If you live in Illinois, chances are strong you live in a town that manages its own police and fire pension funds. Think your public safety departments are too small for their own funds? Think again. State law says that any city, village, or town with a population between 5,000 and 500,000, that employs at least one full-time police officer or firefighter, must have a pension fund. In 2016, there were 356 local police pension funds and 297 local firefighter pension funds in Illinois — up from 346 police and 286 firefighter funds nearly 10 years ago.

Illinois is unique. According to a 2012 Marquette Associates report, the United States in total had 1,511 public pension plans and Illinois made up 43 percent of that total. Pennsylvania, which came in second, had only 137 funds.

If you live in Illinois, chances are also strong that you live in a town with poorly funded police and fire pension funds. A common way to judge pension fund health is by its funding ratio, that is, take its assets (how much money the fund has) divided by its liabilities (how much money the fund needs to pay out all its benefits). For example, if a pension fund has $90 million in assets and $100 million in liabilities, it would have a funding ratio of 90 percent. There is no official standard to what is considered a “healthy” public fund, but in the private sector, a fund generally is considered “at risk” when it’s under 80 percent funded. In 2016, the aggregate funding level — the combined average of all police and fire funds in Illinois — came to 57.6 percent.

Use the BGA public safety pension tool below to find out how relatively healthy or unhealthy your funds are. After all, you and your fellow taxpayers will need to foot the bill for any pension fund shortfalls in your community. If you have any questions or concerns about your town’s specific police/fire pension fund, you can go to the Illinois Department of Insurance’s website to find the fund’s financial documents and get more information.

Database: Funding Ratios for Illinois Police and Fire Pension Funds, Statewide

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The funding for these local public safety pension funds has varied over time. From 1999 to 2009, funding levels dropped year after year. Starting at 77.3 percent in 1999, aggregate funding levels bottomed out in 2009 with a funding ratio of 51.1 percent.

In 2011, a new law went into effect to attempt to bolster funding. The law required all public safety funds to have a funding ratio of 90 percent by 2040. With the new law and a better economic climate, public safety pensions have started to regain some funding footing. But, each fund is managed independently and funding levels can vary greatly. More than one hundred funds have more money on hand than they owe, with one locality reaching a funding ratio of 515 percent. On the flip side, there are a few jurisdictions that have no funding for their pensions at all.

There are proposals currently being considered in Springfield that would consolidate public safety funds in one form or another. We’ll examine those plans more in future posts. Stay connected with the BGA for more information and analysis of Illinois pensions, proposals that address funding problems, and more.

Every primary election, we hear complaints from family and friends about the fact that they have to ask an election judge for a Democratic, Republican, or Green party ballot. 

Some other states do run primary elections differently. We’ve compiled a breakdown for you below.

Open Primary: A voter can privately choose any party’s ballot to vote on. There is no need to register with a political party beforehand.

• Alabama
• Michigan
• Montana
• Vermont
• Arkansas
• Minnesota
• North Dakota
• Virginia
• Georgia
• Mississippi
• South Carolina
• Wisconsin
• Hawaii
• Missouri
• Texas

Partially Open: A voter can choose any party’s ballot to vote on, but must publicly declare which party’s ballot they want.

• Illinois
• Tennessee
• Indiana
• Wyoming
• Iowa
• Ohio

Closed Primary: A voter must register with a political party before voting on that party’s primary ballot. Independent, or unaffiliated voters, are excluded from voting.

• Delaware
• Nevada
• Pennsylvania
• Florida
• New Mexico
• Kentucky
• New York
• Maryland
• Oregon

Top-Two Primary: The “top two” format uses a common ballot, listing all candidates on the same ballot. The top two vote getters in each race, regardless of party, advance to the general election. Top-two, nonpartisan blanket, jungle primary are used interchangeably.

• California
• Washington
• Nebraska (for nonpartisan legislative races only)
• Louisiana**

**In the case of Louisiana — all candidates run in the general election, if a candidate receives 50 percent of the vote, they win outright. If no candidate receives 50 percent in the general, then the top two vote getters compete in a runoff election.

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Sources: http://www.ncsl.org/research/elections-and-campaigns/primary-types.aspx

https://definitions.uslegal.com/b/blanket-primary/

https://blog.ballotready.org/state-by-state/ballotready-explains-jungle-primaries-and-some-lessons-from-2016/

https://ballotpedia.org/Top-two_primary

Governor Bruce Rauner just gave his budget address to the Illinois General Assembly and has formally submitted his budget proposal for consideration — his budget would spend $37.6 billion and is estimating that the state will bring in $37.9 billion. This begins an important process that our elected officials should go through every year — creating and passing a budget. In recent years they have generally failed to do so, until a few Republicans joined Democrats in overriding Rauner’s budget veto. From 2015 to 2017, Illinois had no budget, but spending continued due to court orders thereby adding a several billion dollar bill backlog on top of Illinois’s mounting pension debt. The Governor’s budget does not include a plan to tackle the bill backlog and also requires pension cost shifts to balance his budget (which if they don’t occur, would make his budget over $1 billion out of balance).

