Illinois House of Representatives elections, 2020

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2020 Illinois
House Elections
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GeneralNovember 3, 2020
PrimaryMarch 17, 2020
Past Election Results
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Elections for the office of Illinois House of Representatives took place in 2020. The general election was held on November 3, 2020. A primary was scheduled for March 17, 2020. The filing deadline was December 2, 2019.

Democrats lost a seat in the 2020 elections but kept their supermajority. All 118 House seats were up for election in 2020. Heading into the election, Democrats had a 74-44 majority. Republicans gained a net one seat in the 2020 elections, narrowing the Democratic majority to 73-45. A 71-seat majority is required to override gubernatorial vetos.

The Illinois House of Representatives was one of 86 state legislative chambers with elections in 2020. All 118 Illinois House seats were up for election in 2020. There are 99 chambers throughout the country. In 2018, 87 out of 99 legislative chambers held elections.

Illinois' 2020 state legislative elections affected partisan control of redistricting following the 2020 census. In Illinois, the state legislature is responsible for drafting both congressional and state legislative district plans. District plans are subject to gubernatorial veto.

In January 2021, the Illinois House of Representatives convened to elect its leadership. House Speaker Michael Madigan faced calls to resign from fellow Democrats after several individuals were indicted in what law enforcement described as a scheme to influence Madigan. Madigan suspended his campaign for speaker on January 11, 2021 after failing to receive the 60 votes necessary to retain the position. On January 13, 2021, Emmanuel Welch was elected to the speakership with 70 votes in the 118-member chamber. Click here to learn more.

Aftermath

Selection of speaker

On January 13, 2021, Emanuel Welch (D) was elected speaker of the Illinois House of Representatives. Welch replaced former House Speaker Michael Madigan (D), the longest serving statehouse speaker in American history and chairman of the Illinois Democratic Party. After several individuals were indicted in what law enforcement described as a scheme to influence Madigan, 19 House Democrats said they would not support Madigan for another term in that position.

On January 11, 2021, Madigan suspended his campaign for speaker after receiving 51 of the 60 votes necessary to retain the position. After receiving the support of the Legislative Black Caucus, who had previously supported Madigan, and reaching an agreement with fellow contender Rep. Jay Hoffman (D), Welch secured the speakership with 70 votes. [1][2] On February 18, Madigan announced he would resign his seat at the end of February 2021.[3]

The following is a list of 19 Illinois House Democrats who publicly opposed Madigan's candidacy for speaker:

Timeline

The following timeline includes important events related to the 2021 selection of speaker of the Illinois House of Representatives.

  • January 13, 2021: The Illinois House of Representatives elected Emmanuel Welch as speaker of the House, ending Michael Madigan's tenure as the longest serving state legislative leader in American history. Welch received 70 votes in the 118-member chamber, exceeding the minimum 60 votes necessary to win the position. After initially being five votes below the requisite 60 votes in a closed-door caucus, Welch reached an agreement with Rep. Jay Hoffman (D), another contender for the speakership, to secure the necessary number of votes. He is the first Black speaker of the House in Illinois.[4]
  • January 11, 2021: Madigan announced the suspension of his campaign for the speakership for another two years after he failed to get enough votes to keep the position. "This is not a withdrawal. I have suspended my campaign for Speaker. As I have said many times in the past, I have always put the best interest of the House Democratic Caucus and our members first. The House Democratic Caucus can work to find someone, other than me, to get 60 votes for Speaker," Madigan said. Madigan needed 60 votes to retain his post, but received only 51 votes in the first round of voting on Sunday, January 10. [5]
  • December 16, 2020: An Illinois House committee ended an inquiry into a breach of trust claim against and voted to end any proceedings that could have resulted in disciplinary action. The six-member committee voted 3-3 to authorize a charge against Madigan, but Democratic control of the House made the tie a rejection.[6]
  • December 10, 2020: The Illinois House Black Caucus announced its support for Madigan retaining his position for another term. In a public statement, the group said “After analysis, we believe our caucus is in a more advantageous position under the leadership of Speaker Madigan to deliver on our priorities.” [7]
  • December 1, 2020: Democratic Rep. Kathleen Willis became the nineteenth House Democrat to oppose Madigan's candidacy for the speakership.[8]
  • November 20, 2020: At least 18 Democrats in the Illinois House of Representatives said they would not support Madigan for another term as speaker. [9]

