In addition to voting in Congressional races, for a new Illinois Senator, and determining which judges to retain, Cook County residents—including Chicagoans—will find a number of non-binding referenda on their November ballot.
While a non-binding referendum question will not directly lead to a new law, voters can make their voices heard on state income taxes, school district revenue, and gunshot detection systems.
“Should Chicago develop a permanent festival and outdoor event space for large-scale events?”
In July, City Council advanced Alderperson Nicole Lee’s (11th) nonbinding ballot measure asking whether Chicago should develop a permanent large-scale event space.
Chicagoans have complained for years about large festivals taking over community parks. In 2015, angry protests from Humboldt Park neighbors pushed Riot Fest from their neighborhood to Douglass Park. There, nearby residents complained about the festival interrupting soccer leagues, displacing street vendors, and rendering the park unusable for weeks at a time. In 2024, the weekend-long punk concert announced it would decamp for the suburbs at SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview, but Riot Fest changed its plans at the last minute, returning to Douglass Park that year under a new arrangement that would dedicate 10% of the festival’s revenue toward park maintenance. This year, a rainy festival weekend turned much of the park into a muddy pit. Even a month later, parts of the park have yet to be restored.
Similar grievances have arisen over the muddy, post-festival state of Grant Park following Lollapalooza. According to the city’s contract, Lollapalooza promoter C3 Presents is responsible for cleanup and reseeding the park’s lawn.
“Shall Illinois adopt the Millionaire Amendment for Property Tax Relief and Education, which would enact a 3% income tax surcharge only on millionaires and use 50% of this new revenue to provide property tax relief for residential and commercial taxpayers and 50% to improve state funding for public education?”
Illinois levies a flat income tax on its residents and voters across the state must approve a constitutional amendment in order to change the income tax structure. This non-binding referendum would assess how Cook County residents feel about assessing an additional tax on millionaires, which might inform future legislation.
The last time Illinois voters were asked that question was in 2020 when Governor J.B. Pritzker backed an amendment on the November ballot known as the “Fair Tax,” which would have imposed higher tax rates relative to a person’s income bracket. The amendment needed either 60% of voters to say yes or a simple majority of all ballots cast to pass. It failed with just over 46% of voters in favor.
If enacted, a millionaires’ tax would hit approximately 41,000 Illinois taxpayers, or around 0.6% of all tax filers, according to an April report from the Illinois Economic Policy Institute. The same report estimated that the tax’s revenue could provide $1,500 rebates to 3 million homeowners and cut property tax bills by 20%, as well as fully fund schools under the Evidence-Based Funding model.
Earlier this year, lawmakers in Springfield failed to round up enough votes to place a similar millionaire tax question on the November ballot for all of Illinois.
Supporters argue that a 3% income surcharge on earnings above $1 million shifts the fiscal burden to fund critical public infrastructure away from working-class residents; proponents include Mayor Brandon Johnson, the Chicago Teachers Union, the Chicago Board of Education, and the Cook County Board of Commissioners.
The Chicago Tribune Editorial Board and fiscally conservative organizations like the Illinois Policy Institute and the Tax Foundation oppose this measure, citing concerns about potential negative impacts on small businesses and economic flight or retrenchment.
“Shall the City of Chicago pursue all lawful means to recover financial compensation from the federal government for the costs and economic harm caused by the Donald Trump administration’s violent, militarized ICE operations, including the Midway Blitz operation led by Greg Bovino, to recover lost tax revenue, public safety response costs, and services provided to residents and families affected by those operations?”
Mayor Brandon Johnson posed this non-binding referendum earlier this summer, citing “millions of dollars in economic losses to local communities and governments” as a result of the increased immigration raids carried out by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Patrol.
Operation Midway Blitz cost Cook County an estimated $1.26 billion in lost retail and restaurant revenue, according to a September report from the University of Illinois Chicago’s Great Cities Institute. Researchers estimated that the heightened immigration enforcement wiped out $107 million in local sales tax revenue.
It’s unlikely that President Donald Trump’s administration and congressional Republicans would reimburse Chicago for those losses. Instead, referendum questions like this are often posed as a way to drum up voter support rather than take concrete action on issues.
“Should the City of Chicago restart the use of gunshot detection technology that informs first responders when gunshots are detected?”
