Illinois General Assembly
General information
Type:	State legislature
Term limits:	None
Session start:	January 14, 2026
Website:	Official Legislature Page
Leadership
Senate President:	Don Harmon (D)
House Speaker:	Chris Welch (D)
Majority Leader:	Senate:Kimberly Lightford (D) House:Robyn Gabel (D)
Minority Leader:	Senate:John Curran (R) House:Tony McCombie (R)
Structure
Members:	59 (Senate), 118 (House)
Length of term:	4 years (Senate),2 years (House)
Authority:	Art IV, Illinois Constitution
Salary:	$93,712/year + per diem
Elections
Last election:	November 5, 2024
Next election:	November 3, 2026
Redistricting:	Illinois General Assembly has control

TheIllinois General Assembly is thestate legislature ofIllinois, created by the firstIllinois Constitution adopted in 1818. It works beside the executive branch led by the stategovernor and the judicial branch led by theIllinois Supreme Court. The Illinois General Assembly consists of theIllinois House of Representatives, the lower chamber, and theIllinois State Senate, the upper chamber.

The Illinois General Assembly convenes at the Illinois State Capitol in Springfield. Its first official working day is the second Wednesday in January each year. Its primary duties are to pass bills into law, approve the state budget, confirm appointments to state departments and agencies, act on federal constitutional amendments, and propose constitutional amendments for Illinois. It also has the power to override gubernatorial vetoes through a three-fifths majority vote in each chamber.

Illinois Ballot Question 1 in1980 alteredSection 1 of Article IV of theIllinois Constitution to reduce the number of members of theIllinois House of Representatives from 177 members to 118 members beginning with the elections in 1982.

Illinois has a Democratictrifecta. The Democratic Party controls the office of governor and both chambers of the state legislature.

See also:Illinois House of Representatives,Illinois State Senate,Illinois Governor

Senate

TheIllinois State Senate is the upper chamber of the Illinois General Assembly. It is made up of 59 senators elected from individual legislative districts determined by population.

As of the 2020 Census, Illinois state senators represented an average of217,335 residents. After the 2010 Census, each member represented218,040 residents.

There have been efforts to modify senatorial districts on a geographic basis in order to more accurately reflect the cultural, racial, and political makeup of outstate and downstate. In order to avoid complete turnovers in Senate membership, under the Illinois Constitution of 1970, some senators are elected to two-year terms while others are elected to four-year terms. Senate districts are divided into three groups. One or two of these groups are elected every two years for either a two or four-year term. The placement of the two-year term in the decade varies from one district to another, with all districts’ terms defined as 2-4-4, 4-2-4, or 4-4-2.

Click here for a list of members of this chamber.

Democrats won control of the Illinois State Senate in 2002. In2024, they won a 40-19 majority.

The table below shows the partisan history of the Illinois Senate following every general election from 1992 to 2024. All data from 2006 or earlier comes from Michael Dubin'sParty Affiliations in the State Legislatures (McFarland Press, 2007). Data after 2006 was compiled by Ballotpedia staff.

Before 1992

From 1900 to 2022, the Illinois State Senate switched partisan control nine times.

House of Representatives

TheIllinois House of Representatives is thelower house of the Illinois General Assembly. It is made of 118 representatives elected from individual legislative districts for a two-year term with noterm limits.

As of the 2020 Census, Illinois state representatives represented an average of108,667 residents. After the 2010 Census, each member represented109,020 residents.

Before theCutback Amendment to thestate constitution in 1980, the state was divided into 59 "legislative districts," each of which elected three representatives, yielding a House of 177 members. This unusual system was even more distinctive in that the individual voter was given three legislative votes to cast, and could cast either one vote each for three candidates, all three votes for one candidate (known as a "bullet vote"), or even 1 1/2 votes each for two candidates. After the passage of the Cutback Amendment, this system was abolished and representatives were elected from 118 single-representative constituencies.

Click here for a list of members of this chamber.

Democrats won control of the Illinois House of Representatives in 1996. In2024, they won a 78-40 majority.

