Skokie, Illinois, Ranked-Choice Voting Initiative (April 2025)

Skokie Ranked-Choice Voting Initiative
Election date April 1, 2025
Topic City governance and Local electoral systems
Status Approved
Type Initiative

Skokie Ranked-Choice Voting Initiative was on the ballot as an initiative in Skokie on April 1, 2025. It was approved.

A "yes" vote supported adopting ranked-choice voting (RCV) for city elections.

A "no" vote opposed adopting ranked-choice voting (RCV) for city elections.

Election results

Skokie Ranked-Choice Voting Initiative
Result		Votes	Percentage
Yes		6,800	58.56%
No		4,812	41.44%

Results are officially certified.

Source

Text of measure

Ballot title

The ballot title for Ranked-Choice Voting Initiative was as follows:

“

Shall the Village of Skokie elect its Mayor, Clerk, and Village Board of Trustees by ‘Ranked Choice Voting’?  Ranked Choice Voting provides each voter with one vote and allows voters to rank candidates in order of preference to maximize the power of their vote. This method of voting would be used to rank candidates for Mayor, Clerk, and Village Board Trustees. If approved, the following rules shall apply beginning at the next consolidated election following approval: (1) voters shall vote by ranking one or more candidates up to the number of candidates in the race (the number 1 is the highest ranking, followed by 2 then 3 and so on); (2) a candidate for Mayor, Clerk, or district-level Trustee who receives 50% plus one of first rankings and any candidate for at-large Trustee who receives one-third plus one of first rankings shall be elected; (3) in the event that the Mayor, Clerk, all district-level Trustees, and/or both at-large Trustees are not elected by first rankings, tabulation for the unelected offices proceeds as follows: (a) for any elected at-large Trustee who receives more votes than needed to win a seat, a part of each vote received by that candidate shall be transferred to each ballot's next-ranked candidate who has not yet been eliminated, where the part of the vote to be transferred is the number of surplus votes received by that candidate above the threshold needed to win a seat divided by the total votes for that elected Trustee (the fraction of the candidate's votes that were in surplus of the number needed to win a seat that would be wasted if not transferred); (b) any candidate for at-large Trustee who receives one-third of the vote plus one after this transfer is elected, and, pursuant to step (a), a part of each vote in surplus of one-third plus one is transferred to the next highest-ranked candidate who has not yet been eliminated; (c) if there are no surplus votes to transfer and all seats are not filled, the candidate with the fewest total votes is eliminated, and votes for the eliminated candidate are counted for each ballot's next-ranked candidate who has not been eliminated; (d) steps (a)-(c) shall continue until a candidate for Mayor, Clerk, and each district-level Trustee is elected with 50% of the vote plus one and two Trustee candidates are elected with one-third of the vote plus one. Ranked Choice Voting eliminates a primary election for Mayor, Clerk, and Trustees. In the event of an at-large Trustee vacancy, Ranked Choice Voting shall be used, and the percentage required for a candidate to be elected shall be based on the number of vacancies. In the event a voter overvotes" by ranking multiple candidates at the same ranking, their vote shall be counted up to the overvote. For all declared write-in candidate(s), the ballot shall include a write-in line, and voters may write in a candidate’s name and rank that candidate in the same manner as a candidate whose name is printed on the ballot. The election authority for Skokie shall design and print ballots that allow for Ranked Choice Voting and program electronic voting machines to enable Ranked Choice Voting.

”

Background

Ranked-choice voting (RCV)

See also: Ranked-choice voting (RCV)

The ballot measure has played a role in shaping electoral systems in the U.S., including ranked-choice voting (RCV) for state and local elections.

Since 1915, there have been more than 150 ballot measures to adopt or repeal ranked-choice voting systems. Ashtabula, Ohio, was the first jurisdiction to approve a ranked-choice voting measure in 1915.

RCV is an electoral system in which voters rank candidates on their ballots. RCV can be used for single-winner elections or multi-winner elections; when used for multi-winner elections, the system has also been called single-transferable vote or proportional representation. These terms were often used to describe multi-winner RCV before the 1970s. You can learn more about ranked-choice voting systems and policies here.

Local RCV ballot measures

See also: History of ranked-choice voting (RCV) ballot measures

Between 1965 and 2024, 79 ranked-choice voting (RCV) local ballot measures were on the ballot in 58 jurisdictions in 19 states.

