1968 Illinois elections

1968 Illinois elections

←  1966 November 5, 1968 1969  →
Turnout	82.91%

Elections were held in Illinois on Tuesday, November 5, 1968. ^[1]

Primaries were held on June 11, 1968. ^[1]

Election information

Turnout

In the primary, turnout was 28.84% with 1,573,173 ballots cast (833,498 Democrat and 739,675 Republican). ^{[1] [2] [3]}

In the general election, turnout was 82.91% with 4,705,852 ballots cast. ^[1]

Federal elections

United States President

Main article: 1968 United States presidential election in Illinois

See also: 1968 United States presidential election

Illinois voted for the Republican ticket of Richard Nixon and Spiro Agnew. ^[1]

United States Senate

Main article: 1968 United States Senate election in Illinois

See also: 1968 United States Senate elections

Incumbent Senator Everett M. Dirksen, a Republican, won reelection to a fourth term.

United States House

Main article: 1968 United States House of Representatives elections in Illinois

See also: 1968 United States House of Representatives elections

All 24 Illinois seats in the United States House of Representatives were up for election in 1968.

No seats switched parties, leaving the Illinois House delegation to continue to consist of 12 Democrats and 12 Republicans.

State elections

Governor

Main article: 1968 Illinois gubernatorial election

1968 Illinois gubernatorial election

←  1964 November 5, 1968 1972  →
Turnout	79.39% [1]
Nominee Richard B. Ogilvie Samuel Shapiro Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 2,307,295 2,179,501 Percentage 51.2% 48.4%
County Results Ogilvie:     40-50%     50-60%     60-70%     70-80% Shapiro:     40–50%     50–60%
Governor before election Samuel Shapiro Democratic Elected Governor Richard B. Ogilvie Republican

Incumbent Democratic Governor Samuel Shapiro lost reelection to Republican Richard B. Ogilvie.

Gubernatorial election ^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Richard B. Ogilvie	2,307,295	51.21
	Democratic	Samuel H. Shapiro (incumbent)	2,179,501	48.37
	Socialist Labor	Edward C. Gross	19,175	0.43
	Write-in	Others	29	0.00
Total votes			4,506,000

Lieutenant governor

1968 Illinois lieutenant gubernatorial election

←  1964 November 5, 1968 1972  →
Turnout	76.96% [1]
Nominee Paul Simon Robert A. Dwyer Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 2,222,331 2,125,910 Percentage 50.87% 48.67%
County results Simon:     50–60%     60–70% Dwyer:     50–60%     60–70%     70–80%
Lieutenant Governor before election Vacant Elected Lieutenant Governor Paul Simon Democratic

Democrat Paul Simon was elected to serve as lieutenant governor.

This was the only time in Illinois history that the state had the elected a governor and a lieutenant governor from different political parties (there were, however, instances in Illinois where an appointed lieutenant governor had been of a different political party than the governor).

Due to changes implemented by the passage of the 1970 Constitution of Illinois, in all subsequent elections, gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial candidates have been jointly elected on a ticket. Therefore, this was the last Illinois election held for the sole purpose of electing a lieutenant governor.

Democratic primary

Lieutenant gubernatorial Democratic primary ^[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Paul Simon	600,369	100
	Write-in	Others	6	0.00
Total votes			600,375	100

Republican primary

Robert A. Dwyer, an insurance executive from Winnetka ran unopposed for the Republican nomination. ^[4]

Lieutenant gubernatorial Republican primary ^{[1] [2]}

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Robert A. Dwyer	534,882	100
	Write-in	Others	6	0.00
Total votes			534,888	100

General election

Lieutenant gubernatorial election ^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Paul Simon	2,222,331	50.87
	Republican	Robert A. Dwyer	2,125,910	48.67
	Socialist Labor	Stanley L. Prorok	20,122	0.46
	Write-in	Others	2	0.00
Total votes			4,368,365

Attorney general

1968 Illinois Attorney General election

←  1964 November 5, 1968 1972  →
Turnout	79.79% [1]
Nominee William J. Scott Francis S. Lorenz Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 2,898,198 2,322,572 Percentage 52.71% 46.89%
County results Scott:     50–60%     60–70%     70–80% Lorenz:     50–60% Tie:     40–50%
Attorney General before election William G. Clark Democratic Elected Attorney General William J. Scott Republican

Incumbent attorney general William G. Clark, a Democrat, did not seek a third term. Republican William J. Scott was elected to succeed him.

