Illinois State Senate District 46

Illinois State Senate District 46 is represented by David Koehler (D).

As of the 2020 Census, Illinois state senators represented an average of 217,335 residents. After the 2010 Census, each member represented 218,040 residents.

About the chamber

Members of the Illinois State Senate serve four-year terms and are not subject to term limits. Illinois legislators assume office the second Wednesday in January. Under the Illinois Constitution of 1970, Senators are divided into three groups. Each group has a two-year term at a different part of the decade between censuses, and the rest of the decade is taken up by two four-year terms.^[1] Depending on the election year, roughly one-third, two-thirds, or all of the senate seats may have terms ending.

All three groups hold elections in the first election year following the decennial census and subsequent redistricting (i.e. 1992, 2002, 2012, etc.). Starting with that election, the terms for the three groups are structured as follows:^[1]

Group 1: four-year term, four-year term, two-year term
Group 2: four-year term, two-year term, four-year term
Group 3: two-year term, four-year term, four-year term

Qualifications

See also: State legislature candidate requirements by state

Article IV of the Illinois Constitution states: "To be eligible to serve as a member of the General Assembly, a person must be a United States citizen, at least 21 years old, and for the two years preceding his election or appointment a resident of the district which he is to represent."^[2]

65 ILCS 5/3.1-10-5(a) states, "A person is not eligible for an elective municipal office unless that person is a qualified elector."^[3]

Salaries

See also: Comparison of state legislative salaries

State legislative salaries, 2024^[4]
Salary	Per diem
$89,250/year	$166/day

Vacancies

See also: How vacancies are filled in state legislatures

If there is a vacancy in the Illinois General Assembly, the state constitution mandates that the seat must be filled by appointment when allowed by law. The appointment must be made within 30 days after the vacancy. If a vacancy occurs in the Senate with more than twenty-eight months remaining in the term, the appointment is interim until the next general election, when a special election must be held. All other House and Senate vacancies are to be filled by an appointment from the same political party that last held the seat.^[5] If the vacated seat was held by an independent (no party affiliation), the governor is to appoint an independent successor within 30 days.^[6]

The vacancy must be filled by the respective party organizations covering the legislative district.^[7] The respective committeemen and committeewomen representing the legislative district must vote on a replacement.^[8] The person selected for the seat serves for the remainder of the unfilled term.^[9]

See sources: Illinois Const. Art. 4, Sec. 2(d) and Illinois Rev. Stat. ch. 10, § 5/25-6

2016 pivot county

See also: Pivot Counties and Legislative districts intersecting with Pivot Counties

This district was one of 710 state legislative districts that, based on boundaries adopted after the 2010 census, intersected with one or more Pivot Counties. These 206 Pivot Counties voted for Donald Trump (R) in 2016 after voting for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012.

The 206 Pivot Counties were located in 34 states. Iowa, with 31, had the most such counties. At that time, the partisan makeup of state legislative districts intersecting with Pivot Counties was slightly more Republican than the overall partisan makeup of state legislatures throughout the country.^[10]

District map

Redistricting

2020 redistricting cycle

See also: Redistricting in Illinois after the 2020 census

The Illinois State Legislature approved new state legislative maps in a special session on August 31, 2021. Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D) signed the new maps into law on September 24, 2021.^[11] These maps were revised versions of maps enacted on June 4, 2021, that the legislature based on non-census population estimates. Following the release of census data in August, the legislature reconvened to develop and approve a revised map. These maps were later subject to a federal lawsuit that was decided on December 30, 2021, with the court upholding the maps enacted on September 24, 2021.^[12] Learn more here.

How does redistricting in Illinois work? The Illinois General Assembly is responsible for drawing both congressional and state legislative district lines. Both chambers of the state legislature must approve a redistricting plan. The governor may veto the lines drawn by the state legislature.^[13]

In the event that both chambers of the state legislature do not approve a legislative redistricting plan, a backup commission must draw the lines. The majority and minority leaders of each chamber must appoint two members each to the commission (one legislator and one general citizen). Of the eight commission members, no more than four may belong to the same political party. In the event that these eight members cannot approve a plan, the Illinois Supreme Court must select two individuals (from different political parties) as potential tiebreakers. The secretary of state must then appoint one of these individuals to the backup commission to break the tie.^[13]

The Illinois Constitution requires that state legislative districts be "contiguous and reasonably compact." There are no such requirements in place for the state's congressional districts.^[13]

State law also mandates the establishment of state legislative districts "that allow racial or language minority communities to elect--or influence the election of--the candidates of their choice, even if no comparable district would be required by the federal Voting Rights Act."^[13]

Illinois State Senate District 46
until January 10, 2023

Click a district to compare boundaries.

Illinois State Senate District 46
starting January 11, 2023

Click a district to compare boundaries.

Elections

2024

General election

General election for Illinois State Senate District 46

Incumbent David Koehler defeated Sally Owens in the general election for Illinois State Senate District 46 on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		David Koehler (D)	57.6	53,156
	Submit photo	Sally Owens (R)	42.4	39,168

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 92,324
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Illinois State Senate District 46

Incumbent David Koehler advanced from the Democratic primary for Illinois State Senate District 46 on March 19, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		David Koehler	100.0	9,139

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 9,139
= 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.
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for Illinois State Senate District 46

Sally Owens advanced from the Republican primary for Illinois State Senate District 46 on March 19, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Sally Owens	100.0	7,483

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 7,483
= 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.