The table below shows the partisan history of the Illinois House following every general election from 1992 to 2024. All data from 2006 or earlier comes from Michael Dubin'sParty Affiliations in the State Legislatures (McFarland Press, 2007). Data after 2006 was compiled by Ballotpedia staff.

Before 1992

From 1900 to 2022, the Illinois House of Representatives switched partisan control 15 times.

Elections

2026

See also:Illinois State Senate elections, 2026 andIllinois House of Representatives elections, 2026

Elections for theIllinois State Senate will take place in 2026. The general election is onNovember 3, 2026. The primary isMarch 17, 2026. The filing deadline wasNovember 3, 2025.

Elections for theIllinois House of Representatives will take place in 2026. The general election is onNovember 3, 2026. The primary isMarch 17, 2026. The filing deadline wasNovember 3, 2025.

2024

See also:Illinois State Senate elections, 2024 andIllinois House of Representatives elections, 2024

Elections for theIllinois State Senate took place in 2024. The general election was onNovember 5, 2024. The primary wasMarch 19, 2024. The filing deadline wasDecember 4, 2023.

In the 2024 election, the partisan breakdown did not change. Democrats maintained their majority of 40-19.

Elections for theIllinois House of Representatives took place in 2024. The general election was onNovember 5, 2024. The primary wasMarch 19, 2024. The filing deadline wasDecember 4, 2023.

In the 2024 election, the partisan breakdown did not change. Democrats maintained their majority of 78-40.

2022

See also:Illinois State Senate elections, 2022 andIllinois House of Representatives elections, 2022

Elections for theIllinois State Senate took place in 2022. The general election was on November 8, 2022. A primary was scheduled for June 28, 2022. The filing deadline was March 14, 2022.

Elections for theIllinois House of Representatives took place in 2022. The general election was on November 8, 2022. A primary was scheduled for June 28, 2022. The filing deadline was March 14, 2022.

2020

See also:Illinois State Senate elections, 2020 andIllinois House of Representatives elections, 2020

Elections for the office ofIllinois State Senate took place in 2020. The general election was held on November 3, 2020. A primary was scheduled for March 17, 2020. The filing deadline was December 2, 2019.

Elections for the office ofIllinois House of Representatives took place in 2020. The general election was held on November 3, 2020. A primary was scheduled for March 17, 2020. The filing deadline was December 2, 2019.

2018

See also:Illinois State Senate elections, 2018 andIllinois House of Representatives elections, 2018

Elections for theIllinois State Senate took place in 2018. An open primary election took place on March 20, 2018. The general election was held on November 6, 2018. The candidate filing deadline wasDecember 4, 2017.^[1]

Elections for theIllinois House of Representatives took place in 2018. An open primary election took place on March 20, 2018. The general election was held on November 6, 2018. The candidate filing deadline wasDecember 4, 2017.^[2]

2016

See also:Illinois State Senate elections, 2016 andIllinois House of Representatives elections, 2016

Elections for theIllinois State Senate were held in2016. The primary election was held on March 15, 2016, and the general election was held on November 8, 2016. The candidate filing deadline was November 30, 2015.^[3]

Elections for theIllinois House of Representatives were held in2016. The primary election was held on March 15, 2016, and the general election was held on November 8, 2016. The candidate filing deadline was November 30, 2015.^[4]

2014

See also:Illinois State Senate elections, 2014 andIllinois House of Representatives elections, 2014

Elections for theIllinois State Senate took place in 2014. A primary election took place on March 18, 2014. The general election was held onNovember 4, 2014. Thesignature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was December 2, 2013.

Elections for theIllinois House of Representatives took place in 2014. A primary election took place on March 18, 2014. The general election was held onNovember 4, 2014. Thesignature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was December 2, 2013.

2012

See also:Illinois State Senate elections, 2012 andIllinois House of Representatives elections, 2012

Elections for the office of Illinois State Senate took place in 2012. The primary election was held on March 20, 2012, and the general election was held onNovember 6, 2012. The candidate filing deadline was December 5, 2011.

Elections for the office of Illinois House of Representatives took place in 2012. The primary election was held on March 20, 2012, and the general election was held onNovember 6, 2012. The candidate filing deadline was December 5, 2011.

