A sample ballot shows the advisory questions that will appear on this year’s Illinois ballot.
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The results are not binding, but lawmakers may consider them when proposing policy.
Illinois lawmakers are asking voters to consider three hot issues on their ballots this year: election interference, income taxes and reproductive health care.
Illinois voters are asked three “advisory” questions asking whether they support certain policies, but they are not legally binding. Lawmakers may take the results into account when considering what policies to advocate for in future sessions.
The three questions on the ballot are:
• Should a candidate listed on a ballot for a federal, state, or local office in Illinois be subject to civil penalties if he or she interferes or attempts to interfere with an election official’s official duties?
• Should the Illinois Constitution be amended to create a 3% surcharge on incomes over $1 million to use the funds raised for property tax relief?
• Should all medically appropriate assisted reproductive techniques, including but not limited to in vitro fertilization, be covered by an Illinois health insurance plan that covers pregnancy benefits without a limit on the number of treatments?
These questions are being asked because lawmakers passed them. Senate Bill 2412 In early May, he directed state election officials to add them to the ballot.
“All three questions address issues that voters are most concerned about or that are being reported on in the news media,” bill sponsor Rep. Jay Hoffman, D-Swansea, said in an interview this week. Ta.
The last time an advisory question appeared on a statewide ballot in Illinois was in 2014. Three questions were posed to voters that year. One concerns a potential increase in the state’s minimum wage, one concerns whether to require insurance companies to cover prescription contraception, and one concerns an increase in the state minimum wage. Regarding taxes on income over $1 million.
Hoffman said he has “learned not to predict” what such votes will turn out to be or how they will be used, but that the 2014 vote “ultimately ended up being about the minimum wage.” This led to the passage of the increase.”
The bill was passed in early 2019 after Governor JB Pritzker said: personal appeal To the members of parliament who have just taken office.
This year’s advisory questions have had little impact on campaigning, but some Illinois politicians have expressed support.
Former Gov. Pat Quinn is touring the state to encourage “yes” votes to raise taxes on people making more than $1 million.
“We want people to know that not only do we have a chance to vote for candidates, especially the president, but we also have a chance to vote on issues that can make a difference to households in Illinois for years to come. It’s important that you come,”’ Quinn said at a Capitol news conference Wednesday.
In addition to being similar to the 2014 advisory question, this referendum reflects some of the constitutional amendments submitted to voters in 2020.
The amendment would eliminate the state’s constitutional flat income tax rate requirement, but it remains a necessary step to implement the policies outlined in this year’s advisory questions.
When voters went to the polls in 2020, the amendment failed. The result was a blow for Gov. J.B. Pritzker, who donated $58 million of his personal fortune to a campaign supporting a graduated income tax.
If you would like more information about the referendum on your ballot, contact your local election office (usually the county clerk) or visit Illinois State Capitol News. Local election guide.
• capitol news illinois is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news service that distributes state government coverage to hundreds of news organizations across the state. Funded primarily by the Illinois Publishing Foundation and the Robert R. McCormick Foundation.