Election procedure changes in 2020

See also: Changes to election dates, procedures, and administration in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, 2020

Ballotpedia provided comprehensive coverage of how election dates and procedures changed in 2020. While the majority of changes occurred as a result of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, some changes occurred for other reasons.

Illinois modified its absentee/mail-in voting and candidate filing procedures for the November 3, 2020, general election as follows:

  • Absentee/mail-in voting: Mail-in ballot applications were sent to all registered voters in the general election who cast ballots in the 2018 general election, the 2019 consolidated election, or the 2020 primary election.
  • Candidate filing procedures: The following changes were made to the filing procedures for unaffiliated and new-party candidates: petition signature requirements were reduced to 10 percent of their original numbers; candidates were authorized to collect petition signatures electronically; and the filing deadline was extended to July 20, 2020.

For a full timeline about election modifications made in response to the COVID-19 outbreak, click here.

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Party control

See also: Partisan composition of state houses and State government trifectas
Illinois House of Representatives
Party As of November 3, 2020 After November 4, 2020
     Democratic Party 74 73
     Republican Party 44 45
Total 118 118

Candidates

General election candidates

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District 45

Michael Camerer (R) was running for election to the Illinois House of Representatives to represent District 45 when he died in June 2020.[10] He had advanced from the Republican primary on March 3, 2020. Because of the timing of his death, local Republican Party officials were permitted to select a replacement candidate to appear on the general election ballot on November 3, 2020. Seth Lewis (R) was selected to replace Camerer on the general election ballot.[11]

Primary candidates

The candidate list below is based on an official list provided by the Illinois State Board of Elections website as of December 4, 2019. The filing deadline for the March primary was on December 2, 2019.[12]

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Incumbents who were not re-elected

See also: Annual State Legislative Competitiveness Report: Vol. 10, 2020

Incumbents defeated in the general election

Seven incumbents lost in the Nov. 3 general election. Those incumbents were:

Name Party Office
Grant Wehrli Ends.png Republican House District 41
Diane Pappas Electiondot.png Democratic House District 45
Mary Edly-Allen Electiondot.png Democratic House District 51
Allen Skillicorn Ends.png Republican House District 66
John M. Cabello Ends.png Republican House District 68
Monica Bristow Electiondot.png Democratic House District 111
Nathan Reitz Electiondot.png Democratic House District 116

Incumbents defeated in primary elections

As of March 18, 2020, two incumbents lost in the March 17 primaries. Both incumbents were appointed to their positions, meaning this was their first election. Those incumbents were:

Name Party Office
Yehiel Kalish Electiondot.png Democratic House District 16
Yoni Pizer Electiondot.png Democratic House District 12

Retiring incumbents

There were nine open seats where the incumbent legislator did not file for re-election in 2020.[13] Those incumbents were:

Name Party Office
Arthur Turner II Electiondot.png Democratic House District 9
Margo McDermed Ends.png Republican House District 37
Karina Villa Electiondot.png Democratic House District 49
David McSweeney Ends.png Republican House District 52
Lindsay Parkhurst Ends.png Republican House District 79
John Connor Electiondot.png Democratic House District 85
Michael Unes Ends.png Republican House District 91
Darren Bailey Ends.png Republican House District 109
Terri Bryant Ends.png Republican House District 115


The nine seats left open in 2020 were the least within the last decade. The 2018 election saw the most, with 21 open seats. The table below shows the number of open seats in each election held between 2010 and 2020.

