This election season, most eyes are on the biggest race of them all: the presidential race. As important as it is to make your pick between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump, Illinois residents are also being asked to weigh in on matters that don’t involve a choice between candidates.
Come Election Day, your ballot will ask you to vote on three statewide ballot measures, the maximum number allowed under state law. All three are considered advisory questions, meaning Illinois officials will not be bound by the results; instead, the questions are intended to give the state a sense of how voters feel about each subject.
Sometimes, ballot measures can be worded in ways that are confusing or may cause people to vote the opposite way that they intend to. Luckily, all three in Illinois this year are worded affirmatively, so a “yes” vote means you support the initiative in question while a “no” vote means you oppose it.
Assisted reproductive health care
The first question is on the topic of assisted reproductive health care. Voters will be asked whether “medically assisted reproductive treatments” should be covered by any health insurance plan in the state that provides full pregnancy coverage. The question itself mentions in vitro fertilization, one of the most common fertility treatments.
According to the Center for Disease Control, its preferred term, “assisted reproductive technology,” includes any fertility treatment that involves handling ovarian eggs or embryos. Treatments that involve someone taking medicine to encourage egg production and those where only sperm is handled, such as artificial insemination, are not included.
3% tax on wealthiest citizens
The second ballot measure, on the subject of income tax, is relatively straightforward. Voters will be asked if Illinois should amend its constitution to create a new 3% tax on income above $1 million. If voters pass the ballot measure and Illinois officials choose to follow through, funds raised by the extra tax will be earmarked and dedicated to property tax relief. According to WBEZ, the state estimates it will rake in at least $4.5 billion each year if such a tax goes into effect.
Election interference
The third question on the ballot considers recourse in cases of election interference. Voters will be asked if candidates up for election on ballots in Illinois — for all races, not just those at the state or local level — should be subject to civil penalties if they attempt to interfere or do interfere with the official duties of an election worker. The question specifies civil penalties, which most often take the form of fines.
All three ballot measures were approved by the Illinois General Assembly in May as part of Public Act 103-0586. In approving these three questions, state lawmakers rejected a fourth advisory question.
That question would have asked voters if any person or entity, including schools and clinics, would require the written consent of a minor’s parent or guardian before it can provide non-emergency medical services or any services related to gender identity or “modification,” including therapy.
Under Illinois law, when more than three measures are submitted for inclusion on ballots, the state operates by a first-come-first-serve policy, meaning this question was the last one to be initiated.