When Brandon Johnson ran for mayor in 2023, he made eliminating the acoustic gunshot-technology ShotSpotter a key part of his progressive platform. Left-leaning activists argued that the Chicago Police Department’s use of Shotspotter, which has since rebranded to SoundThinking, led to over-policing in Black and Brown communities.
At the same time, some of SoundThinking’s most vociferous supporters in City Council, such as Alderperson David Moore (17th), came from the South and West Sides. A Weekly analysis showed ShotSpotter sensors were concentrated on the South Side, particularly in the 8th and 9th wards.
The technology also found critics within city government, including Chicago’s Inspector General. In 2021, the Office of Inspector General found that ShotSpotter’s alerts rarely lead to evidence of a gun-related crime. A monthslong investigation published by the Weekly in 2024 discovered that CPD reported hundreds of missed shootings to ShotSpotter.
Johnson extended SoundThinking’s contract beyond its original sunset date in order to cover the Democratic National Convention, and Chicago police stopped using the technology by September 2024. But even when the Johnson administration announced they would end SoundThinking’s contract, city officials didn’t rule out the possibility of contracting a new vendor to provide similar technology.
In July, City Council advanced Alderperson Marty Quinn’s (13th) nonbinding ballot measure that would ask Chicagoans whether the city should restart a gunshot technology contract.
This October, Johnson revealed that he would launch a gunshot detection technology pilot program throughout half a dozen police districts on the South and West sides. Since that technology will be administered under a pilot program, the vendors were not required to go through a competitive bidding process, the Chicago Tribune reported.
A majority of Chicago City Council members—including many representing South and West Side wards—support this measure, as do Chicago Police Superintendent Larry Snelling and the Chicago Tribune Editorial Board. They maintain that gunshot detection technology offers critical, life-saving tools to better ensure rapid emergency responses, even when no one calls 911.
Opponents—including Mayor Brandon Johnson, some progressive Aldermen, and grassroots activists and civil rights groups—argue that the technology is unreliable, expensive, and contributes to the harmful over-policing of Black and Latino neighborhoods.
“Should the City of Chicago require owners of long-term vacant or undeveloped commercial or investment properties to pay an additional annual charge that would support Chicago Public Schools?”
Chicago’s school board voted in August to place this nonbinding referendum on the ballot, though not without debate.
In an effort to find funding for the beleaguered school district’s coffers, Chicago School Board member Cydney Wallace introduced the vacant property question. But other board members argued the measure could punish lot owners who plan to eventually develop the properties.
The Civic Federation, a non-partisan, Chicago-based government research organization, warned that the plan would not address the immediate financial challenges facing CPS, adding that the potential tax depends on units of government outside of the Board of Education’s authority.
“The priority for the Board of Education right now should instead be identifying concrete, actionable measures within the District’s control that can strengthen CPS’s financial position in the near term,” the Civic Federation stated in a tweet.
The main supporters of this measure include the Chicago Teacher’s Union, some members of the Chicago Board of Education, and various community and safety advocates. They view the measure as a critical tool to generate new revenue streams for CPS, which has been deficit-plagued. Some also see the potential for property owners to be motivated to develop their lots, perhaps spurring safety and economic improvements in neighborhoods where schools were closed.
Opponents include some Board of Education members, commercial real estate holders, and business groups. They voiced concerns about how penalties would be structured and enforced; some oppose targeted property penalties, arguing they can negatively affect the business climate and complicate property development.
“To the Voters of Chicago Public Schools District 299: Shall Illinois use revenue from a surcharge on millionaires to increase funding to public schools?”
After Chicago School Board members rejected a balanced budget, instead anticipating state funding to fill the gaps, members voted to place this nonbinding referendum question on the ballot. The revenue from a millionaire’s tax would fund public schools across the state.
Proponents—including the Chicago Board of Education, progressive city leaders, and the CTU—argue that the revenue is vital to address severe budget deficits facing CPS. They advocate for shifting more financial responsibility to wealthier residents.
Opponents see passage of the referendum as a tool to build momentum for broader progressive tax hikes, and argue that it could worsen the state’s economy and make it harder to retain residents. They include some dissenting school board members and fiscally conservative groups like the Illinois Policy Institute.
Leigh Giangreco is a freelance reporter based in Chicago. You can follow her work on Twitter/X @LeighGiangreco and at leighgiangreco.com.