Open Seats in Illinois House of Representatives elections: 2010 - 2020
Year Total seats Open seats Seats with incumbents running for re-election
2020 118 9 (8 percent) 109 (92 percent)
2018 118 18 (15 percent) 100 (85 percent)
2016 118 10 (8 percent) 108 (92 percent)
2014 118 12 (10 percent) 106 (90 percent)
2012 118 19 (16 percent) 99 (84 percent)
2010 118 11 (9 percent) 107 (91 percent)

Process to become a candidate

See also: Ballot access requirements for political candidates in Illinois

DocumentIcon.jpg See statutes: Chapter 10, Section 5, Article 7 of the Illinois Statutes

In Illinois, a candidate may run with an established political party, with a new party, as an independent candidate, or as a write-in candidate. Candidate qualification processes are detailed below.[14]

Political party candidates and independent candidates

Established political party candidates, new party candidates, and independent candidates must file nomination papers with the Illinois State Board of Elections in order to qualify for placement on the ballot. These nomination papers must be filed during the designated filing period. The filing period for established party candidates begins 113 days before the primary election and ends 106 days before the primary election. New party and independent candidates have a separate filing period. Their filing period begins 141 days before the general election and ends 134 days before the general election.[15][14]

Nomination papers include the following:[14]

  1. The statement of candidacy must indicate the candidate's address, the office being sought, and the candidate's political party designation (if applicable). This form also includes a statement affirming that the candidate is qualified for the office being sought. This form must be signed by the candidate and notarized.[16]
  2. The original statement of economic interests must be filed with the Illinois Secretary of State, which will then issue the receipt of the statement of economic interests for the candidate to file with the Illinois State Board of Elections. This form is not required from candidates seeking federal office. It is suggested that this form be filed at the same time as all other nomination papers, but it may be filed after the other papers as long as it is filed within the candidate filing period.[14]
  3. The loyalty oath form is optional. If a candidate chooses to sign it, he or she must affirm that he or she is not affiliated directly or indirectly with any organization that seeks to overthrow the government of the United States or the state of Illinois.[14][17]
  4. A petition containing the signatures of qualified electors. A candidate can begin circulating petitions 90 days before the last day of the filing period. Signature requirements for petitions vary according to the candidate's political party affiliation and the office being sought. Signature requirements are detailed in the table below.[14][18][19]
Petition signature requirements
Office Established party candidates New party candidates Independent candidates
Statewide office (e.g., governor and lieutenant governor, attorney general, secretary of state, comptroller, treasurer) 5,000 (no more than 10,000) primary voters belonging to the candidate's party 1% of the number of voters who voted in the most recent general election or 25,000, whichever is less 1% of the number of voters who voted in the most recent general election or 25,000, whichever is less
United States Representative 0.5% of primary voters in the district belonging to the candidate's party 5% of the total number of district voters who voted in the last general election 5% of the total number of district voters who voted in the last general election
State senator 1,000 (no more than 3,000) district voters belonging to the candidate's party 5% of the total number of district voters who voted in the last general election 5% of the total number of district voters who voted in the last general election
State representative 500 (no more than 1,500) district voters belonging to the candidate's party 5% of the total number of district voters who voted in the last general election 5% of the total number of district voters who voted in the last general election

Any objections to nomination papers must be filed no later than five business days after the filing deadline.[20]

Write-in candidates

Write-in votes will not be counted unless the candidate files a declaration of intent no later than 61 days before the election in which he or she is running. This form must indicate the office being sought by the candidate.[14][21]

2020 ballot access requirements

The table below details filing requirements for Illinois House of Representatives candidates in the 2020 election cycle.

Filing requirements for state legislative candidates, 2020
Chamber name Party Signatures required Filing fee Filing deadline Source
Illinois House of Representatives Qualified party 500 N/A 12/2/2019 Source
Illinois House of Representatives Unaffiliated 10% of original requirement (by court order) N/A 7/20/2020 Source

Qualifications

See also: State legislature candidate requirements by state

Article IV of the Illinois Constitution states: To be eligible to serve as a member of the General Assembly, a person must be a United States citizen, at least 21 years old, and for the two years preceding his election or appointment a resident of the district which he is to represent.

