Voters casting their ballots in Chicago’s Edgewater neighborhood on Nov. 3, 2026, encountered far more than the usual slate of candidates, stepping up to weigh in on high-stakes municipal and fiscal policy. Unofficial results from the Chicago Board of Election Commissioners indicate that nearly 80% of Chicago voters supported asking the Illinois General Assembly to implement a 3% surtax on individuals with annual earnings of $1 million or more, a result that paves the way for a contentious legislative showdown in Springfield.
Data from the Cook County Clerk’s office shows that over 71% of suburban Cook County residents also cast ballots supporting the nonbinding question.
The path to the ballot box was fraught with political friction. The Chicago City Council previously blocked Mayor Brandon Johnson’s push to ask city residents a similar question directly, prompting the Cook County Board of Commissioners to step in and add the referendum to all ballots countywide. Johnson has consistently championed the millionaires’ tax as a necessary mechanism to ensure that the city’s wealthiest residents pay what he calls their fair share. Opponents, however, have countered that the surtax will penalize small businesses and stifle economic growth across the state.
Democrats Hold Expanded Supermajorities in Illinois Legislature
When lawmakers return to Springfield in January at the start of Gov. JB Pritzker’s third term, Democrats will hold expanded supermajorities in both the Illinois House and Senate, according to unofficial results.
Johnson’s legislative agenda faces competing pressures on multiple fronts. When moderate and conservative members of the City Council blocked the advisory referendum on the millionaires’ tax earlier, they successfully engineered a counter-measure allowing voters to weigh in on Chicago’s controversial gunshot detection system. More than 72% of voters urged Johnson to reverse his decision to scrap the technology, according to unofficial results.
Officials Begin Testing New Gunshot Detection System
Regarding the ongoing friction over law enforcement resources, Johnson declared a fortnight ago that the city would initiate trials of a new gunshot detection system across six police districts on the South and West sides. His proposed spending plan earmarks $2.24 billion for the Chicago Police Department, including $5 million for software maintenance and licensing that could fund the technology. Yet representatives of Johnson did not immediately respond to questions from WTTW News about whether that pilot program had begun on schedule.
Crime trends so far in 2026 show continued incremental declines, with homicides down 3.6% and overall violent crime dropping more than 7.3%, according to CPD data. Despite those numbers, the City Council twice rebuked Johnson over his decision to scrap ShotSpotter, a system he has derided as a “walkie talkie on a stick” that leads to overpolicing in Black and Latino neighborhoods. While former Chicago Police Supt. Larry Snelling supported the technology — he and other supporters said it helped officers save lives when shootings went unreported to emergency services — he did not openly defy the mayor who appointed him.
