2008 Illinois elections
2008 Illinois elections Turnout 71.60%
Elections were held in Illinois on November 4, 2008.
Primaries were held February 5, 2008.
Election information
Turnout
Primary election
For the primary election, turnout was 40.89%, with 2,986,982 votes cast.[1]
Turnout by county[1]
County
Registration
Votes cast
Turnout
Adams
42,024
14,154
33.68%
Alexander
7,743
2,526
32.62%
Bond
11,258
3,499
31.08%
Boone
33,607
11,545
34.35%
Brown
3,262
1,450
44.45%
Bureau
24,159
7,301
30.22%
Calhoun
4,108
1,592
38.75%
Carroll
12,143
3,469
28.57%
Cass
9,490
2,188
23.06%
Champaign
109,946
39,156
35.61%
Christian
21,272
7,848
36.89%
Clark
12,624
4,199
33.26%
Clay
9,390
3,582
38.15%
Clinton
26,213
6,851
26.14%
Coles
28,826
10,180
35.32%
Cook [note 1]
2,658,099
1,274,569
47.95%
Crawford
13,807
4,457
32.28%
Cumberland
8,821
2,616
29.66%
DeKalb
52,754
23,612
44.76%
DeWitt
10,863
4,885
44.97%
Douglas
11,742
4,222
35.96%
DuPage
549,621
244,032
44.4%
Edgar
12,704
4,773
37.57%
Edwards
4,369
1,641
37.56%
Effingham
23,050
7,936
34.43%
Fayette
15,280
4,770
31.22%
Ford
8,619
3,237
37.56%
Franklin
27,167
11,720
43.14%
Fulton
26,485
9,033
34.11%
Gallatin
4,264
2,203
51.67%
Greene
9,644
2,811
29.15%
Grundy
30,311
10,635
35.09%
Hamilton
6,563
3,266
49.76%
Hancock
13,475
5,362
39.79%
Hardin
3,811
1,750
45.92%
Henderson
5,414
1,919
35.45%
Henry
36,015
10,762
29.88%
Iroquois
20,187
6,171
30.57%
Jackson
41,323
12,131
29.36%
Jasper
14,959
2,777
18.56%
Jefferson
24,758
10,744
43.4%
Jersey
16,402
4,803
29.28%
Jo Daviess
16,819
5,508
32.75%
Johnson
7,596
3,922
51.63%
Kane
258,902
101,332
39.14%
Kankakee
64,925
18,849
29.03%
Kendall
58,570
22,923
39.14%
Knox
33,486
12,240
36.55%
Lake
377,738
147,424
39.03%
LaSalle
70,265
24,372
34.69%
Lawrence
10,145
3,110
30.66%
Lee
47,146
8,262
17.52%
Livingston
23,146
8,133
35.14%
Logan
19,496
7,357
37.74%
Macon
69,372
26,993
38.91%
Macoupin
32,641
10,440
31.98%
Madison
163,584
60,403
36.92%
Marion
24,959
9,233
36.99%
Marshall
8,447
3,486
41.27%
Mason
10,447
3,786
36.24%
Massac
11,434
4,348
38.03%
McDonough
17,882
6,528
36.51%
McHenry
188,449
65,232
34.62%
McLean
89,510
38,116
42.58%
Menard
9,303
3,222
34.63%
Mercer
14,018
4,216
30.08%
Monroe
22,972
8,065
35.11%
Montgomery
18,629
6,170
33.12%
Morgan
23,947
6,590
27.52%
Moultrie
8,453
3,011
35.62%
Ogle
38,584
13,322
34.53%
Peoria
113,614
42,887
37.75%
Perry
14,590
4,807
32.95%
Piatt
11,369
4,113
36.18%
Pike
12,585
3,617
28.74%
Pope
3,490
1,304
37.36%
Pulaski
6,615
2,007
30.34%
Putnam
4,566
1,714
37.54%
Randolph
24,153
7,149
29.6%
Richland
13,463
3,742
27.79%
Rock Island
117,900
35,990
30.53%
Saline
16,402
7,525
45.88%
Sangamon
134,911
40,607
30.1%
Schuyler
5,301
2,013
37.97%
Scott
3,994
1,378
34.5%
Shelby
14,377
5,315
36.97%
Stark
5,179
1,470
28.38%
St. Clair
186,756
58,617
31.39%
Stephenson
33,178
10,111
30.48%
Tazewell
96,705
32,412
33.52%
Union
15,118
6,403
42.35%
Vermilion
46,793
14,177
30.3%
Wabash
9,221
2,561
27.77%
Warren
12,488
4,213
33.74%
Washington
11,683
3,989
34.14%
Wayne
12,368
4,917
39.76%
White
11,312
3,911
34.57%
Whiteside
48,987
12,777
26.08%
Will
330,732
144,040
43.55%
Williamson
40,948
18,198
44.44%
Winnebago
174,484
61,303
35.13%
Woodford
23,844
10,745
45.06%
Total
7,304,563
2,986,982
40.89%
General election
For the general election, turnout was 71.60%, with 5,577,509 votes cast.[2]
Turnout by county[2]
County
Registration
Votes cast
Turnout%
Adams
44,329
31,107
70.17%
Alexander
7,926
4,030
50.85%
Bond
11,756
8,034
68.34%
Boone
32,771
22,317
68.1%
Brown
3,383
2,625
77.59%
Bureau
26,861
17,291
64.37%
Calhoun
3,952
2,773
70.17%
Carroll
12,012
7,734
64.39%
Cass
9,650
5,479
56.78%
Champaign
123,150
84,804
68.86%
Christian
22,088
15,253
69.06%
Clark
12,882
8,382
65.07%
Clay
9,665
6,577
68.05%
Clinton
27,262
17,492
64.16%
Coles
32,867
23,287
70.85%
Cook [note 2]
2,933,502
2,162,240
73.71%
Crawford
14,197
9,246
65.13%
Cumberland
9,065
5,390
59.46%
DeKalb
60,718
45,178
74.41%
DeWitt
11,468
7,886
68.77%
Douglas
12,193
8,443
69.24%
DuPage
551,280
420,397
76.26%
Edgar
13,004
8,345
64.17%
Edwards