Democratic primary

Attorney General Democratic primary ^{[1] [2]}

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Francis S. Lorenz	611,138	100
	Write-in	Others	14	0.00
Total votes			611,152	100

Republican primary

Attorney General Republican primary ^{[1] [2]}

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	William J. Scott	581,595	76.67
	Write-in	Others	1	0.00
Total votes			581,595	100

General election

Attorney General election ^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	William J. Scott	2,322,572	52.71
	Democratic	Francis S. Lorenz	2,065,984	46.89
	Socialist Labor	George P. Milonas	17,488	0.40
	Write-in	Others	2	0.00
Total votes			4,528,836	100

Secretary of State

1968 Illinois Secretary of State election

←  1964 November 5, 1968 1972  →
Turnout	78.81% [1]
Nominee Paul Powell Donald D. Carpentier Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 2,278,868 2,173,839 Percentage 50.94% 48.59%
Secretary of State before election Paul Powell Democratic Elected Secretary of State Paul Powell Democratic

Incumbent Secretary of State Paul Powell, a Democrat, was reelected to a second term.

Democratic primary

Secretary of State Democratic primary ^{[1] [2]}

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Paul Powell (incumbent)	617,231	100
	Write-in	Others	47	0.01
Total votes			617,278	100

Republican primary

Secretary of State Republican primary ^{[1] [2]}

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Donald D. Carpentier	502,497	76.67
	Republican	Brian B. Duff	153,017	23.34
	Write-in	Others	6	0.00
Total votes			655,520	100

General election

Secretary of State election ^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Paul T. Powell (incumbent)	2,278,868	50.94
	Republican	Donald D. Carpentier	2,173,839	48.59
	Socialist Labor	George LaForest	20,664	0.46
	Write-in	Others	9	0.00
Total votes			4,473,380	100

Auditor of Public Accounts

1968 Illinois Auditor of Public Accounts election

←  1964 November 3, 1968 1972 (Comptroller)  →
Turnout	76.54% [1]
Nominee Michael Howlett William C. Harris Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 2,215,401 2,106,676 Percentage 50.99% 48.49%
Auditor of Public Accounts before election Michael Howlett Democratic Elected Auditor of Public Accounts Michael Howlett Democratic

Incumbent Auditor of Public Accounts Michael Howlett, a Democrat, was reelected to a third term.

Democratic primary

Auditor of Public Accounts Democratic primary ^{[1] [2]}

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Michael J. Howlett (incumbent)	591,297	100
	Write-in	Others	13	0.00
Total votes			591,310	100

Republican primary

Auditor of Public Accounts Republican primary ^{[1] [2]}

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	William C. Harris	272,742	46.26
	Republican	Terrel E. Clarke	183,855	31.19
	Republican	Wesley W. "Wes" Olson	132,932	22.55
	Write-in	Others	1	0.00
Total votes			589,530	100

General election

Auditor of Public Accounts election ^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Michael J. Howlett (incumbent)	2,215,401	50.99
	Republican	William C. Harris	2,106,676	48.49
	Socialist Labor	Elizabeth Schnur	22,591	0.52
	Write-in	Others	1	0.00
Total votes			4,344,669	100

Clerk of the Supreme Court

1968 Clerk of the Supreme Court election

←  1962 November 5, 1968
Turnout	76.46% [1]
Nominee Justin Taft Fannie G. Jones Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 2,286,086 2,032,768 Percentage 52.68% 46.84%
Clerk before election Cleli Woods Elected Clerk Justin Taft Republican

The Clerk of the Supreme Court was Cleli Woods, who took office after the death in office of Fae Searcy earlier in 1968.

