Aldermanic elections in Chicago

Elections in Illinois
Federal government U.S. Presidential elections 1824 1828 1832 1836 1840 1844 1848 1852 1856 1860 1864 1868 1872 1876 1880 1884 1888 1892 1896 1900 1904 1908 1912 1916 1920 1924 1928 1932 1936 1940 1944 1948 1952 1956 1960 1964 1968 1972 1976 1980 1984 1988 1992 1996 2000 2004 Dem 2008 Dem Rep 2012 Dem Rep 2016 Dem Rep 2020 Dem Rep U.S. Senate elections 1818 1819 1823 1824 1824 sp 1825 1830 sp 1831 1835 1837 1843 1846 1849 1849 sp 1853 1859 1861 1863 sp 1867 1879 1882 1885 1885 sp 1887 sp 1888 1890 1894 1896 1897 1901 1903 1907 1909 1913 1913 sp 1914 1918 1920 1924 1926 1928 sp 1930 1932 1936 1938 1940 sp 1942 1944 1948 1950 1954 1956 1960 1962 1966 1968 1970 sp 1972 1974 1978 1980 1984 1986 1990 1992 1996 1998 2002 2004 2008 2010 2010 sp 2014 2016 2020 2022 2026 U.S. House elections 1818 1819 1820 1822 1824 1826 1828 1831 1832 1834 1836 1838 1840 1842 1844 1846 1848 1850 1852 1854 1856 1858 1859 6th sp 1860 1861 6th sp 1862 1864 1866 1868 1870 1871 AL sp 1872 1874 1876 1878 1880 1882 1884 1886 1888 1890 1892 1894 1895 10th sp 18th sp 1896 1898 1900 1902 1904 1906 1908 1910 1912 1914 1916 1918 4th sp 1920 1922 AL sp 1923 2nd sp 4th sp 1924 1926 1928 1930 1932 1934 1936 1938 1940 1942 1944 19th sp 1946 1948 1950 1952 1953 7th sp 1954 1956 1957 7th sp 1958 1960 1962 1964 1966 1968 1969 13th sp 1970 6th sp 1972 15th sp 1973 7th sp 1974 1975 5th sp 1976 1978 1980 10th sp 1982 1983 1st sp 1984 1985 14th sp 1986 1988 21st sp 1990 1991 15th sp 1992 1994 1995 2nd sp 1996 1998 2000 1st 2002 2004 2006 2008 14th sp 2009 5th sp 2010 17th 2012 2013 2nd sp 2014 2015 18th sp 2016 2018 2020 2022
State government General elections 1936 1938 1940 1942 1944 1946 1948 1950 1952 1954 1956 1958 1960 1962 1964 1966 1968 1969 1970 1972 1974 1976 1978 1980 1982 1984 1986 1988 1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018 2020 2022 Gubernatorial elections 1818 1822 1826 1830 1834 1838 1842 1846 1848 1852 1856 1860 1864 1868 1872 1876 1880 1884 1888 1892 1896 1900 1904 1908 1912 1916 1920 1924 1928 1932 1936 1940 1944 1948 1952 1956 1960 1964 1968 1972 1976 1978 1982 1986 1990 1994 1998 2002 2006 2010 2014 2018 2022 Lieutenant Gubernatorial elections 1900 1904 1908 1912 1916 1920 1924 1928 1932 1936 1940 1944 1948 1952 1956 1960 1964 1968 Attorney General elections 2018 Secretary of State elections 2022 Comptroller elections 2016 Senate elections 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018 2020 2022 House of Representatives elections 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018 2020 2022 Judicial elections 2012 2014 2016 2018 2020 2022
Ballot measures Nov 1980: Cutback Amendment Nov 2010: Illinois Governor Recall Amendment Nov 2012: Illinois Public Pension Amendment Nov 2014: Marsy's Law Nov 2014: Illinois Right to Vote Amendment Nov 2020: Illinois Fair Tax
Chicago General elections 2019 Mayoral elections 1837 1838 1839 1840 1841 1842 1843 1844 1845 1846 1847 1848 1849 1850 1851 1852 1853 1854 1855 1856 1857 1858 1859 1860 1861 1862 1863 1865 1867 1869 1871 1873 1876 1877 1879 1881 1883 1885 1887 1889 1891 1893 1893 sp 1895 1897 1899 1901 1903 1905 1907 1911 1915 1919 1923 1927 1931 1935 1939 1943 1947 1951 1955 1959 1963 1967 1971 1975 1977 sp 1979 1983 1987 1989 sp 1991 1995 1999 2003 2007 2011 2015 2019 2023 Aldermanic elections 1923 1927 1929 2015 2019
Cicero Municipal elections 1924
Cook County County elections 1946 1984 1986 1988 1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018 2020 2022
v t

The City of Chicago has held elections to its City Council since its incorporation in 1837. Elections were held annually from 1837 through 1921, biennially from 1923 through 1933, and quadrennially starting in 1935. From 1851 through 1922 the Council was staggered and half of it was chosen at each election, but before 1851 and since 1923 the entire Council has been elected at each election.

Members of the Council are known as "aldermen"—a term that is gender-neutral, although "alderwoman" and "alderperson" are occasionally encountered—and are elected from districts known as "wards". Since 1923 there have been fifty wards, each entitled to one alderman. Prior to that time the number of wards varied but they were almost always entitled to two aldermen each. The Council was known as the "Common Council" prior to 1875.

History[]

When Chicago was incorporated as a town in 1833, it was governed by a Board of Trustees that were elected at large and who elected a President from among themselves. Chicago's incorporation as a city in 1837 abandoned such a model in favor of a Common Council elected from wards and a separate mayor elected at large. However, the mayor would serve as the presiding officer of the Common Council. Each ward was nominally entitled to two aldermen each; however, prior to 1839 the 3rd and 5th wards were only entitled to one alderman each. Aldermanic terms were one year each, and both aldermen were elected simultaneously in a ward. After 1850 aldermanic terms were extended to two years but the council was then staggered so that elections continued to be held annually and only one alderman was elected from a ward each election.^[1]

The City Charter was abolished in favor of the Cities and Villages Act of 1872, which renamed the council the "City Council".

In 1920 elections were made officially nonpartisan. In 1923 the number of aldermen per ward was decreased to one and the number of wards was increased to fifty, while the entire council was once again elected at each election. Starting in 1935 the term for aldermen was extended to four years, and aldermanic elections since that time have coincided with the mayoral election.

In 1837 there were six wards, before that number was increased to nine in 1847, ten in 1853, sixteen in 1863, twenty in 1869, down to eighteen in 1876, to twenty-four in 1887 and thirty-four in 1890, to thirty-five in 1900, before being increased to fifty in 1923.^[1]

Current election laws[]

There are no term limits for aldermen.

References[]