In addition to voting for their candidates of choice, Chicago voters will have a chance to weigh in on four referendum questions using their primary election ballots on March 20.
All four questions are solely advisory, meaning no action will automatically be taken, regardless of response. While the results not legally binding, they will provide lawmakers with key insight into the next steps in each of the areas polled.
To be prepared before heading to your polling place, here's a look at the three referendum questions appearing on every voter's ballot across the City of Chicago:
Should Governor Rauner act to protect the 650,000 Illinois residents who obtained health insurance through the Affordable Care Act by supporting legislation amending the Illinois Insurance Code to preserve important benefits like pediatric services and maternity care, and by investing in outreach campaigns to encourage residents to sign up for health insurance?
YES
NO
Should Governor Rauner support Illinois legislation to ban firearm bump stocks and strengthen penalties on illegal gun traffickers?
Local
YES
NO
Should the State of Illinois develop a comprehensive strategy to address the recent rise in opioid-related and heroin-related deaths including committing additional state resources for addiction treatment and requiring health insurers to cover opioid alternatives and limitations on prescription length?
YES
NO
All Chicago voters will also see the sole question asked of every Cook County voter, which reads as follows:
Shall the State of Illinois legalize the cultivation, manufacture, distribution, testing, and sale of marijuana and marijuana products for recreational use by adults 21 and older subject to state regulation, taxation and local ordinance?
YES
NO
Some voters in Chicago may also see a fifth question on their ballots. Petitions were successfully submitted for dozens of precincts in nine wards across the city to put the following question up for a vote in those areas:
Should the state repeal the ban on rent control?
YES
NO
To see the full list of precincts that will ask this of voters, plus more information on what will be on your ballot, you can head to the Chicago Board of Election Commissioners' website.
If you live in Chicago's suburban counties, you can find the referendum questions on your ballot here.