• Ballotpedia has located 71 local ballot measures to adopt RCV. Voters approved 52 (78.9%) and rejected 15 (21.1%).

• There were eight local ballot measures to repeal RCV. Voters approved four (50.0%) and rejected four (50.0%).

• The year with the most local RCV ballot measures was 2022, when nine were on the ballot in nine jurisdictions. Voters approved seven of them.

• The state with the most local ballot measures related to RCV is California, where there have been 13.

The following table shows the number of ranked-choice voting measures by topic.

Local ranked-choice vote measures by topic and outcome, 1965 - April 2025
Topic	Total	Approved	Approved (%)	Defeated	Defeated (%)
Adopt RCV	72	57	79.2%	15	20.08%
Repeal RCV	8	4	50.0%	4	50.0%
Total	80	61	76.3%	19	23.7%

Path to the ballot

See also: Laws governing local ballot measures in Illinois

Signatures were collected to place the initiative on the ballot.

How to cast a vote

See also: Voting in Illinois

See below to learn more about current voter registration rules, identification requirements, and poll times in Illinois.

How to vote in Illinois

Poll times

In Illinois, all polls are open from 6:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Central Time. An individual who is in line at the time polls close must be allowed to vote.

Registration

Check your voter registration status here.

To register to vote in Illinois, a person must be a U.S. citizen, a resident of an Illinois precinct for at least 30 days prior to election day, and at least 18 years old by election day. A 17-year-old may vote in a primary if he or she will be 18 years old at the subsequent general election. Preregistration is available starting at age 16.

Regular registration closes during the period beginning 27 days prior to an election and ending two days after the election. Online registration closes 16 days prior to an election. Grace period registration is available in person through election day at certain locations.

Prospective voters can register online, by mail, or at any of the following locations:

“

County Clerk's Office Board of Election Commissioner's Office City and Village Offices Township Offices Precinct Committeeman Schools Public Libraries Military Recruitment Offices

”

Two forms of identification are required to register in person, one of which must display the voter's current address.

Automatic registration

Illinois automatically registers eligible individuals to vote through the Department of Motor Vehicles and other designated automatic voter registration agencies.

Online registration

See also: Online voter registration

Illinois has implemented an online voter registration system. Residents can register to vote by visiting this website.

Same-day registration

Illinois allows same-day voter registration.

Residency requirements

Illinois law requires 30 days of residency in the state before a person may vote.

Verification of citizenship

See also: Laws permitting noncitizens to vote in the United States

Illinois does not require proof of citizenship for voter registration. An individual applying to register to vote must attest that they are a U.S. citizen under penalty of perjury.

All 49 states with voter registration systems require applicants to declare that they are U.S. citizens in order to register to vote in state and federal elections, under penalty of perjury or other punishment. Seven states — Alabama, Arizona, Georgia, Kansas, Louisiana, New Hampshire, and Wyoming — have laws requiring verification of citizenship at the time of voter registration, whether in effect or not. In three states — California, Maryland, and Vermont — at least one local jurisdiction allows noncitizens to vote in some local elections. Noncitizens registering to vote in those elections must complete a voter registration application provided by the local jurisdiction and are not eligible to register as state or federal voters.

Verifying your registration

The Registration Lookup page, run by the Illinois Board of Elections, allows residents to check their voter registration status online.

Voter ID requirements

Illinois does not require voters to present identification while voting, in most cases. First-time voters who registered by mail and did not submit their driver’s license number, state ID number, last four digits of their social security number, or other form of ID are required to present identification showing their name and address before voting.

The following list of accepted ID was current as of August 2024. Click here for the Illinois State Board of Elections voting information page to ensure you have the most current information.

“

A current and valid photo identification Utility bill Bank statement Government check Paycheck Lease or contract for residence Student ID & mail addressed to voter’s residence Government document

”

See also

Local measures

• Local measures in 2025
• Local electoral systems on the ballot

• Cook County measures

Illinois

• Illinois 2025 local measures
• Local ballot measures, Illinois
• Skokie, Illinois

News and analysis

• State and local preemption conflicts
• Measures advancing national agendas

External links

Suggest a link

• Search Google News for this topic