Illinois is still working its way out of the $14 billion backlog of unpaid bills, it currently owes $8 billion. On top of that, Illinois has to pay off $26 billion in general obligation bonds (loans, in simple parlance), as well as $129 billion in pension liabilities. According to best practices identified by budgeting experts, there are three key things the governor and legislators can do to improve the accountability and responsibility of the annual budgeting process, but to date, there has been no suggestion of changes to the state’s budgeting practices. Implementing any (or all) of these practices, experts say, might help put Illinois on better financial footing.

1. Implement better budget forecasting

People work together everyday to find compromises on their financial priorities. Really want to take that vacation? Just remember that you haven’t heard about your promotion yet, and you already put a down payment down on a new car. The state budget process involves many stakeholders, but the concepts are the same. Agreeing on how much money is likely to come in this year and knowing how much money is coming in and will have to go out of the state’s funds, over several years, allows decision makers, and the public, to know where the state’s fiscal situation is headed.

It seems simple enough. But, arguments over individual budget numbers are one reason the governor’s office and the Legislature could not come to an agreement on the budget for two years. One way to smooth over discussions regarding budget figures is to implement consensus revenue forecasting, a process of working from the same set of revenue numbers.

According to the Volcker Alliance, a national group that has studied state budgeting, “the point of a consensus forecast is to make it easier for policy makers to concentrate on expenditures during budgeting instead of arguing about whether the revenue estimate was politically driven.” A group made up of members of the executive office and the Legislature — Democrats and Republicans — gets together and agrees on the revenue numbers ahead of time. This allows everyone to be on the same page when they start to craft a budget.

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Once the state’s leaders have agreed on how much revenue will come in this year, they have to agree on how to spend it, preferably without increasing the budget deficit. One tool to help with this is multi-year forecasting for revenues and spending. This allows decision makers to see when there is an imbalance in money coming in and money being spent over several years. The Volcker Alliance says multi-year spending forecasts bring “awareness of future expenditures [that] can help states take necessary steps to cover the full costs of … programs.” The Alliance recommends that states have multi-year revenue and expenditure forecasts of at least three fiscal years.

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2. Switch to accrual-based accounting

Imagine if you could get a car with zero down payment for a whole year. Sounds pretty good until you look at the fine print and realize how much you’ll be shelling out in 12 months. Politicians may try to sell you their “car” by racking up spending this year, but not sending you the invoices until the next. In this way, cash-based accounting can hide the real cost of programs and projects. The costs of projects are not recorded within a current budget year because payments are delayed to future budget years. Illinois follows a cash-based accounting system during budget preparation. Best practices, experts say, would have the state using accrual-based accounting, which includes the costs of current activities in the current budget, regardless of when payment is made.

The Fiscal Futures Project, a group within the University of Illinois, provides the following analogy, “cash accounting is akin to an individual only looking at the payment due in the current month on a credit card, rather than looking at the total balance due.”

Accrual-based accounting allows for spending to be shown in the current budget even when the payment is not due until later years. This is important because it provides the whole picture of the state’s fiscal situation. Truth in Accounting, a public finance transparency organization, argues that accrual-based accounting allows for “knowing the long-term effects of current decisions” and “accurate, timely information.” They believe that with such accounting, “politicians would stop hiding costs and finances would be transparent.”

One case study of accrual-based and cash-based accounting comes from California. The state’s Medicaid program switched from accrual-based to cash-based accounting. This switch allowed the program to defer $2 billion without recognizing the cost in their immediate budgeting, for which California taxpayers still are on the hook.

3. Have a healthy rainy day fund

A rainy day fund, or budget stabilization fund, is a common feature of many states’ budgets. In fact, all 50 states have rainy day funds, including Illinois. However, Illinois only has a paltry $83,000 in its budget stabilization fund. According to the Fiscal Futures Project, the best practice is to have at least 5 percent of a state’s total annual revenue in a rainy day fund. In 2017, Illinois brought in about $33 billion in revenue. According to the Fiscal Futures Project, it should, therefore, have $1.6 billion in its rainy day fund.

The Volcker Alliance report says “rainy day funds contain cash purposefully set aside to help states avoid or limit tax increases or service cuts in emergencies or in years when expenditures outstrip revenues.” This is an important pool of money needed for emergencies, times of recession, or natural disasters – expenses that $83,000 is unlikely to cover in Illinois.

