |
| Christian | 21,336 | 4,801 | 22.50% |
| Clark | 10,928 | 3,518 | 32.19% |
| Clay | 9,140 | 3,353 | 36.68% |
| Clinton | 25,349 | 5,207 | 20.54% |
| Coles | 28,924 | 7,993 | 27.63% |
| Cook[note 1] | 3,094,725 | 1,037,951 | 33.54% |
| Crawford | 12,279 | 3,765 | 30.66% |
| Cumberland | 7,388 | 2,412 | 32.65% |
| DeKalb | 61,419 | 15,940 | 25.95% |
| DeWitt | 10,694 | 3,419 | 31.97% |
| Douglas | 11,626 | 3,569 | 30.70% |
| DuPage | 603,823 | 157,316 | 26.05% |
| Edgar | 12,169 | 3,101 | 25.48% |
| Edwards | 4,430 | 1,630 | 36.79% |
| Effingham | 23,736 | 8,116 | 34.19% |
| Fayette | 12,936 | 3,640 | 28.14% |
| Ford | 8,760 | 2,688 | 30.68% |
| Franklin | 28,986 | 7,408 | 25.56% |
| Fulton | 25,362 | 5,304 | 20.91% |
| Gallatin | 3,711 | 1,275 | 34.36% |
| Greene | 9,104 | 2,413 | 26.50% |
| Grundy | 33,335 | 6,940 | 20.82% |
| Hamilton | 5,669 | 2,086 | 36.80% |
| Hancock | 11,672 | 4,758 | 40.76% |
| Hardin | 3,052 | 837 | 27.42% |
| Henderson | 4,596 | 1,318 | 28.68% |
| Henry | 34,956 | 6,471 | 18.51% |
| Iroquois | 17,756 | 4,563 | 25.70% |
| Jackson | 30,889 | 9,497 | 30.75% |
| Jasper | 6,885 | 2,799 | 40.65% |
| Jefferson | 23,277 | 7,324 | 31.46% |
| Jersey | 15,020 | 3,145 | 20.94% |
| Jo Daviess | 15,882 | 5,024 | 31.63% |
| Johnson | 8,519 | 3,604 | 42.31% |
| Kane | 305,471 | 76,969 | 25.20% |
| Kankakee | 66,206 | 18,048 | 27.26% |
| Kendall | 79,468 | 24,079 | 30.30% |
| Knox | 32,888 | 7,362 | 22.39% |
| Lake | 464,259 | 109,709 | 23.63% |
| LaSalle | 70,553 | 15,987 | 22.66% |
| Lawrence | 8,912 | 2,622 | 29.42% |
| Lee | 22,160 | 4,690 | 21.16% |
| Livingston | 21,189 | 6,126 | 28.91% |
| Logan | 17,951 | 5,993 | 33.39% |
| Macon | 71,263 | 15,511 | 21.77% |
| Macoupin | 31,534 | 7,423 | 23.54% |
| Madison | 178,321 | 40,894 | 22.93% |
| Marion | 24,791 | 7,611 | 30.70% |
| Marshall | 8,112 | 2,332 | 28.75% |
| Mason | 9,201 | 2,627 | 28.55% |
| Massac | 11,117 | 2,518 | 22.65% |
| McDonough | 17,800 | 3,979 | 22.35% |
| McHenry | 231,610 | 54,775 | 23.65% |
| McLean | 109,093 | 32,418 | 29.72% |
| Menard | 9,203 | 1,948 | 21.17% |
| Mercer | 12,475 | 2,725 | 21.84% |
| Monroe | 26,610 | 5,249 | 19.73% |
| Montgomery | 16,680 | 4,222 | 25.31% |
| Morgan | 22,030 | 4,483 | 20.35% |
| Moultrie | 8,422 | 2,390 | 28.38% |
| Ogle | 32,659 | 10,084 | 30.88% |
| Peoria | 114,952 | 25,502 | 22.18% |
| Perry | 14,836 | 3,524 | 23.75% |
| Piatt | 12,115 | 3,447 | 28.45% |
| Pike | 10,984 | 2,908 | 26.47% |
| Pope | 2,987 | 840 | 28.12% |
| Pulaski | 4,503 | 1,455 | 32.31% |
| Putnam | 4,099 | 1,071 | 26.13% |
| Randolph | 20,889 | 4,186 | 20.04% |
| Richland | 10,961 | 4,284 | 39.08% |
| Rock Island | 87,209 | 21,052 | 24.14% |
| Saline | 15,945 | 4,263 | 26.74% |
| Sangamon | 134,694 | 30,127 | 22.37% |
| Schuyler | 5,099 | 1,279 | 25.08% |
| Scott | 3,519 | 1,583 | 44.98% |
