Contents

1946 Illinois elections

1946 Illinois elections

← 1944 November 5, 1946 1948 →

Elections in Illinois
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 Dem Rep 1988 1992 1996 Dem Rep 2000 Dem Rep 2004 Dem Rep 2008 Dem Rep 2012 Dem Rep 2016 Dem Rep 2020 Dem Rep 2024 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 1st 2024
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 2024 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 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 Attorney General elections 2018 2022 Secretary of State elections 2022 Comptroller elections 2016 Senate elections 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018 2020 2022 2024 House of Representatives elections 1964 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018 2020 2022 2024 Judicial elections 2012 2014 2016 2018 2020 2022 2024
Ballot measures and referendums State capitol referendum (1834) Cutback Amendment (1980) Crime Victim Rights Amendment (1992) Illinois Governor Recall Amendment (2010) Public Pension Amendment (2012) Marsy's Law (2014) Right to Vote Amendment (2014) Transportation Taxes and Fees Lockbox Amendment (2016) Fair Tax (2020) Right to Collective Bargaining Amendment (2022)
Chicago General elections 2019 2023 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 1925 1927 1929 2011 2015 2019 2023 Chicago Board of Education elections 2024 2026
Cicero Municipal elections 1924
Cook County County elections 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 2024
v t e

Elections were held in Illinois on Tuesday, November 5, 1946.^[1]

Primaries were held April 9, 1946.^[1]

1946 was a midterm election year in the United States.

In the primary election 1,531,657 ballots were cast (741,821 Democratic and 789,836 Republican).^[1]

In the general election 3,619,332 ballots were cast.^[1]

1946 United States House of Representatives elections in Illinois

← 1944 November 5, 1946 (1946-11-05) 1948 →
All 26 Illinois seats to the United States House of Representatives
Majority party Minority party   Party Republican Democratic Seats won 20 6
Democratic   50–60%   70–80% Republican   50–60%   60–70%   70–80%

All 26 Illinois seats in the United States House of Representatives were up for election in 1946.

Republicans flipped five Republican-held seats, leaving the Illinois House delegation to consist of 20 Republicans and 6 Democrats.

1946 Illinois State Treasurer election

← 1944 November 5, 1946 1948 →

Nominee Richard Yates Rowe Sam Keys Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 1,959,881 1,480,597 Percentage 56.73% 42.86%

Treasurer before election Conrad F. Becker Republican Elected Treasurer Richard Yates Rowe Republican

Incumbent first-term Treasurer, Republican Conrad F. Becker, did not seek reelection. Republican Richard Yates Rowe was elected to succeed him.

1946 Illinois Superintendent of Public Instruction election

← 1942 November 5, 1946 1950 →

Nominee Vernon L. Nickell C. H. Engle Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 1,959,738 1,439,645 Percentage 57.37% 42.14%

Superintendent before election Vernon L. Nickell Republican Elected Superintendent Vernon L. Nickell Republican

Incumbent Superintendent of Public Instruction Vernon L. Nickell, a Republican, was reelected to a second term.

Seats in the Illinois Senate were up for election in 1946. Republicans retained control of the chamber.

Seats in the Illinois House of Representatives were up for election in 1946. Republicans retained control of the chamber.

1946 Trustees of University of Illinois election

← 1944 November 5, 1946 1948 →
3 out of 9 seats on the University of Illinois Board of Trustees 5 seats needed for a majority
Majority party Minority party   Party Republican Democratic Seats before 6 3 Seats after 6 3 Seat change Popular vote 5,763,206 4,280,012 Percentage 57.11% 42.42% Swing 2.03% 8.10% Seats up 3 0 Races won 3 0 [1][2][3]

An election was held for three of nine seats for Trustees of University of Illinois. Republicans won all three seats. However, since all three seats up for election were already held by Republicans, this did not change the partisan composition of the University of Illinois Board of Trustees, with the board's 9–3 Republican majority over Democrats being retained.

First-term Republican incumbents Park Livingston and John R. Fornof were reelected.^[1][2] New Republican member Doris Simpson Holt was elected.^[1][2] Third-term Republican incumbent Helen M. L. Grigsby was not renominated.^[2]

On June 3, 1946, elections were held to fill vacancies on the Superior Court of Cook County.^[1] On November 5, 1946, a special election was held to fill a vacancy on the Circuit Court of Cook County.^[1] On December 17, 1946, a special election was held to fill a vacancy on the Sixth Judicial Circuit.^[1]

Two measures was put before voters in 1946.

The Illinois Gateway Amendment, a proposed amendment to Section 2 of Article XIV of the Constitution, failed to meet the threshold for approval.^[1][4]

If approved, this amendment would have enabled the legislature to submit legislatively referred amendments to up to three constitutional articles per session.^[4]

In order to be approved, legislatively referred constitutional amendments required approval equal to a majority of voters voting in the entire general election.^[4][5]

The World War II Veterans' Compensation Act, a legislatively referred bond issue, was approved by voters.^[6]

The bond issue would be used to compensate veterans of World War II.^[6]

It was required to be approved by a vote equal to vote for whichever chamber of the state legislature received the greatest vote total. In this case, that meant it needed to receive 1,709,721 votes.

Local elections were held. These included county elections, such as the Cook County elections.