Chicago Voters Back Millionaires Tax and Gunshot Detection
Chicago voters backed a series of nonbinding ballot questions on November 3, signaling support for proposals on taxes, public safety, festivals and the effects of last year’s immigration enforcement campaign. The unofficial results were based on about 95% of precincts reporting; the questions do not themselves change city or state policy.
A 3% surcharge on income above $1 million, with revenue directed to education and property tax relief, received 80.6% support. A separate question on taxing millionaires to fund schools won about 81%. The proposals come amid years of debate over a millionaires tax. Opponents have argued such a tax could harm business owners and prompt taxpayers to leave Illinois.
Some 72.5% supported restarting gunshot detection technology. Chicago ended its ShotSpotter contract in September 2024, after Mayor Brandon Johnson cited studies questioning the technology’s effectiveness. His administration announced plans last month for a new detection pilot in areas across the South and West sides.
The strongest support, 84.9%, went to a proposal urging the city to ask Washington to reimburse expenses and losses linked to Operation Midway Blitz. The question included lost tax revenue, public safety expenses and services for affected families. Federal agents detained more than 3,800 people during the enforcement campaign, most of them Latino, federal records show; a University of Illinois Chicago study estimated that immigrant business corridors lost more than $1 billion in economic activity.
Voters also favored levying a fee on owners of empty or unbuilt property to fund schools, with 73.8% in favor, and exploring a permanent outdoor festival and event space, with 67.8% support. No site has been proposed for the event grounds. Elected officials will decide whether to act on the advisory results.
Chicago Voters Demand Fairer Taxes and Safer Communities
Chicago voters sent a strong message on November 3: public needs deserve public investment, and the costs of federal enforcement should not simply fall on affected communities. The advisory questions do not enact policy, but their results give elected leaders a clear mandate to consider action.
More than 80% backed both proposals to tax millionaires, including a 3% surcharge on income above $1 million to support schools and property tax relief. The tax debate has stalled in Springfield, while opponents warn it could drive taxpayers away. That concern should be weighed against voters’ support for education funding and relief for property taxpayers.
Nearly three-quarters favored restarting gunshot detection technology, and the Johnson administration has said it plans a pilot in neighborhoods across Chicago’s South and West sides. Chicago ended its ShotSpotter contract in 2024 after the mayor cited studies questioning its effectiveness. The vote adds pressure for a public-safety response as officials weigh what technology to use.
The city should also take seriously the 84.9% who supported seeking compensation for costs and economic harm associated with Operation Midway Blitz. The question covers lost tax revenue, emergency response expenses and services for affected families. A cited study estimated more than $1 billion in lost economic activity in immigrant business corridors.
Voters also favored a vacant-land penalty to fund schools and exploring permanent festival grounds. These nonbinding results leave decisions to elected leaders, but dismissing their clear support would disregard the priorities Chicagoans expressed.
Chicago’s Nonbinding Votes Leave Costly Choices to Leaders
Chicago’s November 3 ballot results are a signal, not a mandate to enact policy. The questions were nonbinding, and elected officials still must decide whether proposals with real fiscal and public-safety consequences make sense.
About 81% supported taxing millionaires for schools, and 80.6% favored a 3% surcharge on income above $1 million to support education and property tax relief. But opponents have warned that higher taxes could hurt business owners and push taxpayers out of Illinois. A strong advisory vote does not resolve those concerns or establish what the policy would ultimately do.
Voters also favored restarting gunshot detection technology, with 72.5% support. Mayor Brandon Johnson ended the ShotSpotter contract in September 2024, citing studies that questioned its effectiveness; his administration now plans a pilot using new technology in parts of the South and West sides. Officials should weigh the evidence and practical costs rather than treat the ballot question as a substitute for that judgment.
The 84.9% support for seeking federal compensation over Operation Midway Blitz reflects concerns about lost revenue, public safety costs and services for affected families. It does not itself secure reimbursement. The city must decide how to proceed.
Voters also backed a vacant-land penalty for schools and exploring permanent festival grounds. Those proposals, too, require choices about implementation and funding. The results deserve attention, but they do not settle the underlying policy questions.
Reported by Block Club Chicago, CBS Chicago.