| Shelby | 14,659 | 4,714 | 32.16% |
| Stark | 3,948 | 782 | 19.81% |
| St. Clair | 190,075 | 40,300 | 21.20% |
| Stephenson | 32,670 | 6,709 | 20.54% |
| Tazewell | 91,567 | 19,035 | 20.79% |
| Union | 12,551 | 3,462 | 27.58% |
| Vermilion | 45,667 | 13,051 | 28.58% |
| Wabash | 7,535 | 2,708 | 35.94% |
| Warren | 11,918 | 2,905 | 24.37% |
| Washington | 9,671 | 3,105 | 32.11% |
| Wayne | 10,974 | 4,296 | 39.15% |
| White | 10,604 | 2,758 | 26.01% |
| Whiteside | 37,330 | 7,329 | 19.63% |
| Will | 453,582 | 115,241 | 25.41% |
| Williamson | 45,233 | 10,601 | 23.44% |
| Winnebago | 179,658 | 45,303 | 25.22% |
| Woodford | 25,874 | 6,109 | 23.61% |
| Total | 8,036,534 | 2,279,439 | 28.36% |
General election
General election turnout was 72.92%.[5] Every county in the state had more than a majority of registered voters cast ballots.[5]
- General election turnout by county[5]
| County | Registration | Votes cast | Turnout |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adams | 44,842 | 33,795 | 75.36% |
| Alexander | 5,008 | 2,641 | 52.74% |
| Bond | 10,867 | 8,232 | 75.75% |
| Boone | 33,455 | 25,176 | 75.25% |
| Brown | 3,574 | 2,545 | 71.21% |
| Bureau | 23,651 | 17,609 | 74.45% |
| Calhoun | 3,453 | 2,802 | 81.15% |
| Carroll | 10,424 | 8,096 | 77.67% |
| Cass | 7,772 | 5,358 | 68.94% |
| Champaign | 127,848 | 96,185 | 75.23% |
| Christian | 21,935 | 16,331 | 74.45% |
| Clark | 11,188 | 8,407 | 75.14% |
| Clay | 9,372 | 6,929 | 73.93% |
| Clinton | 26,491 | 19,317 | 72.92% |
| Coles | 30,157 | 22,778 | 75.53% |
| Cook[note 2] | 3,253,333 | 2,349,010 | 72.20% |
| Crawford | 12,586 | 9,497 | 75.46% |
| Cumberland | 7,599 | 5,881 | 77.39% |
| DeKalb | 65,009 | 48,258 | 74.23% |
| DeWitt | 10,853 | 8,083 | 74.48% |
| Douglas | 11,940 | 8,808 | 73.77% |
| DuPage | 641,503 | 491,067 | 76.55% |
| Edgar | 12,355 | 8,251 | 66.78% |
| Edwards | 4,433 | 3,391 | 76.49% |
| Effingham | 24,465 | 19,186 | 78.42% |
| Fayette | 13,499 | 10,169 | 75.33% |
| Ford | 9,359 | 7,007 | 74.87% |
| Franklin | 29,195 | 18,790 | 64.36% |
| Fulton | 25,766 | 16,813 | 65.25% |
| Gallatin | 3,809 | 2,701 | 70.91% |
| Greene | 9,117 | 6,299 | 69.09% |
| Grundy | 33,656 | 26,895 | 79.91% |
| Hamilton | 5,615 | 4,372 | 77.86% |
| Hancock | 11,974 | 9,467 | 79.06% |
| Hardin | 3,078 | 2,186 | 71.02% |
| Henderson | 4,680 | 3,705 | 79.17% |
| Henry | 35,273 | 25,878 | 73.36% |
| Iroquois | 17,887 | 14,121 | 78.95% |
| Jackson | 31,693 | 22,895 | 72.24% |
| Jasper | 6,919 | 5,623 | 81.27% |
| Jefferson | 24,196 | 17,563 | 72.59% |
| Jersey | 15,587 | 12,031 | 77.19% |
| Jo Daviess | 16,537 | 12,609 | 76.25% |
| Johnson | 8,576 | 6,498 | 75.77% |
| Kane | 318,506 | 234,751 | 73.70% |
| Kankakee | 67,051 | 50,303 | 75.02% |
| Kendall | 84,165 | 64,552 | 76.70% |
| Knox | 33,379 | 23,401 | 70.11% |
| Lake | 487,186 | 337,976 | 69.37% |