2010

See also:Illinois State Senate elections, 2010 andIllinois House of Representatives elections, 2010

Elections for the office of Illinois State Senate took place in 2010. The primary election was held on February 2, 2010, and the general election was held onNovember 2, 2010. The candidate filing deadline was November 2, 2009.

Elections for the office of Illinois House of Representatives took place in 2010. The primary election was held on February 2, 2010, and the general election was held onNovember 2, 2010. The candidate filing deadline was November 2, 2009.

Sessions

Article IV of the Illinois Constitution establishes when the General Assembly is to be in session. Section 5 of Article IV states that the General Assembly will convene its regular session on the second Wednesday of January.

Section 5 also creates rules for the convening of special sessions. The section allows thegovernor of Illinois to convene the General Assembly or the Senate alone. When the governor calls a special session, the General Assembly can generally only deal with matters related to the purpose of the session, as stated by the governor's proclamation of the session, but they can also deal with impeachments or confirmation of appointments. Section 5 also allows the presiding officers of both houses of the General Assembly to convene a special session through joint proclamation.

2025

See also:2025 Illinois legislative session andDates of 2025 state legislative sessions

In 2025, the legislature was scheduled to convene on January 8, 2025, and adjourn on May 31, 2025.

Click [show] for past years' session dates.

2024 See also:2024 Illinois legislative session andDates of 2024 state legislative sessions In 2024, the legislature was scheduled to convene on January 16, 2024, and adjourn on May 29, 2024. 2023 See also:2023 Illinois legislative session andDates of 2023 state legislative sessions In 2023, the legislature was scheduled to convene on January 11, 2023, and adjourn on May 27, 2023. 2022 See also:2022 Illinois legislative session andDates of 2022 state legislative sessions In 2022, the legislature was scheduled to convene on January 5, 2022, and adjourn on April 9, 2022. 2021 See also:2021 Illinois legislative session andDates of 2021 state legislative sessions In 2021, the legislature was scheduled to convene on January 13, 2021, and adjourn on June 1, 2021. 2020 See also:2020 Illinois legislative session andDates of 2020 state legislative sessions In 2020, the legislature was scheduled to convene on January 8, 2020, and adjourn on May 23, 2020. Effect of coronavirus pandemic See also:Changes to state legislative session dates in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, 2020 Coronavirus pandemic Select a topic from the dropdown below to learn more. Political responses overviewState reopening plansDocumenting America's Path to RecoveryElection changesChanges to vote-by-mail and absentee voting proceduresFederal responsesState responsesState executive ordersStay-at-home ordersMultistate agreementsNon-governmental reopening plansEvictions and foreclosures policiesTravel restrictionsEnacted state legislationState legislative session changesSchool closuresState court closuresInmate releasesLocal government responsesDiagnosed or quarantined politiciansBallot measure changesArguments about government responsesThe 1918 influenza pandemicPandemic Response Accountability CommitteeUnemployment filingsLawsuitsBallotpedia's polling on the coronavirus pandemicSubmit Several state legislatures had their sessions impacted as a result of the 2020 coronavirus pandemic. TheIllinois General Assembly suspended its session, effective March 16, 2020. The suspension was originally set to expire the week of March 23, 2020. It was subsequently extended. The legislature reconvened on May 20, 2020, before adjourning on May 23, 2020.[5][6][7][8][9][10] 2019 See also:2019 Illinois legislative session andDates of 2019 state legislative sessions In 2019, the legislature was in session from January 9, 2019, through November 14, 2019. 2018 See also:2018 Illinois legislative session andDates of 2018 state legislative sessions In 2018, the legislature was in session from January 8, 2018, through May 31, 2018. To read about notable events and legislation from this session, clickhere. 2017 See also:Dates of 2017 state legislative sessions In 2017, the legislature was in session from January 11, 2017, through May 31, 2017. The legislature held its first special session from June 21, 2017, to July 6, 2017. The legislature held its second special session from July 26, 2017, to July 31, 2017. The state Senate met on August 13, 2017, to override Gov.Bruce Rauner's (R) veto of a school funding formula. The state House met on August 16, but did not override the veto. The Illinois state Legislature met again from August 28 to August 29 in special session over school funding. The legislature held a veto session from October 24 to November 9. Click [show] to read about the 2017 Illinois budget debates. In 2017, disagreements between GovernorBruce Rauner (R) and the Democratic-controlledIllinois General Assembly over the state budget drew national attention when S&P Global Inc. and Moody’s Investors Service downgraded Illinois' credit rating and some government services, including transportation projects and the state lottery, were on the verge of being shut down.[11][12] Rauner and the legislature failed to come to an agreement on a budget during the regular session, which ended on May 31, leading Rauner to call a special session from June 21 to June 30, the last day of the 2017 fiscal year. A budget agreement was not reached before June 30, meaning Illinois entered the 2018 fiscal year without a budget. A budget was passed on July 6, 2017, when the legislature overrode Rauner's vetoes of a $36 billion spending plan and a $5 billion tax increase. In the votes in the Illinois House, 10 Republicans joined the Democrats in voting for the overrides. Up to this point, Illinois had not passed a budget since 2014, whenPat Quinn (D) served as governor. According toThe Associated Press, two years was the longest any state had gone without a budget in recent memory.