Cook County Homeowners Protest Taxes but Skip the Ballot Box

The discrepancy between public frustration and civic engagement is stark. During the 2025 local elections and the 2026 primary, voters approved 15 out of 20 binding referendums, greenlighting $335.5 million in new bonds and $3.5 million in direct tax increases. In some instances, fewer than 10% of eligible voters cast a ballot on these financial measures, even as residents staged public protests against their tax burdens.

In the Northbrook Rural Fire Protection District, a mere 4.9% of eligible voters authorized a 14.9% tax increase. This decision will cost the owner of a $350,000 home an additional $106.26 annually. Similarly, the Leyden Fire Protection District secured a $3 million bond and a $730,000 tax hike with less than 9.4% participation. Even when voters do show up for elections, many ignore the referendum questions located at the bottom of the ballot; in the Roselle Fire Protection District, 69% of those who cast ballots skipped the tax-related question entirely.

Historically, turnout in these non-presidential cycles struggles to gain traction, rarely exceeding the participation seen in high-profile general elections. Pappas noted that the highest engagement occurred in Oak Park, where 40.6% of voters turned out to soundly reject a $40 million bond proposal for an aquatics center. For the majority of districts, however, the lack of participation ensures that taxpayers effectively vote for the very increases they publicly decry.