| LaSalle | 73,034 | 54,087 | 74.06% |
| Lawrence | 9,122 | 6,475 | 70.98% |
| Lee | 22,291 | 16,547 | 74.23% |
| Livingston | 22,044 | 17,334 | 78.63% |
| Logan | 18,980 | 13,427 | 70.74% |
| Macon | 72,049 | 49,814 | 69.14% |
| Macoupin | 31,892 | 24,206 | 75.9% |
| Madison | 186,358 | 138,306 | 74.22% |
| Marion | 25,034 | 17,600 | 70.3% |
| Marshall | 8,289 | 6,382 | 76.99% |
| Mason | 9,204 | 6,823 | 74.13% |
| Massac | 11,070 | 6,854 | 61.92% |
| McDonough | 17,771 | 12,414 | 69.86% |
| McHenry | 237,640 | 165,515 | 69.65% |
| McLean | 115,886 | 87,968 | 75.91% |
| Menard | 9,371 | 6,996 | 74.66% |
| Mercer | 12,694 | 8,982 | 70.76% |
| Monroe | 26,961 | 21,321 | 79.08% |
| Montgomery | 16,496 | 13,870 | 84.08% |
| Morgan | 22,037 | 15,430 | 70.02% |
| Moultrie | 8,657 | 6,796 | 78.50% |
| Ogle | 31,786 | 26,535 | 83.48% |
| Peoria | 117,380 | 85,167 | 72.56% |
| Perry | 14,700 | 10,146 | 69.02% |
| Piatt | 12,391 | 9,934 | 80.17% |
| Pike | 10,692 | 8,001 | 74.83% |
| Pope | 3,014 | 2,194 | 72.79% |
| Pulaski | 4,524 | 2,647 | 58.51% |
| Putnam | 4,191 | 3,419 | 81.58% |
| Randolph | 20,876 | 15,017 | 71.93% |
| Richland | 11,028 | 8,133 | 73.75% |
| Rock Island | 90,615 | 67,337 | 74.31% |
| Saline | 16,063 | 11,167 | 69.52% |
| Sangamon | 140,667 | 106,037 | 75.38% |
| Schuyler | 5,147 | 3,945 | 76.65% |
| Scott | 3,551 | 2,758 | 77.67% |
| Shelby | 14,997 | 12,165 | 81.12% |
| Stark | 3,988 | 2,910 | 72.97% |
| St. Clair | 193,473 | 129,278 | 66.82% |
| Stephenson | 33,376 | 22,251 | 66.67% |
| Tazewell | 94,022 | 69,677 | 74.11% |
| Union | 12,907 | 8,991 | 69.66% |
| Vermilion | 46,303 | 31,881 | 68.85% |
| Wabash | 7,780 | 5,641 | 72.51% |
| Warren | 11,872 | 7,992 | 67.32% |
| Washington | 9,971 | 7,967 | 79.90% |
| Wayne | 11,193 | 8,539 | 76.29% |
| White | 10,010 | 7,470 | 74.63% |
| Whiteside | 38,436 | 27,623 | 71.87% |
| Will | 463,465 | 348,071 | 75.10% |
| Williamson | 47,393 | 33,909 | 71.55% |
| Winnebago | 183,378 | 128,895 | 70.29% |
| Woodford | 27,214 | 21,647 | 79.54% |
| Total | 8,364,099 | 6,098,729 | 72.92% |
Federal elections
United States President
Illinois was won by the Democratic ticket of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris.
This was the eighth consecutive presidential election in which Illinois had voted for the Democratic ticket.
United States Senate
Illinois' Class 2 United States Senate seat was up for election. Incumbent Democrat Dick Durbin won a fifth term.
United States House
All eighteen of Illinois' congressional seats were up for reelection.
State elections
State House of Representatives
Elections were held for all 118 seats in the Illinois House of Representatives.[9][10] Democrats maintained their majority.
State senate
Elections were held for 22 out of 59 seats in the Illinois Senate.[11] Democrats maintained their supermajority.
