City treasurer and clerk elections in Chicago, Illinois (2019)
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| 2019 Chicago elections |
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| Election dates |
| Filing deadline: November 26, 2018 |
| General election: February 26, 2019 Runoff election: April 2, 2019 |
| Election stats |
| Offices up: Mayor, City Council, City Clerk, & City Treasurer |
| Total seats up: 53 (click here for mayoral elections) |
| Election type: Nonpartisan |
| Chicago mayoral election |
| Runoff election overview |
| General election overview |
| Major issues |
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| Timeline of events |
| History of the office |
| Other Chicago elections |
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| Chicago City Clerk & Treasurer |
| City elections in Chicago |
| Other municipal elections |
| U.S. municipal elections, 2019 |
The city of Chicago, Illinois, held general elections for mayor, city clerk, city treasurer, and all 50 seats on the city council on February 26, 2019.
In the treasurer's race, Melissa Conyears-Ervin defeated Ameya Pawar in a runoff election on April 2, 2019. Incumbent City Clerk Anna Valencia won the clerk's race on Feb. 26.
This page covered the city treasurer and clerk elections. Ballotpedia provided in-depth coverage of the mayoral and city council elections, including major issues discussed by candidates in the nation's third-largest city by population.
Click here for coverage of the 2019 mayoral race.
Click here for coverage of the 2019 city council elections.
Click here to see which candidates in these races responded to Ballotpedia's Chicago 2019 survey.
| Chicago voter? Dates you need to know. | |
|---|---|
| Candidate Filing Deadline | November 26, 2018 |
| Runoff Registration Deadline | April 2, 2019 |
| Absentee Application Deadline | March 28, 2019, at 5 p.m. |
| Early Voting Deadline | April 1, 2019 |
| General Election | February 26, 2019 |
| Runoff Election | April 2, 2019 |
| Voting information | |
| Polling place hours | 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. |
| Polling locations: Go to this page to find early voting locations and your assigned precinct for election day. | |
City treasurer
The city treasurer manages Chicago's cash, investments, four public employee pension funds, and the Chicago Teachers' Pension Fund.[1][2]
- City Treasurer Kurt Summers did not seek re-election. Emanuel appointed Summers in October 2014, and he was elected to a full four-year term in 2015.[3]
- 3 candidates filed to run for the open seat: 47th Ward Ald. Ameya Pawar, state Rep. Melissa Conyears-Ervin, and certified public accountant Peter Gariepy.[4][5][6]
Candidates and election results
General runoff election
General runoff election for Chicago City Treasurer
Melissa Conyears-Ervin defeated Ameya Pawar in the general runoff election for Chicago City Treasurer on April 2, 2019.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Melissa Conyears-Ervin (Nonpartisan)  | 59.4 | 296,293 |
 | Ameya Pawar (Nonpartisan) | 40.6 | 202,714 | |
| Total votes: 499,007 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
General election
General election for Chicago City Treasurer
Melissa Conyears-Ervin and Ameya Pawar advanced to a runoff. They defeated Peter Gariepy in the general election for Chicago City Treasurer on February 26, 2019.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Melissa Conyears-Ervin (Nonpartisan) | 44.3 | 225,385 |
| ✔ | | Ameya Pawar (Nonpartisan) | 41.6 | 211,759 |
 | Peter Gariepy (Nonpartisan) | 14.2 | 72,068 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.0 | 4 | ||
| Total votes: 509,216 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Richard Mayers (Nonpartisan)
Endorsements
If you are aware of endorsements that should be included, please email us.
