Voter turnout in Chicago’s primary election could be at its lowest in over a decade, but passions run high on the streets as the contentious Bring Chicago Home referendum hangs in the balance, battling voter apathy in Tuesday’s primary. The proposal aims to hike the real estate transfer tax on sales over $1 million to generate an estimated $100 million annually to combat homelessness, according to The Chicago Tribune. Tax rates for purchases under the million-dollar mark could be cut to 0.6%, while those between $1 million and $1.5 million may see a split tax rate — voters say yes or no on these numbers after polls close at 7 p.m. Central.
Experts believe the low turnout will play a significant role in this election cycle. "If you don't vote, I don't want to hear your mouth," declared voter Rodney Hill in an interview obtained by ABC7 Chicago. Movements, however, are ongoing with over 100 volunteer organizers from the Bring Chicago Home campaign hitting the streets and phones in a final effort to turn the vote in their favor, as political director Vaughn Roland shared with ABC7 Chicago.
The referendum, marketed to some as a "mansion tax," has stirred up sharp divisions among Chicago citizens. "That's just the tax that's going to raise the rents because it's tax on the properties over $1 million...it's going to fall back on the renters," Hill asserted, highlighting the concerns of a significant portion of the electorate. On the other side of the debate, voter Carlo Govia has a different take, "I did a little research on that. And it's fine," he said, indicating that the initiative's details might not deter an informed electorate.
Critics from the business community, such as Corey Oliver of the Neighborhood Building Owners Alliance, warn of the potentially wide-reaching consequences the new tax might have on Chicago’s cost of living. "It's going to make your every day more expensive to live in Chicago, whether it's with paying more to own a home, pay more to rent a home," Oliver told ABC7 Chicago. Meanwhile, Laura Washington, ABC7 Political Analyst, pointed out that the progressives’ ground game, backed by unions and activists, could sway the results in favor of the tax increase, despite its complicated wording on the ballot – a factor that Democratic political consultant Tom Bowen believes may cost it some votes.
In tandem with these efforts, the race for the Cook County State's Attorney's Office runs its course, as Democrats Clayton Harris III and Eileen O'Neill Burke aim to secure their spots in the upcoming elections against Republican Bob Fioretti and Libertarian Andrew Charles Kopinski. "The state's attorney's race was a big deal for me this time," voter Lori related to ABC7 Chicago, pinpointing the intersection of local politics and crime as a driver for civic engagement. It's now a waiting game as the city anticipates which voices will ring loudest once the polls close and the final votes are tallied.
