2016 Cook County, Illinois, elections

← 2014 November 8, 2016 2018 →
Turnout	71.54%

TheCook County, Illinois, general election was held on November 8, 2016.^[1]

Primaries were held March 15, 2016.^[2]

Elections were held forClerk of the Circuit Court,Recorder of Deeds,State's Attorney,Cook County Board of Review districts 1 and 2, four seats on theWater Reclamation District Board, and judgeships on theCircuit Court of Cook County.

2016 was apresidential election year in the United States. The primaries and general elections for Cook County races coincided with those for federal races (President,House, andSenate) and those forstate elections.

Voter turnout in Cook County during the primaries was 51.12%, with 1,512,348 ballots cast. Among these, 1,197,073Democratic, 314,517Republican, 404Green, and 354 nonpartisan primary ballots were cast. The city ofChicago saw 53.52% turnout. Suburban Cook County saw 48.61% turnout, its highest turnout forpresidential primaries since at least 1992.^[3][4][5] In Chicago, more than 118,000 votes cast wereearly votes, setting a record for the time for Chicago primaries (since surpassed by the2020 elections).^[6] In suburban Cook County, 31,409mail-in ballots were returned by voters, setting a record (also surpassed in 2020).^[7]

The general election saw 71.54% turnout, with 2,205,504 ballots cast. Chicago saw 71.04% turnout and suburban Cook County saw 72.07% turnout.^[8][9]

2016Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County election

← 2012 November 8, 2016 2020 →
Turnout	66.39%[8][9]
Candidate Dorothy A. Brown Diane Shapiro Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 1,345,696 656,232 Percentage 67.22% 32.78%
Clerk before election Dorothy A. Brown Democratic Elected Clerk Dorothy A. Brown Democratic

In the2016Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County election, incumbent fourth-term ClerkDorothy A. Brown, a Democrat, was reelected.

2016Cook County Recorder of Deeds election

← 2012 November 8, 2016
Turnout	55.41%[8][9]
Candidate Karen Yarbrough Party Democratic Popular vote 1,647,174 Percentage 98.58%
Recorder of Deeds before election Karen Yarbrough Democratic Elected Recorder of Deeds Karen Yarbrough Democratic

In the2016Cook County Recorder of Deeds election, incumbent first-term Recorder of DeedsKaren Yarbrough, a Democrat, was reelected, running unopposed in both the Democratic primary and general election.

This was ultimately the last election held for this office, as, on the same day as the general election, Cook County voters approveda ballot measure to merge the office with that of Cook County Clerk by December 7, 2020.^[10]

No candidates, ballot-certified or formal write-in, ran in the Republican primary.^[2]

2016Cook County State's Attorney election

← 2012 November 8, 2016 2020 →
Turnout	67.14%[8][9]
Candidate Kim Foxx Christopher Pfannkuche Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 1,459,087 565,671 Percentage 72.06% 27.94%
State's Attorney before election Anita Alvarez Democratic Elected State's Attorney Kim Foxx Democratic

In the2016Cook County State's Attorney election, incumbent second-term State's AttorneyAnita Alvarez, a Democrat, lost her bid for reelection, being unseated in the Democratic primary byKim Foxx, who went on to win the general election.

Only Democrats had held this office ever since1996, whenRichard A. Devine unseated RepublicanJack O'Malley.^[11]

2016 Cook County Board of Review election

← 2014 November 8, 2016 2018 →
2 of 3 seats on theCook County Board of Review 2 seats needed for a majority
First party Second party   Party Democratic Republican Seats before 2 1 Seats after 2 1 Seat change Seats up 1 1 Races won 1 1

In the2016Cook County Board of Review election, two seats, one Democratic-held and one Republican-held, out of its three seats were up for election. Both incumbents won reelection.

