The Cook County, Illinois, general election was held on November 6, 2018.[1]

2018 Cook County, Illinois, elections

← 2016 November 6, 2018 2020 →
Turnout58.09%

Primaries were held March 20, 2018.[2]

Elections were held for Assessor, Clerk, Sheriff, Treasurer, President of the Cook County Board of Commissioners, all 17 seats of the Cook County Board of Commissioners, Cook County Board of Review districts 2 and 3, five seats on the Water Reclamation District Board, and judgeships on the Circuit Court of Cook County.

Election information

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2018 was a midterm election year in the United States. The primaries and general elections for Cook County races coincided with those for federal congressional races and those for state elections.

Voter turnout

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Voter turnout in Cook County during the primaries was 30.84%, with 938,639 ballots cast. Among these, 795,427 Democratic, 137,286 Republican, 206 Green, and 5,720 nonpartisan primary ballots were cast. Turnout in the city of Chicago was 32.69%, and turnout in suburban Cook County was 29.05%.[3][4]

The general election saw 58.09% turnout, with 1,795,518 ballots cast. Turnout in Chicago was 60.67%, and turnout in suburban Cook County was 55.65%.[5][6] Turnout in Cook County exceeded the national average, which was 50.3%.[7] Turnout was considered high in the United States during the 2018 midterm elections, with it being the highest national midterm turnout since 1914.[8]

Assessor

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2018 Cook County Assessor election
← 2014 November 6, 2018 2022 →
Turnout54.04%[5][6]
     
Candidate Fritz Kaegi Joseph Paglia
Party Democratic Republican
Popular vote 1,272,651 397,741
Percentage 76.19% 23.81%

Assessor before election

Joseph Berrios
Democratic

Elected Assessor

Fritz Kaegi
Democratic

In the 2018 Cook County Assessor election, incumbent second-term assessor Joseph Berrios, a Democrat, lost his bid for reelection, being unseated in the Democratic primary by Fritz Kaegi, who went on to win the general election.

Primaries

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Democratic

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Cook County Assesor Democratic primary[2]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Frederick "Fritz" Kaegi 327,769 45.53
Democratic Joseph Berrios (incumbent) 243,425 33.81
Democratic Andrea A. Raila 147,224 20.45
Write-in Others 1,481 0.21
Total votes 719,899 100

Republican

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No candidates, ballot-certified or formal write-in, ran in the Republican primary.[2] However, the party ultimately nominated Joseph Paglia.

General election

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Cook County Assessor election[1]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Frederick "Fritz" Kaegi 1,272,651 76.19
Republican Joseph Paglia 397,741 23.81
Total votes 1,670,392 100

Clerk

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2018 Cook County Clerk election
← 2014 November 6, 2018 2022 →
Turnout46.22%[5][6]
   
Candidate Karen Yarbrough
Party Democratic
Popular vote 1,415,244
Percentage 99.07%

Clerk before election

David Orr
Democratic

Elected Clerk

Karen Yarbrough
Democratic

In the 2018 Cook County Clerk election, incumbent seventh-term clerk David Orr, a Democrat, did not seek reelection. Democrat Karen Yarbrough won the election to replace him.

By winning the election, Yarbrough became the first woman to ever hold the office of Cook County Clerk.[9]

Primaries

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Democratic

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Jan Kowalski McDonald was disqualified, and votes cast for her were not counted. However, due to ballot printing deadlines, her name was included on the ballot.[10]

Cook County Clerk Democratic primary[2]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Karen A. Yarbrough 517,979 99.33
Write-in Joy Jackson 290 0.06
Write-in Others 3,215 0.62
Total votes 521,484 100

Republican

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No candidates, ballot-certified or formal write-in, ran in the Republican primary.[2]

General election

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Cook County Clerk election[1]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Karen A. Yarbrough 1,415,244 99.07
Write-in Eric J. Laster-Stewart 186 0.01
Write-in Others 13,102 0.92
Total votes 1,428,532 100

Sheriff

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2018 Cook County Sheriff election
← 2014 November 6, 2018 2022 →
Turnout47.10%[5][6]
   
Candidate Tom Dart
Party Democratic
Popular vote 1,455,825
Percentage 100%

Sheriff before election

Tom Dart
Democratic

Elected Sheriff

Tom Dart
Democratic

In the 2018 Cook County Sheriff election, incumbent third-term Sheriff Tom Dart, a Democrat, was reelected.

