| Election Name: | 1978 Illinois elections |
| Country: | Illinois |
| Type: | presidential |
| Ongoing: | no |
| Previous Election: | 1976 Illinois elections |
| Previous Year: | 1976 |
| Next Election: | 1980 Illinois elections |
| Next Year: | 1980 |
| Election Date: | November 7, 1978 |
| Turnout: | 57.55% |
Elections were held in Illinois on Tuesday, November 7, 1978.[1]
Primaries were held on March 21, 1978.[2]
This was the first election that the 1970 Constitution of Illinois' change took effect that all statewide executive offices would be elected in national midterm years.
1978 was a midterm election year in the United States.
This was the first election that the 1970 Constitution of Illinois' change took effect that all statewide executive offices would be elected in national midterm years.[3] To accommodate this, in 1976, all statewide executive offices that were up for election were elected to two-year terms that would expire following the 1978 elections.
Turnout in the primary election was 25.14%, with a total of 1,482,034 ballots cast. 911,290 Democratic and 570,744 Republican primary ballots were cast.[2]
Turnout during the general election was 57.55%, with 3,342,985 ballots cast.[1]
See main article: 1978 United States Senate election in Illinois.
See also: 1978 United States Senate elections.
Incumbent Republican Charles H. Percy was reelected to a third term.
See also: 1978 United States House of Representatives elections.
All 24 Illinois seats in the United States House of Representatives were up for election in 1978. The Republican Party flipped one seat, leaving the composition of Illinois' House delegation to consist of 13 Republicans and 11 democrats.
See main article: 1978 Illinois gubernatorial election.
| Election Name: | 1978 Illinois gubernatorial election |
| Country: | Illinois |
| Type: | presidential |
| Ongoing: | no |
| Previous Election: | 1976 Illinois gubernatorial election |
| Previous Year: | 1976 |
| Next Election: | 1982 Illinois gubernatorial election |
| Next Year: | 1982 |
| Election Date: | November 7, 1978 |
| Nominee1: | James R. Thompson |
| Party1: | Republican Party (United States) |
| Running Mate1: | David C. O'Neal |
| Popular Vote1: | 1,859,684 |
| Percentage1: | 59.0% |
| Nominee2: | Michael Bakalis |
| Party2: | Democratic Party (United States) |
| Running Mate2: | Dick Durbin |
| Popular Vote2: | 1,263,134 |
| Percentage2: | 40.1% |
| Governor | |
| Before Election: | James R. Thompson |
| Before Party: | Republican Party (United States) |
| After Election: | James R. Thompson |
| After Party: | Republican Party (United States) |
| Turnout: | 54.23% |
Incumbent Governor James R. Thompson and Lieutenant Governor David C. O'Neal, Republicans, jointly won reelection to a second term.
| Election Name: | 1978 Illinois Attorney General election |
| Country: | Illinois |
| Type: | presidential |
| Ongoing: | no |
| Previous Election: | 1976 Illinois Attorney General election |
| Previous Year: | 1976 |
| Next Election: | 1982 Illinois Attorney General election |
| Next Year: | 1982 |
| Election Date: | November 7, 1978 |
| Image1: | William J. Scott (Illinois politician) (3x4).png |
| Nominee1: | William J. Scott |
| Party1: | Republican Party (United States) |
| Popular Vote1: | 1,989,758 |
| Percentage1: | 64.81% |
| Nominee2: | Richard J. Troy |
| Party2: | Democratic Party (United States) |
| Popular Vote2: | 1,050,085 |
| Percentage2: | 34.20% |
| Map Size: | 150px |
| Attorney General | |
| Before Election: | William J. Scott |
| Before Party: | Republican Party (United States) |
| After Election: | William J. Scott |
| After Party: | Republican Party (United States) |
| Turnout: | 52.85% |
Incumbent Attorney General William J. Scott, a Republican, was elected to a fourth term.
Richard J. Troy, a Commissioner of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago,[4] won the Democratic primary, running unopposed.