The 1970 Constitution of Illinois made it so that the office would become an appointive office by 1975, thus rendering the 1968 election the last instance in which an election was held for this office.

Democratic primary

Clerk of the Supreme Court Democratic primary ^{[1] [2]}

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Fannie G. Jones	565,289	100
	Write-in	Others	5	0.00
Total votes			565,294	100

Republican primary

Incumbent Clerk of the Supreme Court Fae Searcy died in office on March 25, 1968. However, she had already filed to be on the ballot before her death. ^[5] Instead of being listed by her own name, Fae Searcy opted to be listed on the ballot as "Mrs. Earle Benjamin Searcy", ^{[1] [2]} her legal name. She had succeeded her husband in the office after his own death. Mrs. Searcy remained on the ballot, and received 32 percent of the vote despite being dead. However, Justin Taft outperformed her, with 45.01 percent of the vote, winning the nomination.

Clerk of the Supreme Court Republican primary ^{[1] [2]}

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Justin Taft	264,959	45.01
	Republican	Fae Searcy (deceased; was incumbent at time of death)	188,635	32.04
	Republican	Louise Emerson	135,103	22.95
	Write-in	Others	5	0.00
Total votes			588,702	100

General election

Clerk of the Supreme Court election ^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Justin Taft	2,286,086	52.68
	Democratic	Fannie G. Jones	2,032,768	46.84
	Socialist Labor	Gregory P. Lyngas	21,117	0.49
	Write-in	Others	1	0.00
Total votes			4,339,972	100

State Senate

Seats of the Illinois Senate were up for election in 1968. Republicans retained control of the chamber.

State House of Representatives

Seats in the Illinois House of Representatives were up for election in 1968. Republicans retained control of the chamber.

Trustees of University of Illinois

1968 Trustees of University of Illinois election

←  1966 November 5, 1968 1970  →

An election using cumulative voting was held for three of nine seats for Trustees of University of Illinois system.

The election saw the reelection of incumbent third-term Republican Timothy W. Swain and incumbent second-term Republican member Earl M. Hughes and the election of new Republican member Russell W. "Ruck" Steger. ^{[1] [6]}

Incumbent Democrat Kenney E. Williamson (appointed in 1967 after the death in office of Wayne A. Johnston) lost reelection. ^{[1] [6]}

Trustees of the University of Illinois election ^{[1] [6]}

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Timothy W. Swain (incumbent)	2,246,505	17.49
	Republican	Earl M. Hughes (incumbent)	2,222,696	17.30
	Republican	Russell W. Steger	2,176,223	16.94
	Democratic	Kenney E. Williamson (incumbent)	2,063,859	16.06
	Democratic	Timothy R. Ives	2,043,974	15.91
	Democratic	Frances Best Watkins	2,003,652	15.60
	Socialist Labor	Edwin L. Williams	33,031	0.26
	Socialist Labor	Henry Schilling	31,399	0.24
	Socialist Labor	Clarys L. Essex	26,768	0.21
	Write-in	Others	2	0.00
Total votes			12,848,109	100

Judicial elections

Judicial elections were held, including two elections to fill vacancies on the Illinois Appellate Court. ^[1]

Ballot measures

Three ballot measures were up for election in 1968, a legislatively referred state statute, a bond measure, and a call for a constitutional convention. ^[1]

In order to be approved, legislatively referred state statues required the support of a majority of those voting on the statute. ^[1] Bond measures needed a vote equal to majority of the votes cast for whichever chamber of the Illinois General Assembly had the highest cumulative vote count. ^[1] A call for a constitutional convention required votes equal to a majority of the all ballots cast in the general election. ^[1]

Illinois Banking Act

Illinois Banking Act was approved by voters as a legislatively referred state statue. ^[1] It enabled Illinois state banks to have foreign branches. ^[7]