[13] Important issues surrounding the budget debate included differences in Democratic and Republican plans concerning income tax rate increases, a property tax freeze, changes to regulations related to injured worker compensation, and the state's pension liabilities. The budget deal that eventually passed increased the personal income tax rate from 3.75 to 4.95 percent, increased the corporate tax rate from 5.25 to 7 percent, and left overall spending at $36 billion for fiscal year 2018.[14] The budget had an impact beyond the state, costing Wisconsin millions from its state budget. This was because, as of July 2017, Illinois and Wisconsin had a reciprocity agreement to account for the greater number of Wisconsinites that cross the state border to work in Illinois, but not pay state income taxes, than Illinoisans who came to work in Wisconsin. With higher incomes taxes in Illinois, Wisconsin's reciprocity payment increased.[15] Coverage of the budget negotiations centered on the relationship between Rauner and Speaker of the HouseMichael Madigan (D).[16] As of July 6, 2017, Rauner was seeking re-election as governor in 2018 and Madigan was defending the Democrats' 67-51 majority in the state house. Rauner and Madigan disagreed on a number of issues including whether the income tax increases should have been permanent.[17] Education funding $8.2 billion in state aid for public schools was included in the budget agreement. However, language was also included that said $6.76 billion of the aid had to be dispersed through a funding formula that calculated state aid for school districts based on the cost of strategies that supporters say are proven to improve student performance. The funding for districts could be increased by elements such as income, property wealth, and English-learning needs.[18][19][20]On August 29, the Illinois General Assembly passed a bill that included the necessary funding formula. Read more the timeline of events below. On May 31, the Legislature passed SB 1, which contained the necessary funding formula. Gov. Rauner indicated that he would veto the bill, causing Senate PresidentJohn Cullerton (D) to hold it in the chamber.[21] According to Rauner's office, the governor would not support the bill because he believed it would benefitChicago at the expense of other areas of the state.[22] On July 24, Rauner called the General Assembly into a special session starting July 26 to address education funding. He had set a deadline of 12:00pm CT on July 24 for Cullerton to send him SB 1 so that he could use his amendatory veto power to make unspecified changes to the provisions he disagreed with. When the deadline passed without Cullerton sending him the bill, he called the special session.[23] On July 31, the last day of the special session, SB 1 was transmitted to Rauner.[24] Rauner issued an amendatory veto on August 1, rewriting SB 1 to remove a $250 million block grant to Chicago Public Schools and changing how the funding formula determines state aid.[25] According to the Illinois State Board of Education, Rauner's changes would result in a $463 million decrease in funding for Chicago Public Schools in the 2017-2018 school year.[26] The Illinois Senate met on August 13 and overrode the veto by a 38-19 vote, with all Democrats and RepublicanSam McCann voting to override.[27] The Illinois House was scheduled to vote on the override on August 23, but Speaker Madigan cancelled the vote on August 22. He said that progress had been made in negotiations with Rauner and Republicans.[28][29][30] On August 24, the four leaders in the General Assembly— Madigan, Cullerton, Senate Minority LeaderBill Brady (R), and House Minority LeaderJim Durkin (R)— announced that they had reached a compromise agreement on SB 1. According toPolitico, the agreement kept the funding formula from SB 1 and included $75 million in subsidies for private school education.[31] On August 28, 2017, the Illinois House rejected the agreement in a 46-61 vote.[32] The chamber next voted on an override of SB 1. After the override vote received just 63 of the 71 votes it needed to pass, the chamber took up the compromise bill again and passed it 73-34.[33] On August 29, the Illinois Senate passed the compromise bill by a 38-13 vote.[34] Gov. Rauner signed the bill into law on August 31.[35] According toThe Chicago Sun-Times, some schools in low-income areas cannot remain open without the state money that is allocated by the budget.[18] In addition to the state aid in the budget, education funding in Illinois also comes from property taxes levied by local governments. Areas that pay more in property taxes can spend more on schools and are less dependent on state aid.[36] 2016 See also:Dates of 2016 state legislative sessions In 2016, the legislature was in session from January 13 through May 31. 2015 See also:Dates of 2015 state legislative sessions In 2015, the legislature was in session from January 14 through December 7 (extended session).[37] Major issues in 2015 Major issues during the 2015 legislative session included a potential income tax increase, a statewide minimum wage and federal healthcare funding.[38] 2014 See also:Dates of 2014 state legislative sessions In 2014, the legislature was in session from January 29 through June 2. Major issues in 2014 Major issues during the 2014 legislative session included the pending expiration of a temporary income tax, corporate tax incentives, Chicago pension reform, and capital construction.[39] 2013 See also:Dates of 2013 state legislative sessions In 2013, the legislature was in session from January 9 to May 31. Major issues in 2013 Major issues during the 2013 legislative session included regulation of horizontal hydraulic fracturing, concealed carry, same-sex marriage, and pension reform.[40][41][42][43] 2012 See also:Dates of 2012 state legislative sessions In 2012, the General Assembly was in regular session from January 11 to May 31. 2011 See also:Dates of 2011 state legislative sessions In 2011, the General Assembly was in session from January 12-June 1. A special session was called by GovernorPat Quinn (D) to settle disputes regarding Illinois construction projects on June 22, 2011.[44] 2010 See also:Dates of 2010 state legislative sessions In 2010, the General Assembly was in regular session from January 13th to May 7th.

Role in state budget

See also:Illinois state budget and finances

Illinoison

Check outBallotpedia articles about policy in your state on:

Budgets •Civil liberties •Education •Elections •Energy •Environment •Healthcare •Pensions

Illinois operates on an annual budget cycle. The sequence of key events in the budget process is:^[45][46]

1. InSeptember andOctober of the year preceding the start of the new fiscal year, thegovernor sends budget instructions to state agencies.
2. InOctober andNovember, agencies submit their budget requests to the governor.
3. Budget hearings with the public are held fromFebruary throughMay.
4. On the third Wednesday inFebruary, the governor submits his or her proposed budget to theIllinois General Assembly.
5. The General Assembly passes a budget inMay.

Illinois is one of 44 states in which the governor hasline item veto authority.^[46][47]

The governor is constitutionally required to submit a balanced budget. In turn, the legislature must pass a balanced budget.^[46]

Legislators

Salaries

See also:Comparison of state legislative salaries

Swearing in dates

See also:When state legislators assume office after a general election

Illinois legislators assume office the second Wednesday in January.^[49]

Redistricting

See also:Redistricting in Illinois

TheIllinois General Assembly is responsible for drawing both congressional and state legislative district lines. Both chambers of the state legislature must approve a redistricting plan. Thegovernor may veto the lines drawn by the state legislature.^[50]

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, theIllinois Supreme Court must select two individuals (from different political parties) as potential tiebreakers. Thesecretary of state must then appoint one of these individuals to the backup commission to break the tie.^[50]

TheIllinois Constitution requires that state legislative districts be "contiguous and reasonably compact." There are no such requirements in place for the state's congressional districts.^[50]

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 federalVoting Rights Act."^[50]

2020

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.^[51] 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 afederal lawsuit that was decided on December 30, 2021, with the court upholding the maps enacted on September 24, 2021.^[52] Learn morehere.

2010

Following the completion of the 2010 United States Census, Illinois lost one congressional seat. At the time of redistricting, Democrats held majorities in both chambers of thestate legislature. On May 30, 2011, theIllinois House of Representatives approved a congressional redistricting plan. TheIllinois State Senate approved the plan on May 31, 2011, and GovernorPat Quinn (D) signed it into law on June 24, 2011. Legal suits were filed challenging the new congressional district map, but these were all ultimately dismissed.^[50][53][54]

The state legislative redistricting plan was passed by the legislature on May 27, 2011. Quinn signed the map into law on June 3, 2011. As with the congressional map, lawsuits were filed challenging the new state legislative districts. These suits were ultimately dismissed.^[50]

District maps

State Senate

State House

Veto overrides

See also:Veto overrides in state legislatures

State legislatures can override governors' vetoes. Depending on the state, this can be done during the regular legislative session, in a special session following the adjournment of the regular session, or during the next legislative session. The rules for legislative overrides of gubernatorial vetoes in Illinois are listed below.

How many legislators are required to vote for an override? Three-fifths of members in both chambers.

Are there other special rules?

Authority:Article IV, Section 9 of theIllinois Constitution.

History

Partisan balance 1992-2013

See also:Ballotpedia:Who Runs the States andBallotpedia:Who Runs the States, Illinois

Illinois State Senate:From 1992-2013, the Democratic Party was the majority in the Illinois State Senate for 12 years while the Republicans were the majority for 10 years. The final 11 years of the study depicted a shift in the Illinois senate with all 11 years being Democratictrifectas.

Across the country, there were 541 Democratic and 517 Republican state senates from 1992 to 2013.

Illinois State House of Representatives:From 1992-2013, the Democratic Party was the majority in the Illinois State House of Representatives for 20 years while the Republicans were the majority for 2 years. The Illinois State House of Representatives is one of 18 state Houses that was Democratic for more than 80 percent of the years between 1992-2013. During the final 11 years of the study, Illinois was under Democratictrifectas.

Across the country, there were 577 Democratic and 483 Republican State Houses of Representatives from 1992 to 2013.

Over the course of the 22-year study, state governments became increasingly more partisan. At the outset of the study period (1992), 18 of the 49 states with partisan legislatures had single-party trifectas and 31 states had divided governments. In 2013, only 13 states had divided governments, while single-party trifectas held sway in 36 states, the most in the 22 years studied.

The chart below shows the partisan composition of theOffice of the Governor of Illinois, theIllinois State Senate and theIllinois House of Representatives from 1992 to 2013.

SQLI and partisanship

To read the full report on theState Quality of Life Index (SQLI) in PDF form, clickhere.

Illinois was one of eight states to demonstratea dramatic partisan shift in the 22 years studied. A dramatic shift was defined by a movement of 40 percent or more toward one party over the course of the study period.

The chart below depicts the partisanship of the Illinois state government and the state's SQLI ranking for the years studied. For the SQLI, the states were ranked from 1-50, with 1 being the best and 50 the worst. For a period of two years (1995 and 1996), Illinois had a Republican trifecta between two periods of divided government (1992-1995 and 1997-2002). Between 2003 and 2013, Illinois has had a Democratic trifecta. For four straight years, Illinois was in the top-10 in the SQLI ranking between 1997 and 2000 under divided government. Illinois slipped into the bottom-10 in the ranking in the year 2012 (41st) under a Democratic trifecta. The state had its most precipitous drop in the SQLI ranking between 2006 and 2007, dropping nine spots. Illinois had its biggest leap in the SQLI ranking between 1996 and 1997, rising eight spots in the ranking.

• SQLI average with Democratic trifecta: 27.10
• SQLI average with Republican trifecta: 11.50
• SQLI average with divided government: 11.78

Chart displaying the partisanship of Illinois government from 1992-2013 and the State Quality of Life Index (SQLI).

Roles and responsibilities

Amending the constitution

Main article:Amending state constitutions

The Illinois state legislature underArticle XIV of theIllinois Constitution can begin the process of amending the state's constitution in two different ways:

• Aconstitutional convention can be held if 60% of the members of both houses of theIllinois General Assembly vote to place such a question on the ballot.
• Anlegislatively referred constitutional amendment can be proposed if 60% of the members of both houses of theIllinois General Assembly vote to put in on the ballot, with some constraints which include:

• The legislature can only propose to amend up to three articles of the constitution in any one election.
• The legislature is not allowed to propose any amendments when a constitutional convention has been called up through the time that an election is held on any proposed amendments or revisions that arise from that convention.

Whether the question at hand is about holding aconstitutional convention, ratifying an amendment proposed by theIllinois General Assembly, or adopting aninitiated constitutional amendment, these ballot questions are only considered successful if voters say "yes" by a supermajority vote of 60% of those voting on the questionor a majority of those who cast a ballot for any office in that election.

Joint Legislative Committees

See also:Public policy in Illinois

The Illinois General Assembly has four joint standing committees.

Constitutional amendments

In every state but Delaware, voter approval is required to enact a constitutional amendment. In each state, the legislature has a process forreferring constitutional amendments before voters. In 18 states,initiated constitutional amendments can be put on the ballot through a signature petition drive. There are alsomany other types of statewide measures.

The methods in which the Illinois Constitution can be amended:

See also:Article XIV of the Illinois Constitution andLaws governing ballot measures in Illinois

The Illinois Constitution provides four mechanisms for amending the state constitution—a constitutional convention, a legislative process, and a citizen-initiated process.

Initiative

See also:Initiated constitutional amendment

Aninitiated constitutional amendment is acitizen-initiated ballot measure that amends astate's constitution. Eighteen (18) states allow citizens to initiate constitutional amendments.

In Illinois, thenumber of signatures required for an initiated constitutional amendment is equal to 8% of votes cast for governor in the previous gubernatorial election. Initiated measures in Illinois may only amendArticle IV of the Illinois Constitution, which addresses the structure of theIllinois State Legislature. All amendments must be approved by either a majority of those voting in the election or three-fifths of those voting on the amendment itself.

Legislature

See also:Legislatively referred constitutional amendment

According toArticle XVI, the state Legislature can refer constitutional amendments to the ballot for voters to decide.A 60% vote is required during one legislative session for theIllinois General Assembly to place a constitutional amendment on the ballot. That amounts to a minimum of 71 votes in theIllinois House of Representatives and 36 votes in theIllinois State Senate, assuming no vacancies. Amendments do not require the governor's signature to be referred to the ballot.

Convention

See also:Convention-referred constitutional amendment

According toArticle XIV of theIllinois Constitution, a question about whether to hold a constitutional convention is toautomatically appear on the state's ballot every 20 years starting in 1918. Illinois is one of 14 states that provides for an automatic constitutional convention question. A constitutional convention question can also be placed before the state's voters if 60% of the members of both houses of theIllinois General Assembly vote in the affirmative. If such a question does appear on the ballot, it must be affirmed by a supermajority vote of 60% of those voting on the question or a majority of those who cast a ballot for any office in that election.

The table below shows the last and next constitutional convention question election years:

See also

Elections	Illinois State Government	State Legislatures	State Politics
Illinois elections, 2024 Illinois elections, 2022 Illinois elections, 2020 Illinois elections, 2018	Illinois State Senate Illinois House of Representatives Governor of Illinois Illinois Supreme Court	State legislative elections:2025,2024,2023,2022,2021,2020,2019, and2018	State government trifectas State government triplexes State executives State courts Ballot measures The State Legislative Decade

External links

• Illinois General Assembly

Footnotes

	v • e State ofIllinois Springfield (capital)
Elections	What's on my ballot? |Elections in 2026 |How to vote |How to run for office |Ballot measures
Government	Who represents me? |U.S. President |U.S. Congress |Federal courts |State executives |State legislature |State and local courts |Counties |Cities |School districts |Public policy