Low Voter Turnout on Property Tax Referendums in Cook County
Analysis by Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas reveals that less than a fifth of voters participated in recent property tax referendums, allowing a minority to approve significant tax increases and bond issues.
Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas has highlighted a significant concern regarding low voter turnout in local property tax referendums. An analysis conducted by her office shows that only approximately 20.1% of eligible voters participated in recent local and 2026 primary elections where decisions on hundreds of millions of dollars in new bonds and millions in direct tax increases were made.
Despite widespread complaints about rising property taxes, the decisions are often made by a small fraction of the electorate. In recent ballot measures, fewer than 10% of voters weighed in on four out of twenty binding property tax increase proposals. The fifteen approved referendums resulted in the issuance of $335.5 million in bonds and $3.5 million in annual tax increases.
Pappas expressed bewilderment that residents complain daily about high taxes but fail to vote when given the opportunity to decide on them. The lowest turnout was recorded for a tax increase proposal in the Northbrook Rural Fire Protection District, with only 4.9% of eligible voters participating. This measure, though approved, will increase taxes by $106.26 annually for the owner of a $350,000 home.
The highest participation rate, 40.6%, occurred in Oak Park, where voters nevertheless overwhelmingly rejected a Park District proposal for $40 million in bonds for an aquatic center. Pappas concluded that homeowners need to take action beyond mere complaints and actively participate in voting.