2008 Illinois elections
Elections were held in Illinois on November 4, 2008.
Primaries were held February 5, 2008.
Election information
Turnout
Primary election
For the primary election, turnout was 40.89%, with 2,986,982 votes cast.;Turnout by county
| County | Registration | Votes cast | Turnout |
| Adams | 42,024 | 14,154 | 33.68% |
| Alexander | 7,743 | 2,526 | 32.62% |
| Bond | 11,258 | 3,499 | 31.08% |
| Boone | 33,607 | 11,545 | 34.35% |
| Brown | 3,262 | 1,450 | 44.45% |
| Bureau | 24,159 | 7,301 | 30.22% |
| Calhoun | 4,108 | 1,592 | 38.75% |
| Carroll | 12,143 | 3,469 | 28.57% |
| Cass | 9,490 | 2,188 | 23.06% |
| Champaign | 109,946 | 39,156 | 35.61% |
| Christian | 21,272 | 7,848 | 36.89% |
| Clark | 12,624 | 4,199 | 33.26% |
| Clay | 9,390 | 3,582 | 38.15% |
| Clinton | 26,213 | 6,851 | 26.14% |
| Coles | 28,826 | 10,180 | 35.32% |
| Cook | 2,658,099 | 1,274,569 | 47.95% |
| Crawford | 13,807 | 4,457 | 32.28% |
| Cumberland | 8,821 | 2,616 | 29.66% |
| DeKalb | 52,754 | 23,612 | 44.76% |
| DeWitt | 10,863 | 4,885 | 44.97% |
| Douglas | 11,742 | 4,222 | 35.96% |
| DuPage | 549,621 | 244,032 | 44.4% |
| Edgar | 12,704 | 4,773 | 37.57% |
| Edwards | 4,369 | 1,641 | 37.56% |
| Effingham | 23,050 | 7,936 | 34.43% |
| Fayette | 15,280 | 4,770 | 31.22% |
| Ford | 8,619 | 3,237 | 37.56% |
| Franklin | 27,167 | 11,720 | 43.14% |
| Fulton | 26,485 | 9,033 | 34.11% |
| Gallatin | 4,264 | 2,203 | 51.67% |
| Greene | 9,644 | 2,811 | 29.15% |
| Grundy | 30,311 | 10,635 | 35.09% |
| Hamilton | 6,563 | 3,266 | 49.76% |
| Hancock | 13,475 | 5,362 | 39.79% |
| Hardin | 3,811 | 1,750 | 45.92% |
| Henderson | 5,414 | 1,919 | 35.45% |
| Henry | 36,015 | 10,762 | 29.88% |
| Iroquois | 20,187 | 6,171 | 30.57% |
| Jackson | 41,323 | 12,131 | 29.36% |
| Jasper | 14,959 | 2,777 | 18.56% |
| Jefferson | 24,758 | 10,744 | 43.4% |
| Jersey | 16,402 | 4,803 | 29.28% |
| Jo Daviess | 16,819 | 5,508 | 32.75% |
| Johnson | 7,596 | 3,922 | 51.63% |
| Kane | 258,902 | 101,332 | 39.14% |
| Kankakee | 64,925 | 18,849 | 29.03% |
| Kendall | 58,570 | 22,923 | 39.14% |
| Knox | 33,486 | 12,240 | 36.55% |
| Lake | 377,738 | 147,424 | 39.03% |
| LaSalle | 70,265 | 24,372 | 34.69% |
| Lawrence | 10,145 | 3,110 | 30.66% |
| Lee | 47,146 | 8,262 | 17.52% |
| Livingston | 23,146 | 8,133 | 35.14% |
| Logan | 19,496 | 7,357 | 37.74% |
| Macon | 69,372 | 26,993 | 38.91% |
| Macoupin | 32,641 | 10,440 | 31.98% |
| Madison | 163,584 | 60,403 | 36.92% |
| Marion | 24,959 | 9,233 | 36.99% |
| Marshall | 8,447 | 3,486 | 41.27% |
| Mason | 10,447 | 3,786 | 36.24% |
| Massac | 11,434 | 4,348 | 38.03% |
| McDonough | 17,882 | 6,528 | 36.51% |
| McHenry | 188,449 | 65,232 | 34.62% |
| McLean | 89,510 | 38,116 | 42.58% |
| Menard | 9,303 | 3,222 | 34.63% |
| Mercer | 14,018 | 4,216 | 30.08% |
| Monroe | 22,972 | 8,065 | 35.11% |
| Montgomery | 18,629 | 6,170 | 33.12% |
| Morgan | 23,947 | 6,590 | 27.52% |
| Moultrie | 8,453 | 3,011 | 35.62% |
| Ogle | 38,584 | 13,322 | 34.53% |
| Peoria | 113,614 | 42,887 | 37.75% |
| Perry | 14,590 | 4,807 | 32.95% |
| Piatt | 11,369 | 4,113 | 36.18% |
| Pike | 12,585 | 3,617 | 28.74% |
| Pope | 3,490 | 1,304 | 37.36% |