Some members of the Illinois General Assembly are aware of this problem. In 2016, state Sen. Heather Steans was working on a bipartisan bill that would fund the rainy day fund at 5 percent of general revenues once the state’s overdue bill backlog drops below $1 billion. However, her plan did not come up for debate or a vote.

Getting it done

These best practices, if implemented, would add further stability to Illinois’ budgeting process, experts agree. They have been discussed in Springfield before. The Long Term Accounting Act, which was introduced in 2015, would have moved the state toward an accrual-based accounting system, as well as having future budgets take into consideration the long-term implications of budgetary decisions. But that bipartisan bill did not get a vote. No legislation has been introduced in 2018 similar to the Long Term Accounting Act or Steans’ bill.

Still, the governor and legislators have an opportunity. Now that the governor has submitted his budget, the Illinois General Assembly has until the end of May to consider it, or pass their own budget, which Rauner then will have a chance to sign into law or veto. In their budgetary discussions, lawmakers might want to consider incorporating these best practices for future budgets to help bring Illinois back to fiscal stability. With 2018 being an election year, Illinois voters have an opportunity to ask for budgeting process changes that could help restore fiscal responsibility as candidates seek their vote.

It is no secret that Illinois is home to the greatest number of government units in the nation, nearly 7,000. Following the passage of Senate Bill 3 in the summer of 2017, which made the process of consolidating units of local government easier, there has been renewed interested in streamlining government. That includes school districts. With 852 separate districts, Illinois comes in third, bested only by Texas and California, whose populations are more than double ours.

While SB3 applies to townships and special districts, some legislators are continuing to explore ways to maximize efficiencies. State Sen. Tom Cullerton, a Villa Park Democrat, told the BGA, “We are continuing to look at those options and have expanded that scope to include small school districts. This will be a fluid conversation as we look to get input from many partners throughout the state.” State Rep. Jeanne Ives, a GOP governor candidate, has suggested Illinois ought to only have unit districts, which combine elementary and high school districts.

Here are some tools you need to be an informed participant in considering school consolidation. We’ve got a review of consolidations since the 1980s, what to consider when weighing consolidation for your community, and how to get the ball rolling.

District Consolidation Trends

The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) has been tracking school district consolidations as far back as 1983. Consolidations happen when two or more school school districts, either elementary and/or high school districts, merge together to form a new, single school district. Between 1983 and 2017, there were 62 consolidations, mainly in rural communities. The bulk of the consolidations also occurred in the latter half of the 1980s and early part of the 1990s.

Use the map below to see consolidations that occurred near you.

According to the Classroom First Commission — a state commission established in 2011 to study school spending and district consolidation — smaller districts have the most to gain from consolidation. Larger districts, with more than 10,000 students, may not gain as much. In some larger district cases, consolidation might hurt the district. Reporting from the Public Source also found that rural districts in Pennsylvania that were losing population were looking at consolidation to keep up their academic offerings and services. Small districts in Illinois which are losing students may want to consider consolidation, too.

We looked at 2017 student population sizes at all 852 school districts in Illinois. On average, Illinois districts have 2,345 students. As many as 40 districts are made up of only one school with less than 130 students.

Use the map below to explore school districts across the state. You can filter districts by the size of the student population (the smallest districts are red and the largest are blue), search for your address to see the districts around you, and click on the individual dots to see details about any district.

The Benefits and Costs of School District Consolidation

When it comes to school district consolidation, it’s important to consider what realities your district is facing and what is important in your community and the surrounding area. Consider some of these potential benefits and costs:

Benefits:

• Consolidation might allow for administrative savings. If there are multiple districts in close proximity, consolidating those districts can allow for a combination of resources and less spending on administration. Those savings could go back into the classroom or back to the taxpayer. The Metropolitan Planning Council found that “on a per pupil basis, collectively, school districts in Illinois spent $518 per per pupil for general administration — the second highest in the nation.”

• Consolidation might allow for a pooling of resources for academic needs and education personnel. For example, if two neighboring school districts are struggling to provide for classes and/or extracurricular activities, they might be able to consolidate and combine their resources to bolster their curricula and extracurricular opportunities.

Costs:

• A school district can be a source of identity for a local town. Consolidating a district might change that identity.

• If a consolidation results in the geographic area of the new district becoming a great deal larger than the individual districts, some costs can increase, such as those for transportation.

• In some cases, consolidation can actually create additional administrative costs. For example, teacher salaries may have to be renegotiated to the higher pay scale at one of the two schools. However, the state does provide a four-year financial incentive to cover such increases.