Melissa Conyears-Ervin
- Chicago Teachers Union[7]
- Service Employees International Union Local 73[7]
- Chicago Federation of Labor[8]
- EMILY's List[9]
- Illinois Restaurant Association CEO Sam Toia[7]
- Former treasurer candidate Peter Gariepy (after the Feb. 26 election)[10]
- Former Governor Pat Quinn (D)[11]
Peter Gariepy
- Independent Voters of Illinois Independent Precinct Organization[12]
- Northside Democracy for America[13]
Ameya Pawar
- Service Employees International Union Local 1[7]
- U.S. Rep. Mike Quigley (D-Ill.)[14]
- U.S. Rep. Jesus "Chuy" Garcia (D)[15]
- Former U.S. Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D)[16]
- Chicago Sun-Times[17]
- Chicago Tribune[18]
- Sierra Club Illinois[7]
Campaign advertisements
This section shows advertisements released in this race. Ads released by campaigns and, if applicable, satellite groups are embedded or linked below. If you are aware of advertisements that should be included, please email us.
Melissa Conyears-Ervin
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Peter Gariepy
Gariepy released a digital ad on Feb. 4, 2019. View the ad here.
Ameya Pawar
Pawar released a TV ad on Feb. 11, 2019. View it here.
Debates and forums
Runoff election:
March 18, 2019
Both candidates participated in a candidate forum on WTTW's Chicago Tonight. Click here to view a video of the event.
March 8, 2019
Conyears-Ervin and Pawar participated in a joint interview with Fran Spielman of the Chicago Sun-Times. Click here for coverage.
General election:
February 13, 2019
WTTW hosted a candidate forum attended by all three candidates. View a video of the event here.
February 11, 2019
Conyears-Ervin, Gariepy, and Pawar participated in a debate hosted by WGN TV. View a video of the event here.
City clerk
The city clerk is the official keeper of city records and documents.
- City Clerk Anna Valencia ran for her first full four-year term. Emanuel appointed Valencia to the post in December 2016, replacing Susana Mendoza, who won a special election to become state comptroller.
- On January 18, 2019, the Chicago Board of Elections decided to remove Valencia's two remaining challengers from the ballot. Both candidates' names were placed on the ballot as they appealed the board's decision. On February 20, an appeals court ruled to remove them from the running, and the candidates appealed that decision. The ruling of the lower court was upheld, and votes cast for Arias-Ibarra and Horton were not counted.[19][20][21][22]
- 3 candidates initially filed to challenge Valencia.[4][23]
Candidates and election results
General election
General election for Chicago City Clerk
Incumbent Anna Valencia defeated Elizabeth Arias-Ibarra and Patricia Horton in the general election for Chicago City Clerk on February 26, 2019.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Anna Valencia (Nonpartisan) | 99.9 | 264,319 |
 | Elizabeth Arias-Ibarra (Nonpartisan) | 0.0 | 0 | |
| Patricia Horton (Nonpartisan) | 0.0 | 0 | ||
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.1 | 387 | ||
| Total votes: 264,706 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Richard Mayers (Nonpartisan)
Note: Elizabeth Arias-Ibarra and Patricia Horton were disqualified from the election and are appealing the decision. Their names appeared on the ballot. Votes cast for them will not be counted unless their appeals are approved.
Endorsements
Anna Valencia
- Chicago Firefighters Local 2[24]
- Chicago Federation of Labor[8]
- EMILY's List[9]
- Latino Leadership Council[25]
- Chicago Sun-Times editorial board[26]
Satellite spending
Satellite spending, commonly referred to as outside spending, describes political spending not controlled by candidates or their campaigns; that is, any political expenditures made by groups or individuals that are not directly affiliated with a candidate. This includes spending by political party committees, super PACs, trade associations, and 501(c)(4) nonprofit groups.[27][28][29]
This section lists satellite spending in this race reported by news outlets in alphabetical order. If you are aware of spending that should be included, please email us.
- Chicago Forward, a PAC that spent in opposition to Jesus "Chuy" Garcia's 2015 mayoral bid, spent $110,000 on media supporting Ameya Pawar.[30]
Candidate survey
Ballotpedia invited all 2019 municipal candidates in Chicago to participate in our candidate survey, created through our partnership with the Robert R. McCormick Foundation, Interactivity Foundation, and City Bureau, as well as insights from more than one hundred diverse citizens living throughout Chicago’s wards.
