Four Questions on Your November 3 Ballot

Your ballot · November 3 referenda

Every Winnebago County voter will see three advisory questions on the November 3 ballot: photo ID for voting, property tax relief, and how Illinois draws its legislative maps. Voters in the Pecatonica Fire Protection District will also decide a binding property tax increase. Here is what each question asks and where Winnebago County Republicans stand.

What an advisory question does

The Winnebago County Board voted to place all three advisory questions on the ballot. An advisory question does not change any law. It measures public opinion and sends that result to the officials who can act, in this case the Illinois General Assembly in Springfield. A strong local vote puts Winnebago County on the record.

1. Voter photo ID

“Should Illinois law be changed to require voters to provide a valid photo identification once – either when registering to vote or before voting for the first time – while ensuring that all eligible citizens can obtain such identification free of charge and without unreasonable barriers?”

The question asks for a one-time photo ID check, at registration or before a first vote, with free ID for every eligible citizen. The County Board approved it 11 to 8 on August 13. Paul Arena, who chairs the board’s Operations and Administrative Committee, said that after reviewing the election code and consulting the State’s Attorney’s Office, he concluded a voter can register and vote in Illinois without ever presenting a photo ID.

Our position: Vote Yes. A one-time photo ID check is a reasonable safeguard, and the question protects access by requiring that the ID be free and easy to get. Confidence in elections is worth protecting in advance.

2. Property tax relief

“Should the Illinois General Assembly pass legislation to cap and lower local property taxes and provide state funding to local governments that agree to reduce property tax levies?”

Illinois homeowners carry the highest effective property tax rate in the nation, and Winnebago County and Rockford are higher still. We laid out those numbers in Illinois Property Taxes Rank Highest in the Nation. This question asks Springfield to cap and lower local property taxes and to help local governments that cut their levies.

Our position: Vote Yes. Families should not have to choose between staying in their homes and paying another increase. A Yes vote tells state lawmakers that Winnebago County wants real, lasting relief.

3. Fair legislative maps

“Should legislative districts be compact, contiguous and equal in population, drawn by a non-partisan commission, not by elected officials, without consideration of party registration and voting history data?”

Under Article IV, Section 3 of the Illinois Constitution, the General Assembly redraws the state’s legislative districts after each census. In other words, the lawmakers draw the districts they run in. This question asks whether an independent, nonpartisan commission should draw those maps instead.

Our position: Vote Yes. Voters should choose their representatives, not the other way around. Compact, fair districts drawn without party data give every community a real voice.

4. Pecatonica Fire Protection District tax rate

This question appears only on ballots in the Pecatonica Fire Protection District, which covers parts of Winnebago and Stephenson counties. Unlike the three advisory questions, it is binding. If it passes, the district’s property tax rate goes up.

“Shall the limiting rate under the Property Tax Extension Limitation Law for Pecatonica Fire Protection District, Winnebago and Stephenson Counties, Illinois, be increased by an additional amount equal to 0.3739% above the limiting rate for the purpose of fire protection and ambulance services including additional EMS staffing for levy year 2026 and be equal to 0.6500% of the equalized assessed value of the taxable property therein for levy year 2026?”

Figures: From the proposition text on the specimen ballot certified by Winnebago County Clerk Lori Gummow on August 25, 2026.

The proposition would raise the district’s approximate tax collections from about $480,780 to about $1,215,500 for fire protection, ambulance service, and added EMS staffing. The district put a similar rate increase before voters on the March 2026 primary ballot.

Our position: Know the cost before you vote. Emergency service matters, and so does every household budget. Winnebago County Republicans take no position on this district question. If you live in the district, read the full proposition, ask the fire district how the added money would be spent, and decide what is right for your community.

Sources: Question wording comes from the Winnebago County Clerk’s November 3, 2026 referenda questions and the certified specimen ballot for the Pecatonica Fire Protection District. The County Board vote and Paul Arena’s remarks are from WTVO’s August 14, 2026 report.