State Incentives For Consolidation

Since the 1980s, the state has provided a series of financial incentives to make it easier for districts to consolidate. According to the Local Government Consolidation & Unfunded Mandates Task Force there are four incentives available to school districts:

1. If, after consolidation, there is a difference in General State Aid (a decrease), the state covers that difference for four years.

2. If, after consolidation, there is a difference in teacher salaries (an increase), the state covers that difference for four years.

3. If, after consolidation, there is a difference in key fund balances (education, operations & maintenance, transportation, working cash), the state covers that difference for one year.

4. After consolidation, the state will pay $4,000 per full-time, certified staff, such as teachers and counselors, for up to three years.

According to the task force, about $165 million in incentives have been paid out for district consolidations and other reorganizations from 1986 to 2015.

As a result of these incentives, the Classrooms First Commission found the state would bear significant cost if school district consolidation took place en masse. They found, in 2012, that merging 868 separate elementary and high school districts to a maximum of 300 at once, “would cost the state at least $3 billion under current law. That price tag is more than half the state’s annual education budget.”

Consolidation Process

Communities interested in consolidation need to go through the following process:

1. A petition is filed with the regional superintendent who oversees the district with the highest equalized assessed valuation – the wealthier district. The petition must be either from the boards of education of each school district looking to consolidate (each respective board must sign off on a petition), or contain the signatures of 50 registered voters or 10 percent of registered voters (whichever is less) from each district (no board involvement needed).

2. A local public hearing is held to discuss the issue.

3. The regional superintendent approves or disapproves the initiative. Then, the superintendent forwards the decision and relevant information about the districts to the state superintendent.

4. The state superintendent approves or disapproves the initiative. If approved, a question is put to a referendum vote (step 5). If it is not approved, petitioners and anyone who showed up at the public hearing (step two), have the option for a judicial review within 35 days of the state superintendent’s decision. If a court agrees with petitioners, the referendum may proceed, if a court agrees with the state superintendent, no referendum can take place.

5. A referendum is put on the ballot for voters to approve or disapprove of the initiative to consolidate. The referendum requires a majority of those voting in each respective school district to cast ballots in support of consolidation for it to be approved.

The details of this process are further explained at the Illinois State Board of Education’s website.

What do Superintendents Think About Consolidation?

Superintendents are an important part of the consolidation process, and while they are not unbiased, they have the authority and experience to comment. So, the BGA reached out to superintendents in districts that consolidated in the past decade to get their thoughts on the consolidation effort and its effect on education in their communities. Superintendent Jeffrey Humes of Odin Public School District (301 students), Superintendent Dale Hastings of Milford Area District (650 students), and former superintendent Ron Graham of North Mac District (1,477 students) shared their thoughts. All three of their districts are in rural Illinois. Specifically, Odin is located in southern Illinois, Milford in east central Illinois, and North Mac in central Illinois.

While decreased administrative costs are often pointed to as being one of the benefits of consolidation, they are not a given. None of the suprindenants we spoke with experienced a decrease in administrative costs in their districts after consolidation. In fact, Humes noted, “administrative costs didn’t change” nor did tax rates, when Odin’s elementary and high school districts consolidated. Rather than dollar savings, a common benefit in the three consolidations was the preservation of academic programs.

Hastings of the Milford Area District, located in east central Illinois, said that “combining two district resources into one organization [allows for] better funding” and fewer board members. He said he believed that consolidation of his elementary and high school districts made it easier to “establish continuity in decision making for the whole district.”

Former superintendent Graham of North Mac District explained that, prior to consolidation, his area districts (two elementary school districts in neighboring communities) were losing students and the state was cutting back on payments. School district consolidation allowed for additional programs and classrooms. He said that “usually you consolidate to keep programs” and therefore “don’t have to cut anything.”

Humes encouraged district officials and residents to do their homework. “If a district is going to consolidate,” he said, “they really need to do their homework because while it may benefit some regions; it will not benefit every area of the state.” But, Hastings said, it’s important to, “stay kid-focused in the decision making.” He said people should ask, “Is the consolidation better for the education of the children? If it is, then do it!”

Metra’s Board is preparing to raise fares for the fourth consecutive year. If you are feeling railroaded, you are probably not alone. After all, the average commuter also likely has been dealing with increased income taxes, property taxes, a new beverage tax in Cook County and the introduction of a plastic bag tax in Chicago.

That’s a lot of increases in a short time frame. Over the past four years, for example, a monthly pass on Metra has increased nearly 34 percent from $135.25 to the proposed fare of $181.25 from zone A to zone D.

Metra will present the fare increases along with its budget at its next board meeting on October 6th. Board meetings are public and you have the opportunity to offer public comment.