Salaries and per diem

See also: Comparison of state legislative salaries
State legislative salaries, 2024[22]
SalaryPer diem
$89,250/year$166/day

When sworn in

See also: When state legislators assume office after a general election

Illinois legislators assume office the second Wednesday in January.[23]

Illinois political history

Trifectas

A state government trifecta is a term that describes single-party government, when one political party holds the governor's office and has majorities in both chambers of the legislature in a state government.

Illinois Party Control: 1992-2025
Nineteen years of Democratic trifectas  •  Two years of Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.

Year 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25
Governor R R R R R R R R R R R D D D D D D D D D D D D R R R R D D D D D D D
Senate D R R R R R R R R R R D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D
House D D D R R D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D

Presidential politics in Illinois

2016 Presidential election results

U.S. presidential election, Illinois, 2016
Party Candidate Vote % Votes Electoral votes
     Democratic Green check mark transparent.pngHillary Clinton/Tim Kaine 55.8% 3,090,729 20
     Republican Donald Trump/Mike Pence 38.8% 2,146,015 0
     Libertarian Gary Johnson/Bill Weld 3.8% 209,596 0
     Green Jill Stein/Ajamu Baraka 1.4% 76,802 0
     - Write-in votes 0.2% 13,282 0
Total Votes 5,536,424 20
Election results via: Illinois State Board of Elections

Voter information

How the primary works

A primary election is an election in which registered voters select a candidate that they believe should be a political party's candidate for elected office to run in the general election. They are also used to choose convention delegates and party leaders. Primaries are state-level and local-level elections that take place prior to a general election. Illinois uses an open primary system. Voters do not have to register with a party, but they do have to choose, publicly, which party's ballot they will vote on at the primary election.[24][25]

For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, see this article.

Poll times

In Illinois, all polls are open from 6:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Central Time. An individual who is in line at the time polls close must be allowed to vote.[26]

Registration requirements

Check your voter registration status here.

To register to vote in Illinois, a person must be a U.S. citizen, a resident of an Illinois precinct for at least 30 days prior to election day, and at least 18 years old by election day. A 17-year-old may vote in a primary if he or she will be 18 years old at the subsequent general election. Preregistration is available starting at age 16.[27][28]

Regular registration closes during the period beginning 27 days prior to an election and ending two days after the election. Online registration closes 16 days prior to an election. Grace period registration is available in person through election day at certain locations.[27]

Prospective voters can register online, by mail, or at any of the following locations:[29]

  • County Clerk's Office
  • Board of Election Commissioner's Office
  • City and Village Offices
  • Township Offices
  • Precinct Committeeman
  • Schools
  • Public Libraries
  • Military Recruitment Offices[30]

Two forms of identification are required to register in person, one of which must display the voter's current address.[27]

Automatic registration

Illinois automatically registers eligible individuals to vote through the Department of Motor Vehicles and other designated automatic voter registration agencies.

Online registration

See also: Online voter registration

Illinois has implemented an online voter registration system. Residents can register to vote by visiting this website.

Same-day registration

Illinois allows same-day voter registration.

Residency requirements

Illinois law requires 30 days of residency in the state before a person may vote.

Verification of citizenship

See also: Laws permitting noncitizens to vote in the United States

Illinois does not require proof of citizenship for voter registration. An individual applying to register to vote must attest that they are a U.S. citizen under penalty of perjury.

All 49 states with voter registration systems require applicants to declare that they are U.S. citizens in order to register to vote in state and federal elections, under penalty of perjury or other punishment.[31] As of January 2025, six states — Alabama, Arizona, Georgia, Kansas, Louisiana, and New Hampshire — had passed laws requiring verification of citizenship at the time of voter registration. However, only two of those states' laws were in effect, in Arizona and New Hampshire. In three states — California, Maryland, and Vermont — at least one local jurisdiction allowed noncitizens to vote in some local elections as of November 2024. Noncitizens registering to vote in those elections must complete a voter registration application provided by the local jurisdiction and are not eligible to register as state or federal voters.

