Six citywide questions, not three, and more in some wards: a corporate tax, South Works and a Jesse Jackson statue are on Chicago ballots Tuesday

Every Chicago voter will see six advisory questions on Tuesday's ballot, not only the three the City Council placed there, and voters in parts of at least eight wards will see more, NBC Chicago reported. Our Oct. 26 explainer covered only the Council's three.

Why it matters: all of these are advisory. They change no law. But they put a number on public opinion just before the Council writes a budget and three months before the mayoral and Council elections.

The six citywide questions

From the City Council: restarting gunshot detection; building a permanent festival and outdoor event site; and pursuing "all lawful means" to recover money from the federal government for the costs of last year's immigration enforcement operations.

From the Cook County Board: whether Illinois should adopt a "Millionaire Amendment for Property Tax Relief and Education," a 3% surcharge on income over $1 million split between property tax relief and schools. The County Board placed it unanimously in July, Block Club Chicago reported.

From the Board of Education: whether the state should use a millionaire surcharge to raise school funding, and whether the City should charge owners of long-vacant or undeveloped commercial or investment property an extra yearly fee for the schools. The school board approved both in August, with members divided on the vacant property question, Block Club reported.

The ward questions

According to NBC Chicago, questions appear for some or all voters in:

• 4th Ward: whether a life-size monument to the Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr. should go in the median near 4946 S. Drexel Blvd., near Rainbow PUSH headquarters.
• 7th Ward: whether the City should support a national park designation along the lakeshore.
• 7th and 10th wards: cleanup of the former South Works site, and government support for a quantum computing facility and data center there.
• 5th, 8th, 21st and 24th wards: whether alderpersons should tax corporations with 500 or more employees, excluding grocery stores and nonprofits, to pay for youth jobs, public mental health care and violence prevention.
• 21st Ward: whether a prohibition on liquor sales should continue in that area.
• 26th Ward: whether new shared housing units, such as short-term rentals, should be limited.
• Parts of the mid-North Side and far Southwest Side: questions on mental health services.

Your precinct's sample ballot shows exactly which apply to you.

What our records add

Only one came from the Council. Of the ward questions, only the 26th Ward's appears in the Council's records: a resolution from Ald. Jessie Fuentes, adopted 49 to 0 (SR2025-0021045). Under the Board's referendum guidelines, a question can also reach the ballot by voter petition, signed in a precinct by registered voters equal to at least 8% of the votes cast there for governor in the last election, and can cover one precinct, several contiguous ones or a whole ward.

The corporate tax question and the Council's votes. The question in parts of the 5th, 8th, 21st and 24th wards resembles, but is not the same as, the Mayor's proposed head tax, which would apply at 125 employees, not 500. Last December, the alderpersons of all four wards, Desmon Yancy (5th), Michelle Harris (8th), Ronnie Mosley (21st) and Monique Scott (24th), voted for the alternative 2026 revenue plan that left the head tax out. It passed 29 to 19. Gov. JB Pritzker restated his opposition to the head tax this week; more on that here.

Liquor questions are a separate track. State law provides "local option" votes on liquor sales, filed with the City Clerk rather than the Board. The Board's 2027 calendar sets Nov. 12 as the last day to file one for the February election.

February's ballot is already filling. Three resolutions waiting in committee would put ward questions on the Feb. 23 ballot: ranked-choice voting in the 30th Ward (R2026-0029263) and the 40th Ward (R2026-0028517), and a data center moratorium in the 40th (R2026-0028519). They are from Ald. Ruth Cruz (30th) and Ald. Andre Vasquez (40th), and sit in the Committee on Committees and Rules. The deadline for petitions to put public policy questions on the February ballot is Nov. 23, under the Board's calendar.

What's next

• Tue., Nov. 3: Election Day, 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. How and where to vote.
• After the election: we will report the results of each question by ward and precinct once the Board posts them.