Here’s some background and the history behind Metra’s fare increases as well as information on how you can voice your concerns:

How much will your fare increase?

You can use the application below to see how your fare will change.

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The increase in fares is predicted to raise an additional $17 million in revenue. At the same time it released its proposed fare increase, Metra announced it had also identified $8 million in spending cuts and savings including lower utility costs, a proposed hiring freeze, less advertising costs, and cuts to service worth $3 million.

Metra’s 10-year plan

Metra has planned to increase fares. In 2014, Metra put in motion a $2.4 billion “modernization plan” to buy 367 new coach cars, rebuild 85 train engines, and buy 52 new train engines, all by 2024. The agency planned 10 years of fare hikes to pay for the plan. In addition, the plan called for borrowing $400 million and getting an additional $1.3 billion in state and federal funding.

According to the modernization plan’s fare schedule, Metra would have increased 2018 fare revenues this year by 4 percent.

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However, Metra officials said that due to the Illinois budget impasse between 2015 and 2017, the full implementation of its modernization plan was put on hold. The state cut back funding for Metra and did not pass a bill for construction spending, known as a capital program, needed for funding.

What’s happening now?

Instead, Metra has followed a much smaller program of rebuilding its current stock of train cars and engines. According to a Metra press release, between 2014 and 2017, Metra rebuilt 115 cars and 25 train engines. Metra has a total of 850 cars and 150 engines and the agency said it will continue to rebuild with time and funding. It also has a plan to buy 25 new cars and 10 new engines.

Although Metra has put a hold on the bigger modernization program, officials argue it still needs  a fare increase due to the agency’s budget deficit, partly as a result of decreased state funding. Metra provided three reasons for increasing fares:

1. The state’s recently passed budget included a 10 percent cut to a fund used to partially match regional sales tax collections and a 2 percent state surcharge for collecting regional taxes.

2. Lower gas prices, lower vehicle sales, and an increase in online shopping have decreased sales tax collections.

3. Increases in personnel costs and inflation.

What can you do?

Metra will be presenting a preliminary budget with the proposed fare increase at 9 a.m. Oct. 6th at 547 West Jackson Blvd on the 13th Floor. There also will be a series of public hearings on the proposed budget. The board will vote to finalize the budget, with the fare increases, at its Nov. 10th meeting.

In order to speak, you must fill out a Metra public comment form (provided to you at the meeting or accessed here). The total time for public comments is 30 minutes and each speaker is allotted 3 minutes at most. The order is first come, first served.

Other transit agencies also have raised fares; however, comparing fare increases across different transit agencies — with unique infrastructure and funding structures — is complicated.

Still, an increase in fares no matter the justification always is a tough pill to swallow, particularly when commuters, like those shown below, do not perceive improvements in service.

Massive delays on @metraUPNW tonight due to signal problems and, remember, fares will keep going up until whenever. HAPPY FRIDAY! #Chicago

— Bill West (@BillWest5) September 23, 2017

Left work late. Now stuck at a stand still on the @metraMDN. But at least our fares keep increasing. Also sweet seats huh @OnTheMetra pic.twitter.com/GBC2mG9QEI

— Ryan Francis (@trosedfr) September 22, 2017

@metraRID is late again. Time to raise those fares. Life @OnTheMetra.

— Marko Masnjak (@m_masnjak) September 20, 2017

Metra also is reliant upon state and federal dollars. If you want to know where your legislative officials stand on funding Metra and other transit agencies, or if you’d like to offer your thoughts and concerns, you can find their contact information at the following links:

• Illinois General Assembly Representative

• Illinois General Assembly Senator

• Congressional House Representative

• Congressional Senator

Automatic Voter Registration (AVR) is the process of automatically registering eligible people to vote whenever they interact with a participating state government agency, such as the Secretary of State’s office. Here are 12 things you need to know:

1. AVR is important because it provides a greater chance to reach Illinois’ two million eligible but unregistered voters*, gives them greater flexibility to register and has the potential to increase voter turnout.

   *According to U.S. Census data, Illinois has approximately 9 million citizens of voting age and of that figure, 6.6 million registered, and 2.3 million unregistered.

2. According to the Brennan Center for Justice, ten states (including Illinois now) and D.C. have AVR right now. In addition, more than two dozen states have been considering AVR bills this year.

   Data: Brennan Center

3. AVR was implemented in Oregon in January 2016. That state subsequently saw a six-percentage-point increase in youth voter turnout and a 26 percent increase in registration rates for people of color. In addition, AVR allowed Oregon to have a more efficient process of registering voters throughout the year, rather than registering voters right before Election Day.
4. Illinois’ AVR law allows participating agencies to electronically transfer voter information to the State Board of Elections, creating a streamlined process to update voter rolls statewide.
5. As part of the Just Democracy coalition, the Better Government Association long has advocated for AVR, which passed the Illinois General Assembly with bipartisan support. Gov. Rauner signed it into law Aug. 28, 2017.

