Cutback Amendment

The Cutback Amendment is an amendment to the Illinois Constitution that abolished multi-member districts in the Illinois House of Representatives and the process of cumulative voting.[1] Before the amendment Illinois voters could vote three times for one candidate or spread their votes between two or three candidates. Three members were elected per district. When the Cutback Amendment was approved in 1980, the total number of House representatives was reduced from 177 to 118. The movement to pass the bill was largely led by Pat Quinn and Harry Yourell.[2]

Federal government

U.S. Presidential elections
1820 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 2014 2016 2020 2022
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. 1895 18th sp. 1896 1898 1900 1902 1904 1906 1908 1910 1912 1914 1916 1918 4th sp. 1920 1928 1930 1932 1934 1936 1938 1940 1942 1944 1944 19th sp. 1946 1948 1950 1952 1954 1956 1958 1960 1962 1964 1966 1968 1970 1972 1972 15th sp. 1976 1978 1980 1980 10th sp. 1982 1986 1988 1992 1994 1995 2nd sp. 1996 1998 2000 1st 2000 2002 2004 2006 2006 6th 2006 8th 2006 10th 2006 11th 2006 19th 2008 2008 14th sp. 2009 5th sp. 2010 2012 2013 2nd sp. 2014 2015 18th sp. 2016 2018 2020

State government

Gubernatorial elections
1818 1822 1826 1830 1834 1838 1842 1846 1848 1852 1856 1860 1864 1868 1872 1904 1908 1912 1916 1936 1940 1944 1948 1952 1956 1960 1964 1968 1972 1976 1978 1982 1986 1990 1994 1998 2002 2006 2010 2014 2018
State Senate elections
2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018 2020
State House of Representatives elections
2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018 2020
Judicial elections
1936 1938 1940 1942 1948 1960 1962 2014 2016 2018 2020
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

Chicago

Mayoral elections
1837 1838 1839 1840 1841 1842 1843 1844 Mar Apr 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 Apr Jul 1877 1879 1881 1883 1885 1887 1889 1891 1893 Apr Dec 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 1979 1983 1987 1989 1991 1995 1999 2003 2007 2011 2015 2019 2023
Aldermanic elections
1923 1925 1927 1929 1931 1933 1935 1939 1943 1947 1951 1955 1959 1963 1967 1971 1975 1979 1983 1987 1991 1995 1999 2003 2007 2011 2015 2019
General elections
2019

The amendment was passed via a referendum and popularly seen as a way to punish the legislature for voting to give itself a 40% raise.[3]

It amended Article IV, Sections 1, 2 and 3 of the Constitution of Illinois.[4]

Passage

Voters approved the measure by referendum on November 4, 1980.

In order to be approved, the measure required either 60% support among those specifically voting on the measure or 50% support among all ballots cast in the 1980 Illinois elections.[4]

Alongside the Sale of Tax Delinquent Property Amendment, it became one of the first two amendments to be successfully made to following the 1970 passage of the Constitution of Illinois.[4]

Illinois Size of State House of Representatives Amendment[4][5]
Option	Votes	% of votes on referendum	% of all ballots cast
Yes	2,112,224	68.70	43.38
No	962,325	31.30	19.77
Total votes	3,074,549	100	63.15

Calls for repeal

Since the adoption of the Cutback Amendment, there have been proposals by some major political figures in Illinois to bring back multi-member districts. A task force led by former governor Jim Edgar and former federal judge Abner Mikva issued a report in 2001 calling for the revival of cumulative voting,[6] in part because it appears that such a system increases the representation of racial minorities in elected office.[7] The Chicago Tribune editorialized in 1995 that the multi-member districts elected with cumulative voting produced better legislators.[8] Others have argued that the now-abandoned system provided for greater "stability" in the lower house.[9]

References

"Cutback Amendment". Illinois Issues. November 1980. Archived from the original on 2008-05-16. Retrieved 2008-05-08.
Schaller, Robert. "The 'Cutback Amendment' and diversity in the House". Illinois Issues. Sangamon State University. pp. 9–10. ISSN 0738-9663.
"Illinois drives to revive cumulative voting". April 21, 2006. Archived from the original on July 10, 2012. Retrieved 2010-06-20.
"Illinois Constitution - Amendments Proposed". www.ilga.gov. Illinois General Assembly. Retrieved 26 March 2020.
"Illinois Size of State House of Representatives Amendment (1980)". Ballotpedia. Retrieved 29 March 2020.
"FairVote - Illinois' Drive to Revive Cumulative Voting". Archive.fairvote.org. Retrieved 2015-06-01.
"FairVote - Black Representation Under Cumulative Voting in Illinois". Archive.fairvote.org. Retrieved 2015-06-01.
Farrell, John. "Cumulative Voting – Illinois | Institute for Local Self-Reliance". Newrules.org. Retrieved 2015-06-01.
"32 Illinois Law Review 1937-1938 Cumulative Voting in Illinois". Heinonline.org. Retrieved 2015-06-01.

Elections in Illinois
By year	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 1998 1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018 2020 2022
Presidential	1820 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 2008 (Dem primary, Rep primary) 2012 2016 (Dem primary) 2020 (Dem primary)
U.S. Senate	1885 1913 1914 1918 1920 1924 1926 1928 1930 1932 1936 1938 1940 1942 1944 1948 1950 1954 1956 1960 1962 1966 1968 1970 1972 1974 1978 1980 1984 1986 1990 1992 1996 1998 2002 2004 2008 2010 2014 2016 2020
U.S. House	2000 (1st) 2006 2008 2010 (17th) 2012 2014 2016 2018 2020
Special	2nd Congressional, 1995 14th Congressional, 2008 5th Congressional, 2009 2nd Congressional, 2013 18th Congressional, 2015 Comptroller, 2016
Gubernatorial	1818 1822 1826 1830 1834 1838 1842 1846 1848 1852 1856 1860 1864 1868 1904 1908 1912 1916 1936 1940 1944 1948 1952 1956 1960 1964 1968 1972 1976 1978 1982 1986 1990 1994 1998 2002 2006 2010 2014 2018
State Senate	2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018 2020
State House	2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018 2020
State judicial	1936 1938 1940 1942 1948 1960 1962 2014 2016 2018 2020
Statewide ballot referendums	Cutback Amendment (1980) Illinois Governor Recall Amendment (2010) Illinois Public Pension Amendment (2012) Marsy's Law (2014) Illinois Right to Vote Amendment (2014) Illinois Fair Tax (2020)
Chicago mayoral	1837 1838 1839 1840 1841 1842 1843 1844 (Mar) 1844 (Apr) 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 (Apr) 1876 (Jul) 1877 1879 1881 1883 1885 1887 1889 1891 1893 (Apr) 1893 (Dec) 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 1979 1983 1987 1989 1991 1995 1999 2003 2007 2011 2015 2019 2023
Chicago City Council	1923 1925 1927 1929 1931 1933 1935 1939 1943 1947 1951 1955 1959 1963 1967 1971 1975 1979 1983 1987 1991 1995 1999 2003 2007 2011 2015 2019
Cicero municipal	1924
Cook County	1946 1980 (State's Attorney) 1984 1986 1988 1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018 2020 2022

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