Verifying your registration

The Registration Lookup page, run by the Illinois Board of Elections, allows residents to check their voter registration status online.

Voter ID requirements

Illinois does not require voters to present identification while voting, in most cases. First-time voters who registered by mail and did not submit their driver’s license number, state ID number, last four digits of their social security number, or other form of ID are required to present identification showing their name and address before voting.

The following list of accepted ID was current as of August 2024. Click here for the Illinois State Board of Elections voting information page to ensure you have the most current information.

  • A current and valid photo identification
  • Utility bill
  • Bank statement
  • Government check
  • Paycheck
  • Lease or contract for residence
  • Student ID & mail addressed to voter’s residence
  • Government document[32][30]

Early voting

Illinois permits early voting. Learn more by visiting this website.

Early voting permits citizens to cast ballots in person at a polling place prior to an election. In states that permit no-excuse early voting, a voter does not have to provide an excuse for being unable to vote on Election Day. States that allow voters to cast no-excuse absentee/mail-in ballots in person are counted as no-excuse early voting states.

As of February 2024, 47 states and the District of Columbia permitted no-excuse early voting.

Absentee voting

All voters are eligible to vote absentee/by-mail in Illinois. There are no special eligibility requirements for voting by mail.[33]

To vote by mail, a ballot application must be received by the election office between 90 and five days prior to the election if sent by mail. An application submitted in-person must be received no later than the day before the election. A returned absentee/mail-in ballot must then be postmarked no later than midnight the night before election and received no later than 14 days after the election.[33]

Voters can sign up for a permanent vote-by-mail list and automatically receive vote-by-mail ballots for subsequent elections.[34]