| Pulaski | 6,615 | 2,007 | 30.34% |
| Putnam | 4,566 | 1,714 | 37.54% |
| Randolph | 24,153 | 7,149 | 29.6% |
| Richland | 13,463 | 3,742 | 27.79% |
| Rock Island | 117,900 | 35,990 | 30.53% |
| Saline | 16,402 | 7,525 | 45.88% |
| Sangamon | 134,911 | 40,607 | 30.1% |
| Schuyler | 5,301 | 2,013 | 37.97% |
| Scott | 3,994 | 1,378 | 34.5% |
| Shelby | 14,377 | 5,315 | 36.97% |
| Stark | 5,179 | 1,470 | 28.38% |
| St. Clair | 186,756 | 58,617 | 31.39% |
| Stephenson | 33,178 | 10,111 | 30.48% |
| Tazewell | 96,705 | 32,412 | 33.52% |
| Union | 15,118 | 6,403 | 42.35% |
| Vermilion | 46,793 | 14,177 | 30.3% |
| Wabash | 9,221 | 2,561 | 27.77% |
| Warren | 12,488 | 4,213 | 33.74% |
| Washington | 11,683 | 3,989 | 34.14% |
| Wayne | 12,368 | 4,917 | 39.76% |
| White | 11,312 | 3,911 | 34.57% |
| Whiteside | 48,987 | 12,777 | 26.08% |
| Will | 330,732 | 144,040 | 43.55% |
| Williamson | 40,948 | 18,198 | 44.44% |
| Winnebago | 174,484 | 61,303 | 35.13% |
| Woodford | 23,844 | 10,745 | 45.06% |
| 7,304,563 | 2,986,982 | 40.89% |
General election
For the general election, turnout was 71.60%, with 5,577,509 votes cast.;Turnout by county
| County | Registration | Votes cast | Turnout% |
| Adams | 44,329 | 31,107 | 70.17% |
| Alexander | 7,926 | 4,030 | 50.85% |
| Bond | 11,756 | 8,034 | 68.34% |
| Boone | 32,771 | 22,317 | 68.1% |
| Brown | 3,383 | 2,625 | 77.59% |
| Bureau | 26,861 | 17,291 | 64.37% |
| Calhoun | 3,952 | 2,773 | 70.17% |
| Carroll | 12,012 | 7,734 | 64.39% |
| Cass | 9,650 | 5,479 | 56.78% |
| Champaign | 123,150 | 84,804 | 68.86% |
| Christian | 22,088 | 15,253 | 69.06% |
| Clark | 12,882 | 8,382 | 65.07% |
| Clay | 9,665 | 6,577 | 68.05% |
| Clinton | 27,262 | 17,492 | 64.16% |
| Coles | 32,867 | 23,287 | 70.85% |
| Cook | 2,933,502 | 2,162,240 | 73.71% |
| Crawford | 14,197 | 9,246 | 65.13% |
| Cumberland | 9,065 | 5,390 | 59.46% |
| DeKalb | 60,718 | 45,178 | 74.41% |
| DeWitt | 11,468 | 7,886 | 68.77% |
| Douglas | 12,193 | 8,443 | 69.24% |
| DuPage | 551,280 | 420,397 | 76.26% |
| Edgar | 13,004 | 8,345 | 64.17% |
| Edwards | 4,576 | 3,418 | 74.69% |
| Effingham | 22,353 | 16,999 | 76.05% |
| Fayette | 15,589 | 9,815 | 62.96% |
| Ford | 9,059 | 6,435 | 71.03% |
| Franklin | 28,247 | 18,970 | 67.16% |
| Fulton | 26,982 | 16,489 | 61.11% |
| Gallatin | 4,316 | 2,948 | 68.3% |
| Greene | 9,446 | 5,881 | 62.26% |
| Grundy | 30,234 | 22,356 | 73.94% |
| Hamilton | 6,432 | 4,452 | 69.22% |
| Hancock | 13,674 | 9,570 | 69.99% |
| Hardin | 3,910 | 2,332 | 59.64% |
| Henderson | 5,527 | 3,875 | 70.11% |
| Henry | 37,351 | 24,995 | 66.92% |
| Iroquois | 20,695 | 13,697 | 66.19% |
| Jackson | 45,225 | 25,795 | 57.04% |
| Jasper | 7,511 | 5,229 | 69.62% |
| Jefferson | 25,816 | 17,454 | 67.61% |
| Jersey | 17,113 | 10,723 | 62.66% |
| Jo Daviess | 16,529 | 11,878 | 71.86% |
| Johnson | 7,984 | 6,012 | 75.3% |
| Kane | 263,876 | 194,981 | 73.89% |
| Kankakee | 65,279 | 48,333 | 74.04% |
| Kendall | 67,307 | 46,875 | 69.64% |
| Knox | 34,898 | 24,284 | 69.59% |
| Lake | 405,041 | 301,077 | 74.33% |
| LaSalle | 73,689 | 50,775 | 68.9% |
| Lawrence | 10,497 | 6,661 | 63.46% |