Primaries

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Democratic

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Cook County Sheriff Democratic primary[2]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Thomas J. Dart (incumbent) 640,512 98.54
Write-in Other 9,475 1.46
Total votes 649,987 100

Republican

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No candidates, ballot-certified or formal write-in, ran in the Republican primary.[2]

General election

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Cook County Sheriff election[1]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Thomas J. Dart (incumbent) 1,455,825 100
Total votes 1,455,825 100

Treasurer

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2018 Cook County Treasurer election
← 2014 November 6, 2018 2022 →
Turnout47.17%[5][6]
 
Candidate Maria Pappas
Party Democratic
Popular vote 1,447,145
Percentage 99.26%

Treasurer before election

Maria Pappas
Democratic

Elected Treasurer

Maria Pappas
Democratic

In the 2018 Cook County Treasurer election, incumbent fifth-term treasurer Maria Pappas, a Democrat, was reelected.

Primaries

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Democratic

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Cook County Treasurer Democratic primary[2]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Maria Pappas (incumbent) 579,453 82.29
Democratic Peter Gariepy 124,742 17.71
Total votes 704,195 100

Republican

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No candidates, ballot-certified or formal write-in, ran in the Republican primary.[2]

General election

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Cook County Treasurer election[1]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Maria Pappas (incumbent) 1,447,145 99.26
Write-in Mary Arline Vann-Metcalf 142 0.01
Write-in Others 10,638 0.73
Total votes 1,457,925 100

President of the Cook County Board of Commissioners

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2018 President of the Cook County Board of Commissioners election
← 2014 November 6, 2018 2022 →
Turnout45.63%[5][6]
   
Candidate Toni Preckwinkle
Party Democratic
Popular vote 1,355,407
Percentage 96.11%

President before election

Toni Preckwinkle
Democratic

Elected President

Toni Preckwinkle
Democratic

In the 2018 President of the Cook County Board of Commissioners election, incumbent second-term president Toni Preckwinkle, a Democrat, was reelected.

Primaries

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Democratic

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President of the Cook County Board of Commissioners Democratic primary[2]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Toni Preckwinkle (incumbent) 444,943 60.82
Democratic Bob Fioretti 286,675 39.18
Total votes 731,618 100

Republican

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Only write-in candidates ran in the Republican primary. No certified write-in received enough votes to win the nomination.

President of the Cook County Board of Commissioners Republican primary[2]
Party Candidate Votes %
Write-in Richard P. Munnich 101 1.14
Write-in Others 8,801 98.87
Total votes 8,902 100

General election

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President of the Cook County Board of Commissioners election[1]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Toni Preckwinkle (incumbent) 1,355,407 96.11
Write-in Others 54,917 3.89
Total votes 1,410,324 100

Cook County Board of Commissioners

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2018 Cook County Board of Commissioners election
← 2014 November 6, 2018 2022 →

All 17 seats on the Cook County Board of Commissioners
9 seats needed for a majority
  First party Second party
 
Party Democratic Republican
Seats before 13 4
Seats won 15 2
Seat change   2   2
Popular vote 1,292,420 287,854
Percentage 81.79% 18.22%
Swing   4.67%   4.62%

The 2018 Cook County Board of Commissioners election saw all seventeen seats of the Cook County Board of Commissioners up for election to four-year terms.