The Cook County Board of Review has its three seats rotate the length of terms. In a staggered fashion (in which no two seats have coinciding two-year terms), the seats rotate between two consecutive four-year terms and a two-year term.^[12]

Incumbent second-term member Dan Patlak, a Republican, was reelected. Patlak was last reelected in2012. This election was to a four-year term.^[12]

No candidates, ballot-certified or formal write-in, ran in the Democratic primary.^[2] The Democrats ultimately nominated Marty Stack.

Incumbent memberMichael Cabonargi, a Democrat first appointed in 2011 and elected to a full term in2012, was reelected, running unopposed in both the Democratic primary and general election. This election was to a two-year term.^[12]

No candidates, ballot-certified or formal write-in, ran in the Republican primary.^[2]

2016 Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago election

← 2014 November 8, 2016 2018 →
4 of 9 seats on theMetropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago 5 seats needed for a majority
First party Second party Third party   Party Democratic Green Republican Seats before 8 0 1 Seats after 9 0 0 Seat change 1 1 Popular vote 4,242,494 1,173,374 482,277 Percentage 71.93% 19.90% 8.18% Seats up 3 0 1 Races won 4 0 0

In the2016Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago election, four of the nine seats on the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago board were up for election. Three were regularly scheduled elections, and one was a special election due to a vacancy.^[2]

Democrats won all four seats up for reelection. The two incumbents seeking reelection won, and two new members were also elected.

Three six-year term seats were up for the regularly scheduled election. Since three six-year seats were up for election, voters could vote for up to three candidates, and the top-three finishers would win.

Two of the incumbents for the three seats were seeking reelection, Barbara McGowan andMariyana Spyropoulos, both Democrats.^[13] Each won reelection. The third, newly elected, winner of the general election was fellow DemocratJosina Morita.

No candidates, ballot-certified or formal write-in, ran in the Republican primary.^[2]

A special election was held to fill the seat vacated whenPatrick Daley Thompson resigned to assume office as a Chicago alderman.^[14] This seat had been filled with an interim appointment by GovernorBruce Rauner of David J. Walsh.^[15] Walsh was a Republican.^[16]

13 judgeships on the Circuit Court of Cook County were up for partisan elections due to vacancies.^[1] 57 judgeships on the Circuit Court of Cook County were up forretention elections.^[17]

22 subcircuit courts judgeships were up for partisan elections due to vacancies.^[1] Other judgeships had retention elections.

Twoballot questions were included on ballots county-wide during the November general election.

A ballot question was referred by theCook County Board of Commissioners to the voters of Cook County as to whether the position ofCook County Recorder of Deeds should be eliminated, and its duties merged into the position Cook County Clerk. Voters ultimately approved the ballot question.

The sponsor of the legislation passed by the Cook County Board of Commissioners which created the ballot question wasJohn Fritchey.^[18] The legislation to create this ballot question passed unanimously in a vote of all seventeen members of the Board of Commissioners.^[18]

The last time the county had voted by referendum on whether to eliminate an elected office was in 1972, when voters strongly voted in favor of eliminating the elected position ofCook County Coroner, replacing it with an appointed medical examiner.^[19]

The ballot measure asked the question,

Shall the Office of the Cook County Recorder of Deeds be eliminated and all duties and responsibilities of the Office of the Cook County Recorder of Deeds be transferred to, and assumed by, the Office of the Cook County Clerk by December 7, 2020?^[20]

A ballot question was created by a successful citizeninitiative petition which asked Cook County voters whether they believed that Illinois should enact the Earned Sick Time for Employees Act, thus allowing Illinois workers to earn up to 40 hours of paid sick leave.^[21]

The ballot measure asked the question,

Shall Illinois enact the Earned Sick Time for Employees Act which will allow Illinois workers to earn up to 40 hours of sick time a year to take care of their own health or a family member's health?^[21]

Coinciding with the primaries, elections were held to elect both the Democratic and Republicancommitteepeople for the wards ofChicago.^[22]

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• 2016 Cook County, Illinois, elections
• Cook County, Illinois elections
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