| Lee | 26,428 | 16,499 | 62.43% |
| Livingston | 23,826 | 15,752 | 66.11% |
| Logan | 19,859 | 13,029 | 65.61% |
| Macon | 73,597 | 51,644 | 70.17% |
| Macoupin | 32,910 | 22,606 | 68.69% |
| Madison | 178,014 | 129,880 | 72.96% |
| Marion | 26,084 | 17,562 | 67.33% |
| Marshall | 8,777 | 6,402 | 72.94% |
| Mason | 10,527 | 6,889 | 65.44% |
| Massac | 11,759 | 7,320 | 62.25% |
| McDonough | 19,569 | 13,158 | 67.24% |
| McHenry | 199,378 | 140,002 | 70.22% |
| McLean | 100,157 | 76,231 | 76.11% |
| Menard | 9,594 | 6,531 | 68.07% |
| Mercer | 14,087 | 8,943 | 63.48% |
| Monroe | 24,280 | 18,241 | 75.13% |
| Montgomery | 19,055 | 13,039 | 68.43% |
| Morgan | 25,007 | 15,466 | 61.85% |
| Moultrie | 8,782 | 6,312 | 71.87% |
| Ogle | 40,453 | 25,062 | 61.95% |
| Peoria | 124,116 | 83,008 | 66.88% |
| Perry | 15,054 | 10,148 | 67.41% |
| Piatt | 11,921 | 9,065 | 76.04% |
| Pike | 12,991 | 7,712 | 59.36% |
| Pope | 3,399 | 2,272 | 66.84% |
| Pulaski | 6,679 | 3,333 | 49.9% |
| Putnam | 4,663 | 3,369 | 72.25% |
| Randolph | 24,624 | 15,401 | 62.54% |
| Richland | 13,684 | 7,751 | 56.64% |
| Rock Island | 114,645 | 68,933 | 60.13% |
| Saline | 17,179 | 11,691 | 68.05% |
| Sangamon | 138,299 | 100,679 | 72.8% |
| Schuyler | 5,473 | 3,876 | 70.82% |
| Scott | 3,976 | 2,643 | 66.47% |
| Shelby | 15,158 | 11,004 | 72.6% |
| Stark | 5,212 | 2,945 | 56.5% |
| St. Clair | 201,095 | 126,682 | 63% |
| Stephenson | 34,535 | 21,798 | 63.12% |
| Tazewell | 99,868 | 64,319 | 64.4% |
| Union | 15,337 | 9,306 | 60.68% |
| Vermilion | 49,863 | 33,249 | 66.68% |
| Wabash | 9,391 | 5,860 | 62.4% |
| Warren | 12,970 | 8,117 | 62.58% |
| Washington | 12,396 | 8,040 | 64.86% |
| Wayne | 12,640 | 8,172 | 64.65% |
| White | 11,566 | 7,571 | 65.46% |
| Whiteside | 43,590 | 27,142 | 62.27% |
| Will | 373,847 | 288,709 | 77.23% |
| Williamson | 43,676 | 30,519 | 69.88% |
| Winnebago | 188,795 | 127,369 | 67.46% |
| Woodford | 25,578 | 19,639 | 76.78% |
| 7,789,500 | 5,577,509 | 71.6% |
Federal elections
Presidential election
Illinois voted for the Democratic ticket of Barack Obama and Joe Biden.This was the fifth consecutive presidential election in which Illinois had voted for the Democratic ticket.
U.S. House
All 19 of Illinois’ seats in the United States House of Representatives were up for election in 2008.The Democratic Party flipped one Republican-held seat, making the composition of Illinois' House delegation 11 Democrats and 8 Republicans.
U.S. Senate
Incumbent Democrat Dick Durbin was reelected to a third term.State elections
State Senate
One-third of the seats of the Illinois Senate were up for election in 2008.State House of Representatives
All of the seats in the Illinois House of Representatives were up for election in 2008.Judicial elections
Judicial elections were held.Ballot measures
Illinois voters voted on a single ballot measure in 1998. In order to be approved, the measure required either 60% support among those specifically voting on the amendment or 50% support among all ballots cast in the elections.This was the first time since the 1998 Illinois elections that a statewide ballot measure was presented to Illinois voters.