Click here to view the survey.
Additional elections on the ballot
- See also: Illinois elections, 2019
About the city
- See also: Chicago, Illinois
Chicago is a city in Illinois. It is the seat of Cook County and the center of the Chicago Metropolitan Area. As of 2020, its population was 2,746,388.
City government
- See also: Mayor-council government
The city of Chicago uses a strong mayor and city council system. In this form of municipal government, the city council serves as the city's primary legislative body and the mayor serves as the city's chief executive.[31] The mayor and city council each serve four-year terms.
Demographics
The following table displays demographic data provided by the United States Census Bureau.
| Demographic Data for Chicago, Illinois | ||
|---|---|---|
| Chicago | Illinois | |
| Population | 2,746,388 | 12,812,508 |
| Land area (sq mi) | 227 | 55,512 |
| Race and ethnicity** | ||
| White | 39% | 63.3% |
| Black/African American | 28.4% | 13.8% |
| Asian | 7.1% | 5.8% |
| Native American | 0.9% | 0.5% |
| Pacific Islander | 0.5% | 0.4% |
| Other (single race) | 12.4% | 7.3% |
| Multiple | 12% | 9.2% |
| Hispanic/Latino | 29.6% | 18.5% |
| Education | ||
| High school graduation rate | 86.8% | 90.3% |
| College graduation rate | 43.3% | 37.2% |
| Income | ||
| Median household income | $75,134 | $81,702 |
| Persons below poverty level | 16.8% | 11.7% |
| Source: population provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "Decennial Census" (2020). Other figures provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2018-2023). | ||
| **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here. | ||
State profile
- See also: Illinois and Illinois elections, 2019
Partisan data
The information in this section was current as of May 7, 2019
Presidential voting pattern
- Illinois voted for the Democratic candidate in all seven presidential elections between 2000 and 2024.
Congressional delegation
- Following the 2018 elections, the two U.S. senators from Illinois were Democrats.
- Illinois had 13 Democratic and five Republican U.S. representatives.
State executives
- Democrats held six of 13 state executive offices. The Illinois Commerce Commission was composed of individuals with different affiliations. Elections for the other six offices were nonpartisan.
- Illinois' governor was Democrat J.B. Pritzker.
State legislature
- Democrats had a veto-proof majority in the Illinois State Senate of 40 members to Republicans' 19 members.
- Democrats had a veto-proof majority in the Illinois House of Representatives of 74 members to Republicans' 44 members.
Illinois Party Control: 1992-2025
Nineteen years of Democratic trifectas • Two years of Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.
| Year | 92 | 93 | 94 | 95 | 96 | 97 | 98 | 99 | 00 | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Governor | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | D | D | D |
| Senate | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D |
| House | D | D | D | R | R | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D |
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| Demographic data for Illinois | ||
|---|---|---|
| Illinois | U.S. | |
| Total population: | 12,839,047 | 316,515,021 |
| Land area (sq mi): | 55,519 | 3,531,905 |
| Race and ethnicity** | ||
| White: | 72.3% | 73.6% |
| Black/African American: | 14.3% | 12.6% |
| Asian: | 5% | 5.1% |
| Native American: | 0.2% | 0.8% |
| Pacific Islander: | 0% | 0.2% |
| Two or more: | 2.2% | 3% |
| Hispanic/Latino: | 16.5% | 17.1% |
| Education | ||
| High school graduation rate: | 87.9% | 86.7% |
| College graduation rate: | 32.3% | 29.8% |
| Income | ||
| Median household income: | $57,574 | $53,889 |
| Persons below poverty level: | 16.8% | 11.3% |
| Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015) Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in Illinois. **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here. | ||
See also
| Chicago, Illinois | Illinois | Municipal government | Other local coverage |
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External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Office of the City Treasurer, City of Chicago, "About the Office," accessed November 27, 2018
- ↑ The city of Chicago contributes to the four public employee funds. Funding for the teachers' fund comes from employee contributions, employer contributions, and the state of Illinois. Chicago Teachers' Pension Fund, "Pension Funding," March 28, 2018
- ↑ Chicago Tribune, "City Treasurer Kurt Summers won't seek re-election or run for mayor," October 16, 2018
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedfiled - ↑ Note: Richard Mayers filed to run for the office in addition to mayor, city clerk, and 23rd ward alderman; he needed to choose one office and withdrew from all but the mayoral race shortly after the filing deadline.