What Happens Now

6. Before AVR, in order to register to vote, you had to go to your local election authority, such as a county election commission, to fill out a form to register to vote.
7. After AVR’s implementation, you can go to any Secretary of State’s office and be automatically be registered to vote when you apply for or renew your driver’s license. You can also go to the following agencies: Employment Security, Natural Resources, Financial & Professional Regulation, and Department of Human Services.

How You Will Experience AVR

8. The driver’s license application form also will serve as a form to register to vote. This form can be used to change your voter registration address or name, too.
9. No additional information will be required at that time to register to vote. All the information that is required right now to register or renew a driver’s license will suffice.
10. You may opt out of registering to vote on that form too, if you so choose. You will then not be registered to vote.
11. The registrant will be sent written notice if their voter information is not accepted or is incomplete and he or she will be asked to follow up with the appropriate agency.
12. The State Board of Elections and every other election agency statewide will post information on how to register to vote.

Want more? For more on Automatic Voter Registration legislation in the United States, see below:

Brennan Center Analysis of Automatic Voter Registration

National Conference of State Legislatures Analysis of Automatic Voter Registration

The Illinois General Assembly approved more than a dozen pieces of legislation the Better Government Association backed as good government reforms. In this 2017 Spring legislative session, the BGA supported 15 legislative items (14 bills and 1 resolution) that were adopted by the Legislature. The 14 bills now await the Governor’s signature.

These 15 actions reflect what bipartisanship and compromise can achieve in Springfield. Incremental, yet steady steps towards making government more efficient, transparent and accountable.

Let’s take a look at the individual bills:

Government Streamlining – 5 Passed

• SB 3: A major consolidation bill that allows county governments statewide to consolidate units of local government under their jurisdiction. County boards may propose legislation for the dissolution of a unit of local government, subject to a referendum. In addition, SB 3 permits townships to be dissolved into overlapping municipalities, allows townships to be larger than 126 square miles, and lets townships that share a border to merge.
• HB 607: Provides the option of a referendum on whether to abolish a road district in a township. The township government would take over the responsibilities of that road district. If a majority of voters are in favor, the road district is abolished 90 days after the certification of the vote.
• HB 2407: Allows a municipality to absorb neighboring territory even if the municipality and territory are separated by a lake, river, or other waterway. In addition, the portion of the body of water that separates the municipality and territory is also annexed by the municipality.
• HB 3521: This bill discontinues the offices of township collector in Sangamon County, which includes Springfield, on January 1, 2022. The Sangamon County Treasurer assumes the duties of the township collectors in the county.
• SR 241: Creates the “Working Group on Local Government Consolidation” to identify ways to make consolidation of government units easier in Lake County and the 31st Legislative District. The Working Group will meet no less than once every three months, will accept public testimony, and submit findings to the General Assembly no later than December 31, 2018. [This is a Senate Resolution that has been adopted and in effect, no governor signature required]

Financial Accountability – 3 Passed

• HB 1896: A bill that prohibits the accumulation of township funds exceeding 2.5 times the annual average expenditure of the previous three fiscal years. This bill is important because it prevents township governments from unnecessarily storing excessive amounts of dollars in reserves, as documented in this 2011 BGA investigation.
• HB 2379: Requires the governor of Illinois to include a “fiscal impact statement” when filing executive orders that spend any state funds, or increase or decrease state revenues. The fiscal impact statement will provide an estimate of the anticipated changes in state expenditures or revenues and will be published alongside the executive order on the governor’s website.
• HB 3649: This bill requires each state agency to provide a monthly report to the State Comptroller about its financial liabilities, whether funds have been allocated for those liabilities, and interest penalties.

Transparency – 3 Passed

• HB 623: Requires the salaries of state employees to be rounded to the nearest hundred dollars rather than providing the exact figure on the IL Comptroller’s “Online Ledger” website for the past calendar year. The exact figure may be posted for other years, at the Comptroller’s discretion. The intent of this bill was to address identity theft since access to exact salary figures can make it easier for identity thieves to open new lines of credit in their victims’ names.
• HB 2538: This bill has the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP) livestream and record their meetings and publish them on their website. CMAP was created in 2005 and is the official regional planning organization for northeastern IL counties of Cook, DuPage, Kane, Kendall, Lake, McHenry, and Will. This bill is important because having meetings streamed and recorded online allows for greater public access to the discussions and functions of CMAP.
• HB 2585: Allows for a unit of local government or school district to place notices in any secular newspaper that is published within the jurisdiction of that unit of local government or school district.