Illinois Banking Act ^{[1] [7]}

Candidate		Votes	%
Yes		1,776,492	61.95
No		1,091,116	38.05
Total votes		2,867,608	100
Voter turnout		50.52%

Illinois Natural Resources Development Bond Act

Illinois Natural Resources Development Bond Act, a legislatively referred bond question, failed to pass. ^{[1] [8]} It proposed a $1 billion bond act for the development of natural resources. ^[8]

Bond measures needed a vote equal to majority of the votes cast for whichever chamber of the Illinois General Assembly had the highest cumulative vote count. ^[1] In this election, the highest turnout for a chamber's elections was 4,268,956, so the needed vote total for the measure to have pass would have been 2,134,479. ^[1]

Illinois Natural Resources Development Bond Act [1] [8]
Option	Votes	% of highest legislative vote cast
Yes	1,656,600	38.81
No	1,216,814	28.50
Total votes	2,873,414	67.31
Voter turnout	50.62%

Proposed call for a Constitutional Convention

In 1968, voters were presented with a referendum on whether to call a constitutional convention. ^{[9] [10]} This was the first such vote held in the State of Illinois since 1934. ^[10] That call failed. The chief sponsor of the legislation that created this ballot measure was Senate Republican leader W. Russell Arrington. ^[11] Democratic Governor Otto Kerner Jr. was supportive of holding a constitutional convention. ^[11]

The call for the convention required the votes of an equal majority of all ballots cast in the 1968 general elections. ^[1]

A constitutional convention was subsequently held, and the resulting Constitution of Illinois was approved by Illinois voters in a 1970 special election. ^[10]

Proposed call for a Constitutional Convention [1] [12]
Option	Votes	% of all ballots cast
Yes	2,979,972	63.33
No	1,135,440	24.13
Total votes	4,115,412	87.45
Voter turnout	72.50%

Local elections

Local elections were held.

References

1. "OFFICIAL VOTE Cast at the GENERAL ELECTION NOVEMBER 5, 1968 JUDICIAL PRIMARY ELECTION GENERAL PRIMARY, JUNE, 11, 1972" (PDF). Illinois State Board of Elections. Retrieved June 26, 2020.^{[ permanent dead link ‍]}
2. Illinois Blue Book 1967-1968. Illinois Secretary of State. p. 884. Retrieved March 28, 2020.
3. "OFFICIAL VOTE Cast at the GENERAL ELECTION NOVEMBER 4, 1986" (PDF). www.elections.il.gov. Illinois State Board of Elections. Retrieved April 10, 2020.^{[ permanent dead link ‍]}
4. Trani, Eugene P. (July 2010). "The Man and the Land: The Politics of Paul Simon and Southern Illinois, 1950-1973" (PDF). The Simon Review. Paul Simon Public Policy Institute at Southern Illinois University Carbondale . Retrieved October 15, 2024.
5. "Mrs. Fae Searcy Dies; Clerk of Supreme Court" . The Dispatch (Moline Illinois). The Associated Press. March 25, 1968. Retrieved August 13, 2021.
6. "Trustees, University of Illinois Board of Trustees" (PDF). University of Illinois. Retrieved April 1, 2020.
7. "Illinois Banking Act, Amendment 1 (1968)". Ballotpedia. Retrieved March 29, 2020.
8. "Illinois Natural Resources Development Bond Act, Amendment 2 (1968)". Ballotpedia. Retrieved March 29, 2020.
9. CALLING AND HOLDING ILLINOIS' SIXTH CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION (PDF). Illinois Legislative Council. February 23, 1972. p. 2. Retrieved March 28, 2020.
10. Klemens, Michael D. (June 1987). "The state of the State Preparing for the next call for a constitutional convention". Illinois Issues. Retrieved March 28, 2020.
11. "87. Senate Joint Resolution 2 Calling for a Constitutional Convention (1967)". www.cyberdriveillinois.com. Office of Illinois Secretary of State. Retrieved March 29, 2020.
12. "Illinois Constitutional Convention Question (1968)". Ballotpedia. Retrieved March 29, 2020.