Incumbent William J. Scott won the Republican primary, running unopposed.
| Election Name: | 1978 Illinois Secretary of State election |
| Country: | Illinois |
| Type: | presidential |
| Ongoing: | no |
| Previous Election: | 1976 Illinois elections#Secretary of State |
| Previous Year: | 1976 |
| Next Election: | 1982 Illinois elections#Secretary of State |
| Next Year: | 1982 |
| Election Date: | November 7, 1978 |
| Image1: | Alan Dixon (Illinois Blue Book Portrait 1977-1978) (cropped).png |
| Nominee1: | Alan J. Dixon |
| Party1: | Democratic Party (United States) |
| Popular Vote1: | 2,314,546 |
| Percentage1: | 73.82% |
| Nominee2: | Sharon Sharp |
| Party2: | Republican Party (United States) |
| Popular Vote2: | 797,560 |
| Percentage2: | 25.44% |
| Map Size: | 150px |
| Secretary of State | |
| Before Election: | Alan J. Dixon |
| Before Party: | Democratic Party (United States) |
| After Election: | Alan J. Dixon |
| After Party: | Democratic Party (United States) |
| Turnout: | 53.98% |
Incumbent Secretary of State Alan J. Dixon, a Democrat, was reelected to a second term.
Dixon's margin-of victory was considered to be a landslide.[5]
Incumbent Alan J. Dixon won the Democratic primary, running unopposed.
Elk Grove Township Clerk[5] Sharon Sharp won the Republican primary, running unopposed.
| Election Name: | 1978 Illinois State Comptroller election |
| Country: | Illinois |
| Type: | presidential |
| Ongoing: | no |
| Previous Election: | 1976 Illinois elections #Comptroller |
| Previous Year: | 1976 |
| Next Election: | 1982 Illinois elections #Comptroller |
| Next Year: | 1982 |
| Election Date: | November 7, 1978 |
| Image1: | Sen Roland Burris (a).jpg |
| Nominee1: | Roland Burris |
| Party1: | Democratic Party (United States) |
| Popular Vote1: | 1,542,983 |
| Percentage1: | 51.67% |
| Nominee2: | John W. Castle |
| Party2: | Republican Party (United States) |
| Popular Vote2: | 1,389,049 |
| Percentage2: | 46.52% |
| State Comptroller | |
| Before Election: | Michael Bakalis |
| Before Party: | Democratic Party (United States) |
| After Election: | Roland Burris |
| After Party: | Democratic Party (United States) |
| Turnout: | 51.40% |
Incumbent Comptroller Michael Bakalis, a Democrat, did not seek a second term, instead opting to run for governor. Democrat Roland Burris was elected to succeed him. In winning the election, Burris became the first American American to be elected to statewide office in Illinois.[6]
With more than 64% of the vote, Roland Burris defeated State Representative Richard Luft in the Democratic primary.[1]
Burris was a Chicago attorney that had formerly served as director of the Department of General Services under Governor Dan Walker. Luft had been the early favorite for the party to slate, but at the last minute was beaten out by Burris when the party finally slated candidates. It was reported that black Chicago Democrats had pressured the party to slate a black candidate for statewide office.
During the campaign, Burris and Luft argued over Burris' record as director of the Department of General Services.
With more than 52% of the vote, John W. Castle, director of the Department of Local Government Affairs, defeated W. Robert Blair, former Speaker of the Illinois House of Representatives, in the Republican primary.[1] Governor James R. Thompson, who had convinced Castle to abandon his declared plans to run for treasurer and instead run for comptroller, publicly endorsed Castle. Blair criticized Castle for this endorsement, alleging that he would not be able to operate the comptroller's office independently of the governor, while Castle denied that his decisions would be influenced by his political ties to Thompson.
