A new study shows troubling data when it comes to voter participation and engagement, especially when it comes to propositions and policy questions that appear on the end of Illinois ballots.
The study by the Cook County Treasurer’s office revealed that on average less than one-in-three registered voters participate in deciding on the fates of referendums in the county.
For a full list of ballot questions in Cook County in the March 19 primary, visit the clerk's website.
Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas studied 75 different property-related tax referendums from 2020 to 2023. Voter turnout was so poor that the questions related to raising taxes were decided by fewer than 25% of all voters.
Pappas says that she gets angry complaints about tax increases, but cautions that voters need to turn that anger into action at the polls.
“If you have steam coming out of your ears, maybe you created your own steam,” she said. “You didn’t vote. You didn’t take the time when you got to the end of the ballot, after all the judges and all the rigamaroll. To say ‘hey I’m for this, I’m not for this,’ you just didn’t do anything.”
Those property tax referendums are one thing, but there are other questions whose outcomes can have devastating consequences. One example occurred in suburban Stone Park, a town that no longer has a fire department. Firefighters attempted to unionize, and a referendum failed to pay their salaries.
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Hal Dardick, the Cook County Treasurer’s director of research, explains what happened next.
“Not long thereafter, there was a major fire within a block or two of the old fire station,” he said. “It took Melrose Park a little longer to get there, and three apartment buildings and a house were destroyed.”
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Voters in Stone Park rejected the paid positions for firefighters twice, and turnout was low on both occasions.
“You’ve got 1,600 people in the area registered to vote. 216 show up and of the 216, 143 vote no, so there’s still no fire department in Stone Park. Does that make any sense?,” Pappas said.
Pappas and other officials are seeking to warn the public that when turnout is low, as it often is in primaries, a few voters can control millions of dollars in new spending, and that is a responsibility worth taking seriously.
