2012 Illinois elections

For the primary election, turnout was 23.20%, with 1,694,317 votes cast.[1]

Turnout by county[1]

For the general election, turnout was 70.20%, with 5,279,752 votes cast.[2]

Turnout by county[2]

Illinois voted for the Democratic ticket of Barack Obama and Joe Biden.

This was the sixth consecutive presidential election in which Illinois had voted for the Democratic ticket.

Illinois had lost one seat in the reapportionment following the 2010 United States Census. All 18 of Illinois' remaining seats in the United States House of Representatives were up for election in 2012.

Before the election, Republicans held 11 and Democrats held 8 seats from Illinois. In 2002, Democrats won 12 seats while Republicans won 6.

One-third of the seats of the Illinois Senate were up for election in 2012.

All of the seats in the Illinois House of Representatives were up for election in 2012.

Judicial elections were held.

Illinois voters voted on a single ballot measure in 1998.[3] In order to be approved, the measure required either 60% support among those specifically voting on the amendment or 50% support among all ballots cast in the elections.[3]

Illinois voters rejected the proposed Illinois Public Pension Amendment, a legislatively referred constitutional amendment. This would have amended the Constitution of Illinois.[4] The measure would have made it so that a three-fifths approval would be required by the General Assembly, city councils, and school districts that wish to increase the pension benefits of their employees.[4]

The ballot text read,

Upon approval by the voters, the proposed amendment, which takes effect on January 9, 2013, adds a new section to the General Provisions Article of the Illinois Constitution. The new section would require a three-fifths majority vote of each chamber of the General Assembly or the governing body of a unit of local government, school district, or pension or retirement system, in order to increase a benefit under any public pension or retirement system. At the general election to be held on November 6, 2012, you will be called upon to decide whether the proposed amendment should become part of the Illinois Constitution.

If you believe the Illinois Constitution should be amended to require a three-fifths majority vote in order to increase a benefit under any public pension or retirement system, you should vote YES on the question. If you believe the Illinois Constitution should not be amended to require a three-fifths majority vote in order to increase a benefit under any public pension or retirement system, you should vote NO on the question. Three-fifths of those voting on the question or a majority of those voting in the election must vote "YES" in order for the amendment to become effective on January 9, 2013.

For the proposed addition of Section 5.1 to Article XIII of the Illinois Constitution.

YES

NO[4]

In the legislature, the bill that referred the amendment to voters was entitled "HJRCA 49 (2012)" and was sponsored by Michael Madigan.[5] It was required that, in order to qualify for the ballot, the measure be approved by 60% approval of both the Illinois House of Representatives and the Illinois Senate.[4] On April 18, 2012, it passed the House unanimously, 113-0.[5] On May 3, 2012 the bill passed the Senate, 51-2.[4]