Elections in Illinois |
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The Cutback Amendment (formally named the "Size of State House of Representatives Amendment"; and also known as both "Amendment 1" and the "Legislative Article") [1] [2] [3] is an amendment to the Illinois Constitution that abolished multi-member districts in the Illinois House of Representatives and the process of cumulative voting. [4] Before the amendment, the Illinois General Assembly was divided into 59 legislative districts, each of which elected one senator and three representatives. In state house elections, voters could vote three times for one candidate or spread their votes between two or three candidates. When the Cutback Amendment was approved in 1980, the total number of House representatives was reduced from 177 to 118 and members were elected from single-member districts formed by dividing the 59 Senate districts in half. The movement to pass the bill was largely led by Democrats Pat Quinn and Harry Yourell. [5]
The amendment was passed via a referendum and popularly seen as a way to punish the legislature for voting to give itself a 40% raise. [6] It amended Article IV, Sections 1, 2 and 3 of the Constitution of Illinois. [1]
Voters approved the measure by referendum on November 4, 1980. In order to be approved, the measure required either 60% support among those specifically voting on the measure or 50% support among all ballots cast in the 1980 Illinois elections. [1] Ultimately, the threshold of 60% among those voting on the measure was met. Alongside the Sale of Tax Delinquent Property Amendment, it became one of the first two amendments adopted following the 1970 passage of the revised Constitution of Illinois. [1]
Illinois Size of State House of Representatives Amendment [1] [2] | |||
---|---|---|---|
Option | Votes | % of votes on measure | % of all ballots cast |
Yes | 2,112,224 | 68.70 | 43.38 |
No | 962,325 | 31.30 | 19.77 |
Total votes | 3,074,549 | 100 | 63.15 |
Since the adoption of the Cutback Amendment, there have been proposals by some major political figures in Illinois to bring back multi-member districts. A task force led by former governor Jim Edgar and former federal judge Abner Mikva issued a report in 2001 calling for the revival of cumulative voting, [7] in part because it appears that such a system increases the representation of racial minorities in elected office. [8] The Chicago Tribune editorialized in 1995 that the multi-member districts elected with cumulative voting produced better legislators. [9] Others have argued that the now-abandoned system provided for greater "stability" in the lower house. [10]
The Vermont General Assembly is the legislative body of the state of Vermont, in the United States. The Legislature is formally known as the "General Assembly," but the style of "Legislature" is commonly used, including by the body itself. The General Assembly is a bicameral legislature, consisting of the 150-member Vermont House of Representatives and the 30-member Vermont Senate. Members of the House are elected by single and two-member districts. 58 districts choose one member, and 46 choose two, with the term of service being two years. The Senate includes 30 Senators, elected by eight single-member and nine multi-member districts with two or three members each. It is the only state legislative body in the United States in which a third-party has had continuous representation and been consecutively elected alongside Democrats and Republicans.
The Illinois General Assembly is the legislature of the U.S. state of Illinois. It has two chambers, the Illinois House of Representatives and the Illinois Senate. The General Assembly was created by the first state constitution adopted in 1818. As of 2023, the current General Assembly is the 103rd.
The Illinois House of Representatives is the lower house of the Illinois General Assembly. The body was created by the first Illinois Constitution adopted in 1818. The House under the current constitution as amended in 1980 consists of 118 representatives elected from individual legislative districts for two-year terms with no limits; redistricted every 10 years, based on the 2010 U.S. census each representative represents approximately 108,734 people.
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FairVote, formerly the Center for Voting and Democracy, is a 501(c)(3) organization that advocates electoral reform in the United States.
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Elections were held in Illinois on Tuesday, November 3, 1992.
Elections were held in Illinois on Tuesday, November 4, 1980.
Elections were held in Illinois on Tuesday, November 3, 1970.
Elections were held in Illinois on Tuesday, November 5, 1974.
Elections were held in Illinois on Tuesday, November 5, 1968.
Elections were held in Illinois on Tuesday, November 6, 1956.
Elections were held in Illinois on Tuesday, November 4, 1958.
Elections were held in Illinois on Tuesday, November 2, 1954.
On November 4, 2014, Illinois voters approved the Illinois Right to Vote Amendment, a legislatively referred constitutional amendment to the Constitution of Illinois. The amendment was designed to provide that no person shall be denied the right to register to vote or cast a ballot in an election based on race, color, ethnicity, language, national origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation or income.
The Illinois Public Pension Amendment was a proposed amendment to the Illinois state constitution. On November 6, 2012, Illinois voters rejected it in a statewide referendum.
On November 2, 2010, Illinois voters approved the Illinois Governor Recall Amendment, a legislatively referred constitutional amendment to the Constitution of Illinois. The amendment changed the state constitution to allow recall elections of Illinois governors.
Elections were held in Illinois on Tuesday, November 8, 1938.