Illinois Income Taxes (Chicago, DeKalb, Kane: 2013, condo, home)

[linicx]

The only state in Illinois that is dominated by Democrates is Cook. The rest of the state is not nearly as left leaning.

[Nodpete]

Originally Posted by linicx

The only state in Illinois that is dominated by Democrates is Cook. The rest of the state is not nearly as left leaning.

I beg to differ, downstate IL. almost always votes Dem. But I'll bet on one thing, now that the IL. Supreme Court ruled the way they did on pensions, IL. will raise income tax, tax pensions, tax SS and raise property taxes. They don't have to many other ways to go. Oh, and I forgot personal property taxes. Mark my words.

[cubssoxfan]

^^not correct. Sure, areas around union employers like Peoria, Springfield, Rock Island/Moline and around large universities like Champaign/Urbana and Carbondale will. But otherwise Illinois is overwhelmingly red outside Cook Co and some of the collar county pockets!

[Nodpete]

Originally Posted by cubssoxfan

^^not correct. Sure, areas around union employers like Peoria, Springfield, Rock Island/Moline and around large universities like Champaign/Urbana and Carbondale will. But otherwise Illinois is overwhelmingly red outside Cook Co and some of the collar county pockets!

True, but the number of people in those red areas is so small it doesn't matter at all.

[Maintainschaos]

Originally Posted by Nodpete

True, but the number of people in those red areas is so small it doesn't matter at all.

I'd have to agree. Land area doesn't vote; people do. The sizable populations in Illinois are in northern Illinois, central Illinois and the Metro East.

A chunk of the Metro-East tends to vote Democratic, as does Champaign-Urbana, the Quad Cities, Peoria, and sometimes Decatur. Springfield and Bloomington-Normal are usually middle of the road if not slightly Republican leaning. The rest of Illinois counties (save for Rockford and those around Chicago, obviously) have very small populations.

[MSchemist80]

Didn't Quinn win only 3 or 5 counties in the last election?

[Maintainschaos]

Originally Posted by MSchemist80

Didn't Quinn win only 3 or 5 counties in the last election?

Yes, something like four counties, and still the largest number of votes.

[Lainer]

Some people may have forgotten this, but Illinois was NOT always a "blue" state, either in the presidential election sense (i.e. electoral votes always going to the Democratic candidate) or in the broader sense of the state government being controlled by Democrats. IL has been consistently Democrat in presidential elections only since 1992, and in the 1960s and '70s was still one of the highly coveted "swing" states that could go either way.

In addition, Republicans occupied the governor's office continuously from 1977 through 2003. (For this reason as well as others, the Springfield/Sangamon County area has long been a GOP stronghold; many people still remember when Republican affiliation was, shall we say, a definite asset in getting a job with the state.) Democratic control of the legislature has been more consistent, but up until 1980 a practice known as cumulative voting was used to elect IL House members -- there were three reps from every district, and you could cast one vote for each of three candidates, 1 1/2 votes for each of two candidates, or 3 votes for one candidate. The result was that at least one member of the minority party (Republicans in Chicago, Democrats in some downstate areas) usually got elected in each district, and party control was not nearly as monolithic as it is today. Why did this practice end? Well, you can thank our current governor, who in his younger days led the charge for the "Cutback Amendment" to the state constitution that reduced the size of the legislature and eliminated cumulative voting. This was sold as a way to make government more "efficient", but it also had the effect of making it easier for a single party or individual to control everything.

I personally believe that the number one reason IL has become a "blue" state is that the Chicago suburbs, which used to be a GOP stronghold, have become much more Democrat leaning in the last 25 years or so. Even at its height of population Chicago alone did not have enough votes to determine who was elected governor or president (the legend/rumor of Mayor Daley Sr. and JFK notwithstanding). The suburbs are the real swing area and they have gained heavily in population and veered more strongly to the left in recent years.

[linicx]

Peoria is more politically diverse than most believe partly because the history, culture, and religious beliefs are very diverse. There are also many opportunities for residents to be involved in groups aside from national parties.

When residents tire of "one note" politics they will vote differently.

[pete6032]

Originally Posted by linicx

IL has 12 million residents of which two-thirds live in Cook County and Chicago.

Lolwut.

Cook County is 5.2 million people, not 8 million.