See also

External links

Footnotes

  1. The Hill, "Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan suspends campaign," January 11, 2021
  2. NBC Chicago, "Illinois House Elects Welch First Black Speaker, First New Leader in Decades, Replacing Madigan," January 13, 2021
  3. The Chicago Tribune, "Michael Madigan resigns from Illinois House after being ousted as speaker," February 18, 2021
  4. Chicago Tribune, "Michael Madigan’s decades long grip on Illinois ends as House Democrats make Rep. Emanuel ‘Chris’ Welch state’s first Black speaker," January 13, 2021
  5. The Hill, "Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan suspends campaign," January 11, 2021
  6. [https://abc7chicago.com/mike-madigan-comed-news-illinois/8818285/ ‘’ABC 7’’, “Illinois House panel ends Speaker Michael Madigan probe without authorization for discipline,” December 16, 2020
  7. Chicago Sun-Times, "Illinois House Black Caucus backs Madigan for speaker to ‘provide strong, consistent leadership,’" December 10, 2020
  8. Chicago Tribune, "Support for Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan further erodes as first member of his leadership team says he’s lost her vote," December 1, 2020
  9. NBC Chicago, "18 Illinois House Democrats Say They Won't Back Madigan for Speaker," November 20, 2020
  10. The Daily Herald, "Michael Camerer, Bartlett trustee and state House nominee, remembered for 'amazing' service," June 20, 2020
  11. The Daily Herald, "Republicans slate candidate in Illinois House District 45," August 19, 2020
  12. Illinois State Board of Elections, "All candidates as of 12/4/2019," accessed December 4, 2019
  13. Ballotpedia defines an incumbent as retiring if the incumbent did not file for office or filed for office but withdrew, was disqualified, or otherwise left a race in a manner other than losing the primary, primary runoff, or convention. If an incumbent runs as a write-in candidate, Ballotpedia does not consider them to be retiring. If an incumbent runs in the same chamber for a different seat, Ballotpedia does not consider them to be retiring.
  14. 14.0 14.1 14.2 14.3 14.4 14.5 14.6 Illinois State Board of Elections, "State of Illinois Candidate's Guide 2014," Updated November 26, 2013
  15. Illinois Statutes, "Chapter 10, Section 5, Article 10, Section 12," accessed March 26, 2014
  16. Illinois Statutes, "Chapter 10, Section 5, Article 7, Section 10.1," accessed March 26, 2014
  17. Illinois State Board of Elections, "State of Illinois Candidate's Guide 2013," accessed March 26, 2014
  18. Illinois Statutes, "Chapter 10, Section 5, Article 7, Section 10," accessed March 26, 2014
  19. Illinois State Board of Elections, "Candidate's Guide 2018," updated October 11, 2017
  20. Illinois State Board of Elections, "Election and Campaign Finance Calendar 2014," Updated July 31, 2013
  21. Illinois Statutes, "Chapter 10, Section 5, Article 7, Section 59," accessed March 26, 2014
  22. National Conference of State Legislatures, "2024 Legislator Compensation," August 21, 2024
  23. Illinois Constitution, "Article 4, Section 5a," accessed November 1, 2021
  24. Illinois General Assembly, "Illinois Compiled Statutes 10 ILCS 5/7-41," accessed August 12, 2024
  25. National Conference of State Legislatures, "State Primary Election Types," accessed August 12, 2024
  26. Illinois State Board of Elections, "Election Day Information," accessed August 12, 2024
  27. 27.0 27.1 27.2 Illinois State Board of Elections, "Registering to Vote in Illinois," accessed August 12, 2024
  28. Ballotpedia Legislation Tracker, "Illinois SB2123," accessed August 12, 2024
  29. Illinois State Board of Elections, "Frequently Asked Questions," accessed August 12, 2024
  30. 30.0 30.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
  31. Under federal law, the national mail voter registration application (a version of which is in use in all states with voter registration systems) requires applicants to indicate that they are U.S. citizens in order to complete an application to vote in state or federal elections, but does not require voters to provide documentary proof of citizenship. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, the application "may require only the minimum amount of information necessary to prevent duplicate voter registrations and permit State officials both to determine the eligibility of the applicant to vote and to administer the voting process."
  32. Illinois State Board of Elections, "Illinois Voter Information," June 16, 2015
  33. 33.0 33.1 Illinois General Assembly, "Illinois Compiled Statutes 10 ILCS 5, Article 19. Voting by Mail," accessed August 12, 2024
  34. Illinois General Assembly, "Bill Status of SB0825," accessed July 6, 2021


Current members of the Illinois House of Representatives
Leadership
Speaker of the House:Emanuel Welch
Majority Leader:Robyn Gabel
Minority Leader:Tony McCombie
Representatives
District 1
District 2
District 3
District 4
District 5
District 6
District 7
District 8
District 9
District 10
District 11
District 12
District 13
District 14
District 15
District 16
District 17
District 18
District 19
District 20
District 21
District 22
District 23
District 24
District 25
District 26
District 27
District 28
District 29
District 30
District 31
District 32
District 33
District 34
District 35
Mary Gill (D)
District 36
Rick Ryan (D)
District 37
District 38
District 39
District 40
District 41
District 42
District 43
District 44
District 45
District 46
District 47
Amy Grant (R)
District 48
District 49
District 50
District 51
District 52
District 53
District 54
District 55
District 56
District 57
District 58
District 59
District 60
District 61
District 62
District 63
District 64
Tom Weber (R)
District 65
District 66
District 67
District 68
District 69
District 70
District 71
District 72
District 73
District 74
District 75
Jed Davis (R)
District 76
Amy Briel (D)
District 77
District 78
District 79
District 80
District 81
District 82
District 83
District 84
District 85
District 86
District 87
District 88
District 89
District 90
District 91
District 92
District 93
District 94
District 95
District 96
District 97
District 98
District 99
District 100
District 101
District 102
District 103
District 104
District 105
District 106
District 107
District 108
District 109
District 110
District 111
Amy Elik (R)
District 112
District 113
District 114
District 115
District 116
District 117
District 118
Democratic Party (78)
Republican Party (40)