Judicial elections
Elections were held for three seats in the Supreme Court of Illinois and 10 seats in the Illinois Appellate Court.[12][13]
Ballot measure
Illinois Fair Tax
Illinois voters rejected the Illinois Fair Tax amendment, known formally as the "Allow for Graduated Income Tax Amendment", an amendment that appeared on ballots statewide in the general election. This was placed on the ballot by the state legislature in June 2019, and was a key campaign issue in Governor J. B. Pritzker's 2018 election.[14] In order to be approved, the measure had been required to receive either 60% support among those specifically voting on the amendment or 50% support among all ballots cast in the state's election.[15] If it had been approved, the measure would have amended the Constitution of Illinois to allow for a graduated income tax in the state.[16][17]
| Allow for Graduated Income Tax Amendment[18] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Option | Votes | % of votes on measure | % of all ballots cast |
| For | 2,683,490 | 46.73 | 44.00 |
| Against | 3,059,411 | 53.27 | 50.17 |
| Total votes | 5,742,901 | 100 | 94.17 |
| Voter turnout | 68.66% | ||
Local elections
Local elections are also being held. These include county elections.
Cook County
In Cook County, elections was held for State's Attorney, Clerk of the Circuit Court, one seat on the Board of Review, 3 seats on the Water Reclamation District Board, and several judgeships in the Circuit Court of Cook County and its subcircuits.[19]
See also
Notes
- ^ For more on Cook County primary turnout, see 2020 Cook County, Illinois elections#Primary election
- ^ For more on Cook County general election turnout, see 2020 Cook County, Illinois elections#General election
References
- ^ a b Illinois Board of Elections. "2020 Election schedule and registration deadlines". Illinois Board of Elections. Archived from the original on September 30, 2021. Retrieved January 28, 2020.
- ^ "State Primary Election Types". www.ncsl.org. Retrieved January 28, 2020.
- ^ a b c Corasaniti, Nick; Saul, Stephanie; Stevens, Matt; Epstein, Reid J. (March 17, 2020). "Illinois Stumbles as States See Light Voter Turnout, With Many Ballots in the Mail". The New York Times. Retrieved March 25, 2020.
- ^ Petrella, Dan (June 16, 2020). "5 million Illinois voters to receive mail-in ballot applications after Gov. J.B. Pritzker signs temporary vote-by-mail expansion". Chicago Tribune. Tribune Publishing. Retrieved June 16, 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f "Voter Turnout". www.elections.il.gov. Illinois State Board of Elections. Archived from the original on May 30, 2021. Retrieved December 9, 2020.
- ^ a b c "Illinois sees less than 29 percent of voter turnout for March primary election". WREX. April 17, 2020. Retrieved April 18, 2020.
- ^ Garrison, Joey (March 19, 2020). "The coronavirus effect: How much did it hurt Democratic primary turnout?". USA TODAY. Retrieved April 18, 2020.
- ^ a b Earley, Neal (April 17, 2020). "Illinois voter turnout not among the casualties of COVID-19". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved April 18, 2020.
- ^ "Illinois State Senate". Ballotpedia. Retrieved January 29, 2020.
- ^ "Illinois House of Representatives elections, 2020". Ballotpedia. Retrieved January 28, 2020.
- ^ "Illinois State Senate elections, 2020". Ballotpedia. Retrieved January 28, 2020.
- ^ "Illinois Supreme Court elections, 2020". Ballotpedia. Retrieved January 28, 2020.
- ^ "Illinois intermediate appellate court elections, 2020". Ballotpedia. Retrieved January 28, 2020.
- ^ Sfondeles, Tina (June 5, 2019). "Pritzker signs budget, income tax rates bill for his 'fair tax' plan — touts 'new era of fiscal stability'". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved February 3, 2020.
- ^ "Illinois Constitution - Amendments Proposed". www.ilga.gov. Illinois General Assembly. Retrieved March 26, 2020.
- ^ "Illinois Allow for Graduated Income Tax Amendment (2020)". Ballotpedia. Retrieved February 3, 2020.
- ^ Bremer, Shelby (May 28, 2019). "Illinois' Graduated Income Tax Plan: What You Need to Know". NBC Chicago. Retrieved February 3, 2020.
- ^ "Official Canvass General Election November 3, 2020" (PDF). Illinois State Board of Elections. December 4, 2020. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 6, 2021. Retrieved December 9, 2020.
- ^ "Municipal elections in Cook County, Illinois (2020)". Ballotpedia. Retrieved January 28, 2020.
External links
- Government Documents Round Table of the American Library Association, "Illinois", Voting & Elections Toolkits
- "Illinois: Election Tools, Deadlines, Dates, Rules, and Links", Vote.org, Oakland, CA
- "League of Women Voters of Illinois". (State affiliate of the U.S. League of Women Voters)
- Illinois at Ballotpedia
