Despite Cook County residents’ long, loud complaints about out-of-control property taxes and government spending, a majority of them couldn’t be bothered to turn out to vote in recent elections when given the chance to decide whether taxes should be hiked.
About 1 in 5 eligible voters decided the outcome of costly binding property tax questions in various suburbs in the past couple of years, according to a new study from the Cook County treasurer’s office.
Across the consolidated and primary elections in April 2025 and March 2026, they said yes to a total of $335.5 million in bonds or new debt and $3.7 million in new taxes, while turning down another $54 million in bonds and $3.5 million in taxes, the study found.
It’s the third “the few decide for the many” report from Maria Pappas’ office drawing attention to low turnout and drop-off in elections where voters have a say in whether local property taxes should go up to pay for roads, new buildings, emergency equipment or renovations.
Of the 20 referendums on various suburban ballots in the consolidated election in 2025 and the 2026 primary, 15 passed.
In four south suburban townships, advisory referendums asked voters if they wanted tax rebates. Those “were overwhelmingly approved — a symbolic expression of frustration with high tax rates in the region,” the report said. But those, too, saw an average turnout of only 21.5%.
While sometimes hotly debated, like the recent Chicago City Council fight over a trio of questions for next year’s municipal elections, non-binding referendums are more about gauging public opinion and won’t alter taxes.
The last binding referendum in Chicago that would’ve altered taxes was Bring Chicago Home, an effort supported by Mayor Brandon Johnson that would have raised the city’s real estate transfer tax on more expensive properties. It was defeated by roughly 21,000 votes.
Voter turnout in primaries is typically lower than general elections as it is, and even fewer voters participate in local consolidated elections.
But the report also found participation dipped on ballots for property tax questions in particular. It floated a few reasons why people who do vote might skip referendums: the questions are often at the bottom of the ballot or confusingly written.
One Leyden Fire Protection District referendum in the 2026 primary, for example, was nearly 200 words long, including a list explaining its impact. It asked voters whether the “limiting rate” shall “be increased by an additional amount equal to 0.219053% above the limiting rate for fire protection and ambulance purposes for levy year 2024 and be equal to 1.12% of the equalized assessed value of the taxable property therein for levy year 2026?”
Put more plainly, it asked whether the district could go above its tax cap and explained that the district’s most recent tax levy was $3 million. Under the new rate, it could go up to about $3.7 million, adding $66.50 for every $100,000 a home is worth.
There is no state requirement for the questions to be put in plain language, though state Rep. Maurice West, a Democrat from Rockford, introduced a bill to do so in the General Assembly earlier this year.
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Pappas, whose office also reports debt data attributable to various taxing bodies, has long argued more voter engagement would tamp down fiscal irresponsibility.
Previous reports from her office have highlighted higher turnouts in wealthier and whiter areas. While the income trends continued in the 2025 and 2026 elections, there was not enough data to see whether the racial trends shifted because most of the referendums were in majority white communities.
The lowest turnout was for the Northbrook Rural Fire Protection District referendum, where only 4.9% of eligible voters participated, ultimately approving a fresh levy to pay for emergency crews and equipment. The tax increase of about $425,000 a year will cost homeowners about $30 more annually for each $100,000 in their homes’ values, according to the report.
The biggest drop-off was 69% for a Roselle Fire Protection District referendum asking whether their tax cap could be raised to pay for new equipment. While 1,636 people cast ballots, only 504 people voted on the referendum question. It did not pass.
In the March primary, Prospect Heights voters approved a $21.5 million bond issuance to pay for road and infrastructure improvements, while Oak Park voters rejected a park district bid to borrow $40 million for a new aquatic center. Glencoe voters approved a $17.5 million bond to renovate and expand its library, and Pennoyer School District voters said no to a $14 million bond for school building improvements.
Ballot questions for the upcoming November elections have not been finalized, though some already in the works include a $53 million bond request from the Skokie Park District, and West Dundee’s Community School District — a sliver of which is in Cook County — seeking voter approval of a $355.5 million bond referendum.