- ↑ Politico, "Illinois Playbook," November 27, 2018
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 Politico, "EQUALITY ILLINOIS takes on treasurer’s race — TRUMP trade talk is so 1970s — SHOWERING aldermen with cash," December 7, 2018 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; name "playbook" defined multiple times with different content - ↑ 8.0 8.1 Chicago Federation of Labor, "(Chicago, IL) Chicago Federation of Labor Announces Endorsements for February Primary Election," December 19, 2018
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Politico Illinois Playbook, "TALK of the mayor’s race — DALEY’s insurance-exam scandal — Judge STOPS story about CPS drowning," February 7, 2019
- ↑ Chicago Tribune, "Conyears-Ervin gets endorsement from ex-opponent Gariepy in treasurer's race," March 5, 2019
- ↑ Politico Illinois Playbook, "TRUMP takes on SMOLLETT decision — PRO TEAMS all in for sports-betting — NIKKI HALEY hits Chicago," March 28, 2019
- ↑ Independent Voters of Illinois Independent Precinct Organization, Home page, accessed February 4, 2019
- ↑ Northside Democracy for America, "Home," accessed February 19, 2019
- ↑ WLS, "Quigley endorses Pawar in Treasurer race," December 18, 2018
- ↑ WBBM, "Congressman Garcia Backs Pawar For Chicago Treasurer," February 10, 2019
- ↑ WBBM, "Gutierrez Throws His Support Behind Pawar For Chicago Treasurer," January 9, 2019
- ↑ Chicago Sun-Times, "ENDORSEMENT: Ameya Pawar for city treasurer," February 3, 2019
- ↑ Chicago Tribune, "Editorial: For Chicago city treasurer: Ameya Pawar," February 13, 2019
- ↑ Chicago Sun-Times, "City Clerk Anna Valencia wraps up election — before early voting even starts," January 18, 2019
- ↑ Associated Press, "BC-IL-Chicago Municipal General Election Testing," updated February 21, 2019
- ↑ Ballotpedia correspondence with the Chicago Board of Election Commissioners
- ↑ Illinois Courts, "2019 IL App (1st) 190240-U Nos. 1-19-0240 & 1-19-0241 (Cons.)," March 4, 2019
- ↑ Note: Richard Mayers filed to run for the office in addition to mayor, city treasurer, and 23rd ward alderman; he needed to choose one office and withdrew from all but the mayoral race shortly after the filing deadline.
- ↑ Twitter, "Anna Valencia on December 18, 2018," accessed December 19, 2018
- ↑ Lawndale News, "Latino Leadership Council Endorses Valencia and Patino," February 14, 2019
- ↑ Chicago Sun-Times, "ENDORSEMENT: Anna M. Valencia for city clerk," February 19, 2019
- ↑ OpenSecrets.org, "Outside Spending," accessed September 22, 2015
- ↑ OpenSecrets.org, "Total Outside Spending by Election Cycle, All Groups," accessed September 22, 2015
- ↑ National Review.com, "Why the Media Hate Super PACs," November 6, 2015
- ↑ Illinois Sunshine, "$110,000.00 to AKPD from Chicago Forward on March 26, 2019," March 26, 2019
- ↑ City of Chicago, "Chicago Government," accessed August 29, 2014
- ↑ Encyclopedia.com, "Illinois," accessed May 7, 2019
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