4,576
3,418
74.69%
Effingham
22,353
16,999
76.05%
Fayette
15,589
9,815
62.96%
Ford
9,059
6,435
71.03%
Franklin
28,247
18,970
67.16%
Fulton
26,982
16,489
61.11%
Gallatin
4,316
2,948
68.3%
Greene
9,446
5,881
62.26%
Grundy
30,234
22,356
73.94%
Hamilton
6,432
4,452
69.22%
Hancock
13,674
9,570
69.99%
Hardin
3,910
2,332
59.64%
Henderson
5,527
3,875
70.11%
Henry
37,351
24,995
66.92%
Iroquois
20,695
13,697
66.19%
Jackson
45,225
25,795
57.04%
Jasper
7,511
5,229
69.62%
Jefferson
25,816
17,454
67.61%
Jersey
17,113
10,723
62.66%
Jo Daviess
16,529
11,878
71.86%
Johnson
7,984
6,012
75.3%
Kane
263,876
194,981
73.89%
Kankakee
65,279
48,333
74.04%
Kendall
67,307
46,875
69.64%
Knox
34,898
24,284
69.59%
Lake
405,041
301,077
74.33%
LaSalle
73,689
50,775
68.9%
Lawrence
10,497
6,661
63.46%
Lee
26,428
16,499
62.43%
Livingston
23,826
15,752
66.11%
Logan
19,859
13,029
65.61%
Macon
73,597
51,644
70.17%
Macoupin
32,910
22,606
68.69%
Madison
178,014
129,880
72.96%
Marion
26,084
17,562
67.33%
Marshall
8,777
6,402
72.94%
Mason
10,527
6,889
65.44%
Massac
11,759
7,320
62.25%
McDonough
19,569
13,158
67.24%
McHenry
199,378
140,002
70.22%
McLean
100,157
76,231
76.11%
Menard
9,594
6,531
68.07%
Mercer
14,087
8,943
63.48%
Monroe
24,280
18,241
75.13%
Montgomery
19,055
13,039
68.43%
Morgan
25,007
15,466
61.85%
Moultrie
8,782
6,312
71.87%
Ogle
40,453
25,062
61.95%
Peoria
124,116
83,008
66.88%
Perry
15,054
10,148
67.41%
Piatt
11,921
9,065
76.04%
Pike
12,991
7,712
59.36%
Pope
3,399
2,272
66.84%
Pulaski
6,679
3,333
49.9%
Putnam
4,663
3,369
72.25%
Randolph
24,624
15,401
62.54%
Richland
13,684
7,751
56.64%
Rock Island
114,645
68,933
60.13%
Saline
17,179
11,691
68.05%
Sangamon
138,299
100,679
72.8%
Schuyler
5,473
3,876
70.82%
Scott
3,976
2,643
66.47%
Shelby
15,158
11,004
72.6%
Stark
5,212
2,945
56.5%
St. Clair
201,095
126,682
63%
Stephenson
34,535
21,798
63.12%
Tazewell
99,868
64,319
64.4%
Union
15,337
9,306
60.68%
Vermilion
49,863
33,249
66.68%
Wabash
9,391
5,860
62.4%
Warren
12,970
8,117
62.58%
Washington
12,396
8,040
64.86%
Wayne
12,640
8,172
64.65%
White
11,566
7,571
65.46%
Whiteside
43,590
27,142
62.27%
Will
373,847
288,709
77.23%
Williamson
43,676
30,519
69.88%
Winnebago
188,795
127,369
67.46%
Woodford
25,578
19,639
76.78%
Total
7,789,500
5,577,509
71.6%
Federal elections
United States President
Illinois voted for the Democratic ticket of Barack Obama and Joe Biden .
This was the fifth consecutive presidential election in which Illinois had voted for the Democratic ticket.
United States Senate
Incumbent Democrat Dick Durbin was reelected to a third term.
United States House
All 19 of Illinois’ seats in the United States House of Representatives were up for election in 2008.
The Democratic Party flipped one Republican-held seat, making the composition of Illinois' House delegation 11 Democrats and 8 Republicans.
State elections
State Senate
One-third of the seats of the Illinois Senate were up for election in 2008.
State House of Representatives
All of the seats in the Illinois House of Representatives were up for election in 2008.
Judicial elections
Judicial elections were held.
Ballot measure
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]
This was the first time since the 1998 Illinois elections that a statewide ballot measure was presented to Illinois voters.[3]
Proposed call for a Constitutional Convention
A measure which would call for a state constitutional convention failed.[3] Article XIV of the Constitution of Illinois requires that Illinois voters be asked at least every 20 years if they desire a constitutional convention, thus this election was constitutionally required to be held.[4]
Proposed call for a Constitutional Convention[2] [3]
Option
Votes
% of votes on referendum
% of all ballots cast
For
1,493,203
32.78
26.96
Against
3,062,724
67.23
55.29
Total votes
4,555,927
100
82.25
Voter turnout
58.49%
Local elections
Local elections were held. These included county elections, such as the Cook County elections .
Notes
References
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