Pensions – 2 Passed

• SB 701: For the purposes of calculating a pension benefit, the financial allowance for vehicle usage will not be considered an “earning” for all participating employees after the enactment of this law. Some state employees are provided an allowance (on top of their salary) for the expenses that come from operating a vehicle (i.e. gasoline, maintenance). That allowance could be used to bolster one’s pension benefit, by inflating their earnings. However, should this bill become law, that can no longer happen for new hires.
• HB 350: A bill that prevents a pension from being distributed to a survivor of a pension recipient if the survivor is convicted of a felony connected to the recipient’s service. This bill stems from an incident in Fox Lake involving Lt. Charles Gliniewicz and his widow. Lt. Gliniewicz staged his suicide to look like a homicide in order to cover his theft of public funds. His widow is facing charges for her alleged involvement in the theft of public funds as well. There’s a debate over what sort of benefits his widow is entitled to in light of these revelations.

Election Reform – 1 Passed

• SB 1933: Mandates the State Board of Elections and the Office of the Secretary of State to establish an automatic voter registration program. People will automatically be registered to vote when they visit state agencies such as the the Secretary of State’s office, and people can more easily update changes of address. People can choose to opt out of AVR.

Cybersecurity – 1 Passed

• HB 2371: Requires state employees (other than employees of the legislative branch, the judicial branch, a public university, or a constitutional office other than governor) to annually undergo cybersecurity training by the Department of Innovation and Technology.

These 15 legislative measures help Illinois move toward better government. The BGA will continue to work with lawmakers and advocacy groups to advance the mission of greater efficiency, more transparency and stronger accountability in units of government across Illinois.

On November 8th, 2016, Illinois voters will cast their votes to elect candidates for local, state, and federal offices, which includes the election of the President of the United States.  

On November 8th, Illinois voters will vote to ELECT candidates for:

President of the United States

United States Senator

Comptroller

Representatives in Congress — All 18 Districts

State Senators

(1, 2, 4, 5, 7, 8, 10, 11, 13, 14, 16, 17, 19, 20, 22, 23, 25, 26, 28, 29, 31, 32, 34, 35, 37, 38, 40, 41, 43, 44, 46, 47, 49, 50, 52, 53, 55, 56, 58, 59)

Representatives in the General Assembly — All 118 Districts

Regional Superintendent of Schools

Trustee Levee and Sanitation District

Appellate Judge — 1st and 5th Appellate

Vacancies for Cook Circuit/Subcircuit Courts

Vacancies for Downstate Circuit/Subcircuit Courts

Offices up for Election

To view your specific ballot, and any additional races limited to your locale, please go here and select your county to be directed to your local election authority. There you find or request your specific ballot.

On November 8th, Illinois voters will be asked to vote YES or NO on the addition of a new Section 11 to Article IX of the Illinois Constitution. The following is an explanation of Section 11 from the State Board of Elections:

“The proposed amendment adds a new section to the Revenue Article of the Illinois Constitution.  The proposed amendment provides that no moneys derived from taxes, fees, excises, or license taxes, relating to registration, titles, operation, or use of vehicles or public highways, roads, streets, bridges, mass transit, intercity passenger rail, ports, or airports, or motor fuels, including bond proceeds, shall be expended for other than costs of administering laws related to vehicles and transportation, costs for construction, reconstruction, maintenance, repair, and betterment of public highways, roads, streets, bridges, mass transit, intercity passenger rail, ports, airports, or other forms of transportation, and other statutory highway purposes, including the State or local share to match federal aid highway funds. You are asked to decide whether the proposed amendment should become part of the Illinois Constitution.”

Click here for BGA’s recommendation

Am I registered to vote?

You can check your registration status by entering your name and zip code at the Registration Lookup website. If you’re registered it will also give your polling place location.

How do I register to vote?

You need two forms of acceptable ID, at least one of which shows your current address.

Acceptable forms of ID include:

●      Driver’s license

●      State identification card

●      Passport

●      Current utility bill, bank statement, government check, paycheck stub, or other government document that shows your name and address

Between October 12th and November 7th you may register to vote during the “grace period.” In this case, you must vote right after you register.

Or you can register to vote on Election Day, November 8th. However, you can only do so in your home precinct. Same ID requirements apply.

For locations where you can register to vote please see your local election authority here.

For locations for those living in the City of Chicago, please see here.

For locations for those living in suburban Cook County, please see here.

Where is my polling place?

You can find the location of your polling place at the Election Authority website. Each county’s polling places can be found on its website. If you’ve moved since the last election, make sure to re-register from your new address. The various rules that apply if you’ve moved and need to re-register can be found here.