| Election Name: | 1978 Illinois State Treasurer election |
| Country: | Illinois |
| Type: | presidential |
| Ongoing: | no |
| Previous Election: | 1974 Illinois elections#Treasurer |
| Previous Year: | 1974 |
| Next Election: | 1982 Illinois elections#Treasurer |
| Next Year: | 1982 |
| Election Date: | November 7, 1978 |
| Nominee1: | Jerome Cosentino |
| Party1: | Democratic Party (United States) |
| Popular Vote1: | 1,548,605 |
| Percentage1: | 51.95% |
| Nominee2: | James M. Skelton |
| Party2: | Republican Party (United States) |
| Popular Vote2: | 1,383,966 |
| Percentage2: | 46.42% |
| Treasurer | |
| Before Election: | Donald R. Smith |
| Before Party: | Illinois Republican Party |
| After Election: | Jerome Cosentino |
| After Party: | Illinois Democratic Party |
| Turnout: | 51.32% |
Incumbent Treasurer was Donald R. Smith, a Republican who had been appointed in 1977, did not seek reelection. Democrat Jerome Cosentino was elected to succeed him in office. This election made Cosentino the first Italian-American to be elected to statewide office in Illinois.[7]
In the Democratic primary, the party establishment had slated Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago commissioner Jerome Cosentino as its preferred candidate.[8] He won the primary with 60% of the vote, defeating Nina T. Shepherd, a trustee of the University of Illinois.[8] Shepherd received the endorsement of Independent Voter of Illinois in the primary.[8] She ran largely due to the failure of the party of slate a woman for any statewide office.[8] The primary was not overly heated.[8] One issue that haunted Cosentino was that his trucking firm was under investigation by the Interstate Commerce Commission for possible violations of the Interstate Commerce Act.[8] While the investigation found no evidence of wrongdoing, it was not completed until after the primary was over.[8]
James M. Skelton won a narrow 52% victory over Bradley M. Glass in the Republican primary.[8] With Skelton being a downstate politician, and Glass being an upstate politician, the race had the dynamics of "downstate vs. upstate".[8] John W. Castle had originally announced that he would run for the Republican nomination for Treasurer, before being convinced by Governor James R. Thompson to instead run for comptroller.[8]
One-third of the seats of the Illinois Senate were up for election in 1982. Democrats retained control of the chamber.
All of the seats in the Illinois House of Representatives were up for election in 1978. Democrats retained control of the chamber.
| Election Name: | 1978 Trustees of University of Illinois election |
| Type: | presidential |
| Ongoing: | no |
| Previous Election: | 1976 Illinois elections#Trustees of University of Illinois |
| Previous Year: | 1976 |
| Next Election: | 1980 Illinois elections#Trustees of University of Illinois |
| Next Year: | 1980 |
| Election Date: | November 7, 1978 |
An election was held for three of nine seats for Trustees of University of Illinois system.
The election saw the reelection incumbent second-term Republican Ralph Crane Hahn and the election of new members, Democrats Edmund Roche Donoghue and Paul Stone.[1]
Incumbent Republican Park Livingston and incumbent first-term Republican Jane Hayes Rader lost reelection.[1]
Multiple judicial positions were up for election in 1978.[1]
Illinois voters voted on a two legislatively referred constitutional amendment ballot measures in 1978.[9] In order to be approved, the measures required either 60% support among those specifically voting on the measure or 50% support among all ballots cast in the elections.[9]
The Personal Property Tax Amendment (also known as "Amendment 1") was a legislatively referred constitutional amendment which would have amended Article IX, Section 5 of the Constitution of Illinois to eliminate the provision that required the legislature to abolish the personal property tax by January 1, 1979.[9] [10] It failed to meet either threshold to amend the constitution.[9]
| Personal Property Tax Amendment | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Option | Votes | % of votes on measures | % of all ballots cast | ||||
| text align=center | Yes | text align=center | 952,416 | text align=center | 56.48 | text align=center | 28.49 |
| text align=center | No | text align=center | 733,845 | text align=center | 43.52 | text align=center | 21.95 |
| text align=center | Total votes | text align=center | 1,686,261 | text align=center | 100 | text align=center | 50.44 |
| Voter turnout | colspan=3 text align=right | 29.03% |
The Exempt Veterans' Organizations from Property Taxes Amendment (also known as "Property Tax Exemption for Veterans' Organizations Amendment" and "Amendment 2") was a legislatively referred constitutional amendment which would have amended Article IX, Section 6 of the Constitution of Illinois to exempt veterans' associations from paying property taxes on their meeting halls.[9] [11] It failed to meet either threshold to amend the constitution.[9]
| Exempt Veterans' Organizations from Property Taxes Amendment | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Option | Votes | % of votes on measures | % of all ballots cast | ||||
| text align=center | Yes | text align=center | 747,907 | text align=center | 48.11 | text align=center | 22.37 |
| text align=center | No | text align=center | 806,579 | text align=center | 51.89 | text align=center | 24.13 |
| text align=center | Total votes | text align=center | 1,554,486 | text align=center | 100 | text align=center | 46.50 |
| Voter turnout | colspan=3 text align=right | 26.76% |
Local elections were held.