Anticipating a potential wave election year for Democrats, President of the Cook County Board of Commissioners and Cook County Democratic Party Chairwoman Toni Preckwinkle made a focused effort to increase the Democrats' majority on the Cook County Board of Commissioners, focusing these efforts on three of the Board's four Republican-held seats. Preckwinkle-backed Democratic nominees ultimately succeeded in ousting Republican incumbents in the 14th and 15th districts, but fell roughly a mere 2,000 votes shy of unseating the 17th district's Republican incumbent.[11] Preckwinkle did not target the Republican-held 9th district seat, as the incumbent Republican, Peter N. Silvestri, was both popular and a political centrist and had a reputation for being a peacemaker on the Board at times when conflict arose between its members.[12]

Seven new members were elected,[13] and ten incumbents were reelected. Three incumbents did not seek reelection. Four incumbents lost reelection, with two being defeated in primaries and the other two losing their general elections.[2][1]

Two elections saw seats change party, in both instances seeing an incumbent Republican losing to a Democratic challenger, creating a net gain of two seats for Democrats and a net loss of two seats for Republicans. Nine races saw a Democrat unchallenged in the general election.[1]

Cook County Board of Review

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2018 Cook County Board of Review election
← 2016 November 6, 2018 2020 →

2 of 3 seats on the Cook County Board of Review
2 seats needed for a majority
  First party Second party
 
Party Democratic Republican
Seats before 2 1
Seats after 2 1
Seat change    
Seats up 2 0
Races won 2 0

In the 2018 Cook County Board of Review election, two seats, each Democratic-held, out of its three seats were up for election. Both incumbents won reelection, running unopposed in both their primary and general election races.

The Cook County Board of Review has its three seats rotate the length of terms. In a staggered fashion (in which no two seats have coinciding two-year terms), the seats rotate between two consecutive four-year terms and a two-year term.[14]

2nd district

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Incumbent second-term member Michael Cabonargi, a Democrat last reelected in 2016, was reelected, running unopposed in both the Democratic primary and general election. This election was to a four-year term.[14]

Primaries

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Democratic
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Cook County Board of Review 2nd district Democratic primary[2]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Michael Cabonargi (incumbent) 228,367 100
Total votes 228,367 100
Republican
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No candidates, ballot-certified or formal write-in, ran in the Republican primary.[2]

General election

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Cook County Board of Review 2nd district election[1]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Michael Cabonargi (incumbent) 468,818 100
Total votes 468,818 100

3rd district

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Incumbent fourth-term member Larry Rogers, Jr., a Democrat last reelected in 2014, was reelected, running unopposed in both the Democratic primary and general election. This election was to a four-year term.[14]

Primaries

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Democratic
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Cook County Board of Review 3rd district Democratic primary[2]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Larry Rogers, Jr. (incumbent) 228,367 100
Total votes 228,367 100
Republican
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No candidates, ballot-certified or formal write-in, ran in the Republican primary.[2]

General election

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Cook County Board of Review 3rd district election[1]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Larry Rogers, Jr. (incumbent) 480,701 100
Total votes 480,701 100

Water Reclamation District Board

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2018 Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago election
← 2016 November 6, 2018 2020 →

5 of 9 seats on the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago
5 seats needed for a majority
  First party Second party Third party
 
Party Democratic Republican Green
Seats before 7 0 0
Seats after 9 0 0
Seat change   2    
Seats up 3 0 0
Races won 5 0 0

In the 2018 Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago election, five of the nine seats on the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago board were up for election. Three were regularly scheduled elections, and two were special elections due to a vacancies.[2]

Regularly-scheduled election

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Three six-year term seats were up for a regularly-scheduled election. Since three six-year seats were up for election, voters could vote for up to three candidates,[15] and the top-three finishers would win.

Three of the incumbents for the three seats were seeking reelection, Kari Steele, Debra Shore, and Martin Durkan, all three Democrats. Steele and Shore won reelection to two of the seats, while Darkan lost renomination in the Democratic primary. Democrat Marcelino Garcia also won election was newly elected to the third seat.[16]

Primaries

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Democratic
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Water Reclamation District Board election Democratic primary[2]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Marcelino Garcia 218,217 45.63
Democratic Debra Shore (incumbent) 436,325 31.15
Democratic Kari K. Steele (incumbent) 393,570 28.10
Democratic Martin J. Durkan (incumbent) 259,701 18.54
Write-in Others 24,602 1.76
Total votes 1,400,738 100
Republican
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Water Reclamation District Board election Republican primary[2]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican R. Cary Capparelli 92,637 63.25
Republican Shundar Lin 53,832 36.75
Total votes 146,469 100
Green
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Water Reclamation District Board election Green primary[2]
Party Candidate Votes %
Green Karen Roothaan 127 32.65
Green Tammie Felicia Vinson 127 32.65
Green Christopher Anthony 135 34.70
Total votes 146,469 100

General election

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Water Reclamation District Board election[1]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Debra Shore (incumbent) 1,025,409 26.52
Democratic Kari K. Steele (incumbent) 912,598 23.60
Democratic Marcelino Garcia 841,193 21.75
Republican R. Cary Capparelli 332,435 8.60
Republican Shundar Lin 263,494 6.81
Green Christopher Anthony 171,927 4.45
Green Karen Roothaan 172,278 4.46
Green Tammie Felicia Vinson 147,638 3.82
Total votes 3,866,972 100

Unexpired term, vacancy of Santos (2 years)

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A special election was held to fill the seat vacated by Cynthia Santos following her 2016 appointment to the Illinois Pollution Control Board. The seat had been filled by interim appointee David Walsh up until the election.[16]

Primaries

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Democratic
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Water Reclamation District Board unexpired term (vacancy of Santos) Democratic primary[2]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Kimberly Neely du Buclet 561,695 96.48
Write-in Others 20,473 3.52
Total votes 582,168 100
Republican
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No candidates, ballot-certified or formal write-in, ran in the Republican primary.[2]

Green
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Water Reclamation District Board unexpired term (vacancy of Santos) Green primary[2]
Party Candidate Votes %
Green Rachel Wales 165 100
Total votes 165 100

General election

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Water Reclamation District Board unexpired term (vacancy of Santos) election[1]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Kimberly Neely du Buclet 1,173,498 77.07
Green Rachel Wales 349,053 22.93
Total votes 1,522,551 100

Unexpired term, vacancy of Bradford (2 years)

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Three days before the candidate filing deadline, incumbent Water Reclamation District Board member Timothy Bradford's died, leaving his seat vacant. A special election was scheduled to fill his seat.[16] No candidates filed in time to be included on the primary ballots, but Cam Davis won the Democratic Party nomination and Geoffrey Cubbage won the Green Party nomination, each as write-in candidates.[16] Cam Davis won the general election.[16]

Primaries

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Democratic
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Water Reclamation District Board unexpired term (vacancy of Bradford) Democratic primary[2]
Party Candidate Votes %
Write-in M. Cameron “Cam” Davis 28,505 22.83
Write-in Simon Gordon 1,681 1.35
Write-in Frank Avila 515 0.41
Write-in Karen Bond 316 0.25
Write-in Sharon Waller 214 0.17
Write-in Joe Cook 198 0.16
Write-in Sergio Bocanegra 14 0.01
Write-in Others 93,406 74.82
Total votes 124,849 100
Republican
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No candidates, ballot-certified or formal write-in, ran in the Republican primary.[2]

Green
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Water Reclamation District Board unexpired term (vacancy of Bradford) Green primary[2]
Party Candidate Votes %
Write-in Geoffrey Cubbage 76 88.37
Write-in Others 10 11.63
Total votes 86 100

General election

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Water Reclamation District Board unexpired term (vacancy of Bradford) election[1]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic M. Cameron “Cam” Davis 1,189,922 78.96
Green Geoffrey Cubbage 317,149 21.04
Total votes 1,507,071 100

Judicial elections

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10 judgeships on the Circuit Court of Cook County were up for partisan elections due to vacancies. In each of these races, Democratic nominees went unchallenged in the general election.[1] Retention elections were also held for judgeships on the Circuit Court of Cook County. For the first time in three decades, a Circuit Court of Cook County judge (Matthew Coghlan) lost retention.[17]

29 subcircuit courts judgeships were also up for partisan elections due to vacancies.[1] Retention elections were also held for subcircuit courts judgeships.

Ballot questions

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Four ballot questions were included on ballots county-wide. One was included on primary ballots in March, while the other three were included on general election ballots in November.

March

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Legalize Marijuana

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A ballot question was referred by the Cook County Board of Commissioners to the voters of Cook County as to whether or not the county's voters advise the State of Illinois to legalize marijuana.[18] All 17 members of the Board of Commissioners had unanimously approved holding this ballot question.[18]

The question asked,

Shall the State of Illinois legalize the cultivation, manufacture, distribution, testing, and sale of marijuana and marijuana products for recreational use by adults 21 and older subject to state regulation, taxation and local ordinance?[18]

Legalize Marijuana ballot question[2][3][4]
Candidate Votes %
Yes 597,542 68.39
No 276,205 31.61
Total votes 873,747 100
Voter turnout 28.71%

November

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Earned Sick Time

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A ballot question was created by a successful initiative petition which asked Cook County voters whether to empower each city in Cook County to establish a law that allows workers to earn up to 40 hours a year of sick time.[19]

The ballot measure asked the question,

Shall your municipality match the Cook County earned sick time law which allows for workers to earn up to 40 hours (5 days) of sick time a year to take care of their own health or a family member’s health?[19]

Earned Sick Time ballot question[1][5][6]
Candidate Votes %
Yes 1,477,938 89.46
No 174,164 10.54
Total votes 1,652,102 100
Voter turnout 53.45%

Gun Dealer Penalties

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A ballot question was created by a successful initiative petition which asked Cook County voters whether they believed that Illinois should strengthen penalties for the illegal trafficking of firearms and require all gun dealers to be certified by the State.[20]

The ballot measure asked the question,

Should the State of Illinois strengthen penalties for the illegal trafficking of firearms and require all gun dealers to be certified by the State?[20]

Gun Dealer Penalties ballot question[1][5][6]
Candidate Votes %
Yes 1,517,753 91.51
No 140,796 8.49
Total votes 1,658,549 100
Voter turnout 53.66%

Min Wage 13

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A ballot question was created by a successful initiative petition which asked Cook County voters whether to empower each city in Cook County to establish a $13 per hour minimum wage.[21]

The ballot measure asked the question,

Shall the minimum wage in your municipality match the $13 per hour Cook County minimum wage law for adults over the age of 18 by July 1, 2020, and be indexed to the consumer price index after that?[21]

Min Wage 13 ballot question[1][5][6]
Candidate Votes %
Yes 1,386,214 84.60
No 252,270 15.40
Total votes 1,638,484 100
Voter turnout 53.01%

Other elections

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Coinciding with the primaries, elections were held to elect both the Democratic and Republican committeepeople for the suburban townships.[22]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r "Cook County and The City of Chicago General Election November 6, 2018 Combined Summary" (PDF). Cook County Clerk's Office. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 8, 2021.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa "Cook County and The City of Chicago Primary Election March 20, 2018 Combined Summary" (PDF). Cook County Clerk's Office. Retrieved March 9, 2020.
  3. ^ a b "Cook County Primary Election March 20, 2018 Summary Report" (PDF). Cook County Clerk. Retrieved March 18, 2020.
  4. ^ a b "TABULATED STATEMENT OF THE RESULTS AND PROCLAMATION OF THE RESULTS OF THE CANVASS OF THE ELECTION RETURNS FOR THE MARCH 20, 2018 GENERAL PRIMARY ELECTION HELD IN EACH OF THE PRECINCTS IN ALL OF THE WARDS IN THE CITY OF CHICAGO" (PDF). chicagoelections.com. Chicago Board of Election Commissioners. Retrieved March 18, 2020.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Cook County General Election November 6, 2018 Summary Report" (PDF). Cook County Clerk. Retrieved March 18, 2020.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i "TABULATED STATEMENT OF THE RESULTS AND PROCLAMATION OF THE RESULTS OF THE CANVASS OF THE ELECTION RETURNS FOR THE NOVEMBER 6, 2018 GENERAL ELECTION HELD IN EACH OF THE PRECINCTS IN ALL OF THE WARDS IN THE CITY OF CHICAGO" (PDF). chicagoelections.com. Chicago Board of Election Commissioners. Retrieved March 18, 2020.
  7. ^ Sharma, Manas; Mellnik, Ted; Fischer-Baum, Reuben (December 31, 2018). "How did voter turnout in your county compare to the 2016 presidential election?". Washington Post.
  8. ^ Aytaç, S. Erdem; Stokes, Susan (November 20, 2018). "Americans just set a turnout record for the midterms, voting at the highest rate since 1914. This explains why". Washington Post.
  9. ^ "African Americans and the Vote: Firsts in Cook County Leadership | CookCountyIL.gov". www.cookcountyil.gov. Government of Cook County. Archived from the original on October 18, 2020. Retrieved October 22, 2020.
  10. ^ "Jan Kowalski McDonald". Ballotpedia. Retrieved March 16, 2020.
  11. ^ Schorsch, Kristen; Mihalopoulos, Dan (November 7, 2018). "'Blue Wave' Swamps Two Cook County Board Republicans". WBEZ Chicago. Retrieved March 17, 2023.
  12. ^ Schorsch, Kristen (September 19, 2022). "Republicans look to keep what few seats they have on the Cook County Board". WBEZ Chicago. Retrieved March 17, 2023.
  13. ^ Donavan, Lisa; Pratt, Gregory (November 7, 2018). "In Cook County Board races, Republican strongholds lose grip to blue wave — and a lot of green". chicagotribune.com. Chicago Tribune. Retrieved March 20, 2020.
  14. ^ a b c "35 ILCS 200/5-5". ilga.gov. Government of Illinois. Retrieved March 18, 2020.
  15. ^ Blumberg, Nick; Palmore, Rebecca (October 9, 2018). "2018 General Election: Commissioner, Metropolitan Water Reclamation District". WTTW News. Retrieved March 9, 2020.
  16. ^ a b c d e "Municipal elections in Cook County, Illinois (2018)". Ballotpedia. Retrieved March 9, 2020.
  17. ^ Lourgos, Angie Leventis; Crepeau, Megan (November 8, 2018). "Cook County voters oust judge for 1st time in decades, while suspended DuPage County judge wins retention". chicagotribune.com. Chicago Tribune. Retrieved April 5, 2020.
  18. ^ a b c "Cook County, Illinois, Marijuana Legalization Advisory Question (March 2018)". Ballotpedia. Retrieved March 16, 2020.
  19. ^ a b "Cook County, Illinois, Earned Sick Time for Workers Measure (November 2018)". Ballotpedia. Retrieved March 16, 2020.
  20. ^ a b "Cook County, Illinois, Firearms Measure (November 2018)". Ballotpedia. Retrieved March 16, 2020.
  21. ^ a b "Cook County, Illinois, Minimum Wage Measure (November 2018)". Ballotpedia. Retrieved March 16, 2020.
  22. ^ "March 20, 2018 Gubernatorial Primary Election 2018 Post Election Report" (PDF). Cook County Clerk. Retrieved November 20, 2020.