Do I need an ID to vote?

It depends. You will need to present a government-issued photo ID IF:

●      You register during the grace period registration from October 12th to November 8th

●      You are a new voter who has registered by mail and have not previously supplied the Election Board with appropriate ID

What time are the polls open in Illinois?

On November 8th, polls will be open from 6:00 AM to 7:00 PM.

Can I vote early?

Yes. Early voting is from September 29th to November 7th. You can find early voting locations, as well as their hours, here. 

Can I vote by mail?

You must have completed an application to vote by mail ballot by November 3rd, 2016. If not, you cannot vote by mail ballot. For those who have completed and submitted their application, mailed ballots must be postmarked no later than Election Day (November 8th), and must be received within 14 days of the election. Click here for more information.

Who should I vote for?

The BGA is a non-partisan organization and does not endorse any candidates. As to whom you should vote for, we cannot make any recommendations.

For the U.S. Senate and Comptroller races, please see the following candidate questionnaires produced by the BGA and Reboot Illinois.

Comptroller Questionnaire   U.S. Senator Questionnaire

The BGA has taken a position on the “Lockbox” Amendment.

Telephone help lines:

For more information you can call the Illinois State Board of Elections at their Springfield or Chicago offices.

Springfield Office: 217-782-4141 Monday – Friday 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM
Chicago Office: 312-814-6485 Monday – Friday 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM

On March 15th, 2016, voters will narrow the field of political candidates in preparation for the November 2016 general election, which includes the election for President of the United States. 

On March 15th, Illinois voters will vote to NOMINATE candidates for:

President of the United States

United States Senator

Comptroller

Representatives in Congress — All 18 Districts

State Senators — For 4-Year Terms

(1, 2, 4, 5, 7, 8, 10, 11, 13, 14, 16, 17, 19, 20, 22, 23, 25, 26, 28, 29, 31, 32, 34, 35, 37, 38, 40, 41, 43, 44, 46, 47, 49, 50, 52, 53, 55, 56, 58, 59)

Representatives in the General Assembly — All 118 Districts

Regional Superintendent of Schools

Trustee Levee and Sanitation District

Appellate Judge — 1st and 5th Appellate

Vacancies for Cook Circuit/Subcircuit Courts 

Vacancies for Downstate Circuit/Subcircuit Courts 

Offices up for Election

*To view your specific ballot, and any additional races limited to your locale, please go here and select your county to be directed to your local election authority. There you can find or request your specific ballot.*

Am I registered to vote?

You can check your registration status by entering your name and zip code at the Registration Lookup website. If you’re registered it will also give your polling place location.

How do I register to vote?

Although the traditional voter registration period closes 28 days prior to the election, Illinois residents may register in-person at the office of their election authority during the “grace period” which runs from February 17th to March 15th. Find your election authority office here.

Chicago
69 W. Washington St., 6th Floor
Chicago, IL 60626
312-269-7900

 Cook County
69 W. Washington St., 5th Floor
Chicago, IL 60626
312-603-0906

You need two forms of acceptable ID, at least one of which shows your current address, in order to register to vote during the “grace period.”

Acceptable forms of ID include:

• Driver’s license
• State identification card
• Passport
• Current utility bill, bank statement, government check, paycheck stub, or other government document that shows your name and address

*You must immediately vote upon registering during “grace period” registration*

Where is my polling place?

You can find the location of your polling place at the Election Authority website. Each county’s polling places can be found on its website. If you’ve moved since the last election, make sure you check to see where your new polling place is before you go – your vote won’t count if you vote in the wrong precinct.

Do I need an ID to vote?

It depends. You will need to present a government-issued photo ID IF:

• You register during the grace period registration from February 17th through March 15th
• You are a new voter who has registered by mail and have not previously supplied the Election Board with appropriate ID

What time are the polls open in Illinois?

On March 15th, polls will be open from 6:00 AM to 7:00 PM.

Can I vote early?

Yes. Early voting is from February 4th to March 14th. You can find early voting locations, as well as their hours, here.  

Can I vote by mail?

Yes. Anyone registered to vote may apply to vote by mail ballot without requiring any reason to do so. You must complete an application by mail ballot from your election authority and will then be mailed a ballot at the mailing address provided. You have till March 10th, 2016 to submit the application. Mailed ballots must be postmarked no later than Election Day (March 15th), and must be received within 14 days of the election. Click here for more information.

Chicago Mail Ballot Application

Cook County Mail Ballot Application

Telephone help lines:

For more information you can call the Illinois State Board of Elections at their Springfield or Chicago offices.

Springfield Office: 217-782-4141 Monday – Friday 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM

Chicago Office: 312-814-6485 Monday – Friday 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM