Illinois ballots will include several advisory referenda during 2026 midterm elections
The 2026 midterm elections are on Nov. 3, and Illinois voters will find more than just candidates in the big races on their ballots. Voters also will be asked to weigh in on several advisory referenda about potential new laws.
While the results of those referenda will not decide the fate of potential legislation, they will send a signal to lawmakers about what the public would support.
If you've ever been frustrated by the aftermath of Lollapalooza, with the time it takes to clean up from Riot Fest, or any other large event in Chicago for that matter, you can tell elected leaders as much.
One referendum on the ballot in Chicago asks if the city should develop a permanent festival and outdoor event space for large-scale events.
David Merriman, professor of public policy, management, and analytics at University of Illinois Chicago, said such advisory referenda are non-binding, but they send a loud message either way.
"Either a signal to local lawmakers or to state lawmakers about what the people of the city want," he said.
Another referendum in Chicago asks voters if the city should "restart use of gunshot detection technology that informs first responders when gunshots are detected."
The Chicago City Council placed that question on the ballot. The effort was organized by aldermen who tried and failed to stop Mayor Brandon Johnson from removing ShotSpotter gunshot detection technology in Chicago two years ago.
Other referenda on the ballot ask about voters' support for various proposals to increase funding for public schools.
One asks if Illinois should use revenue from an income tax surcharge on millionaires to increase funding to public schools. Another asks if Chicago should require the owners of long-term vacant or undeveloped commercial or investment properties to pay an annual charge to support Chicago Public Schools, essentially taxing owners for keeping property vacant or undeveloped for an extended period of time.
"I'm glad to see some focus on that issue," Merriman said.
Those questions were placed on the ballot by the Chicago Board of Education, which oversees the budget for Chicago Public Schools.
"There was a lot of effort by people who wanted to put these referendums on the ballot to signal that there's a real interest in changing the burden of taxes to a burden that's more to high-income people; millionaires, in particular, and also to some extent to business."
Merriman said the millionaire's tax surcharge would likely require a change in the Illinois state constitution.
Merriman said, while voters might not necessarily know who put each referendum on the ballot, lawmakers are listening to their answers.
"In a way, it's a kind of opinion poll. It also sends a signal to the wider community, to other constituents, and maybe to the business community as well," he said.
