On Tuesday, November 5, Chicagoans cast their ballots in the general election. Polling places across the city’s 50 wards were open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. City-wide turnout was high, at around 60 percent of the electorate.
Here’s how they voted on state, city-wide, and other local races:
U.S. House Illinois District 1
Incumbent Democrat Jonathan Jackson held his seat with 63 percent of the vote, despite a challenge from Republican Marcus Lewis. Jackson, who is the son of civil rights leader Rev. Jesse Jackson, has represented Illinois’ 1st Congressional District since 2023, following the retirement of previous representative Bobby Rush. The district includes much of the South Side, including parts of Hyde Park and Woodlawn.
U.S. House Illinois District 2
Democratic incumbent Robin Kelly also held her seat with 75 percent of the vote, after facing off against Republican Ashley Ramos and write-in candidate Mike Vick. Kelly was first elected to represent the 2nd Congressional District in 2013. The district also includes significant portions of the South Side, including parts of Hyde Park and Kenwood. This will be Kelly’s seventh term.
Advisory questions:
Illinois residents voted on three advisory questions, which are non-binding ballot measures meant to help lawmakers gauge public opinion on potential policies. This year’s questions addressed three controversial issues: reproductive healthcare, income taxes, and election interference.
The Illinois Assisted Reproductive Healthcare Advisory question let voters weigh in on whether reproductive treatments like in-vitro fertilization should be covered by health insurance plans that also cover pregnancy benefits. “Yes” won with 72 percent of the vote.
The Illinois Income Tax Advisory Question asked voters whether the Illinois Constitution should be amended to create an additional 3 percent tax on incomes greater than $1,000,000 to fund property tax relief. “Yes” won with around 60% of the vote.
The Illinois Penalties for Candidate Interference with Election Workers’ Duties Advisory Question addressed whether state officials should establish civil penalties if a candidate interferes or attempts to interfere with an election worker’s official duties. “Yes” won with an overwhelming 88 percent of the vote.
Illinois State Senate District 13
Incumbent Democrat Robert Peters ran unopposed for re-election to continue to represent the 13th State Senate District, which stretches from Wrigleyville in the north to 95th Street in the south. Republican James Kirchner launched a campaign against Peters, but was disqualified from the general election after a change in election policy.
Illinois State House of Representatives District 25
Incumbent Democrat Curtis Tarver II also ran unopposed. His district includes much of Hyde Park.
Cook County Circuit Court Clerk
In a competitive Democratic primary, Mariyana Spyropoulos defeated incumbent Iris Martinez. Spyropoylos, a former commissioner on the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago’s board, faced off against Republican Lupe Aguirre and Libertarian Michael Murphy in the general election. She won with around 66 percent of the vote.
The circuit court clerk oversees one of the largest unified court systems in the world. The clerk manages court records and court orders, while also overseeing the court’s hundreds of judges.
Cook County Clerk
Democrat Monica Gordon, Republican Michelle Pennington, and Libertarian Christopher Laurent competed in the Cook County Clerk race. Gordon won with over 65 percent of the vote.
The Cook County Clerk is responsible for administering Cook County’s elections, along with maintaining and providing records such as birth, marriage, and death certificates and issuing property tax rates.
Cook County State’s Attorney
The previous State’s Attorney Kim Foxx announced her retirement in 2023, after eight years in office. In the democratic primary, former judge Eileen O’Neill Burke won a narrow victory against former prosecutor Clayton Harris III. In the general election, O’Neill Burke defeated Republican opponent Bob Fioretti, a civil rights attorney and former alderman, and Libertarian candidate Andrew Charles Kopinski. O’Neill Burke’s policies include lowering Foxx’s threshold for charging retail theft as a felony from $1,000 to $300 and enforcing an assault weapons ban.
O’Neill Burke won with over 66 percent of the vote.
Board of Review District 3
Incumbent Democrat Larry Rogers Jr. defeated Libertarian Nico Tsatsoulis in the race for Cook County Board of Review District 3. Rogers has served as commissioner since 2004. Tsatsoulis ran on a platform of capping yearly tax increases at 2 percent and ensuring that property taxes do not exceed 1 percent of the property value.
CPS Board Districts 6 and 10
This week, Chicagoans voted for the school board for the first time. The 21-member board is transitioning from being appointed by the mayor to being fully elected by 2027. This year, ten new members were chosen by citizens, with the remaining members selected by Mayor Brandon Johnson.
Ahead of the election, the board faced controversy. Last month, the entire board resigned after Mayor Brandon Johnson and Chicago Public Schools (CPS) Chief Executive Pedro Martinez clashed over budget issues. After the resignations, Mayor Johnson named new members to the board. On November 1, the newly-sworn-in School Board President Rev. Mitchell Ikenna Johnson resigned amid criticism of past social media posts, which Mayor Brandon Johnson called “antisemitic, misogynistic, and conspiratorial.”
In District 6, which includes Washington Park and portions of Hyde Park, former CPS principal Jessica Biggs, former teacher and deputy director of progressive advocacy group Citizen Action/Illinois Anusha Thotakura, and founder of Chicago Against Violence Andre Smith competed for the seat. Biggs secured the seat with around 45 percent of the vote.
In District 10, which includes parts of Hyde Park and Woodlawn, four names were on the ballot.
Pastor Robert Jones, nonprofit CEO Karin Norington-Reaves, former CPS principal Adam Parrott-Sheffer, and Grammy-award-winning recording artist Che “Rhymefest” Smith competed for the board spot. The race has yet to be called, but Smith appears to have a narrow lead.
Metropolitan Water Reclamation District Commissioners
The Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago is responsible for preventing flood damage, treating wastewater, and planning infrastructure projects. Three commissioners are elected every two years to serve for six-year terms.
Incumbent Democrat Kari K. Steele won re-election with 24 percent of the vote. Two other Democrats, Marcelino Garcia and Sharon Waller, won seats, with 22 percent and 21 percent of the vote, respectively.
